SWINERTON COMPLETES OVER $5 MILLION RESTAURANT BUILDS FOR RARE ROOTS HOSPITALITY

Recent completion of Fin + Fino marks the latest in a longtime partnership.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. 鈥 , an industry-leading commercial general contractor with offices nationwide, completed construction on the restaurant for an on-time grand opening earlier this year, marking the completion of over $5 million of restaurant builds for Rare Roots Hospitality (Rare Roots) in the last year. The second location for this dining concept, the seafood house is the seventh restaurant that 吃瓜群众 has built for restaurateur Jon Dressler, Founder and Owner of Rare Roots. 吃瓜群众 also recently completed Chapter 6 on the ground floor of The Line in Charlotte.

鈥淚t has been more than 15 years since Jon and I launched our history of restaurant builds, and he鈥檚 continued to elevate the dining experience with each concept, always pushing the envelope with complexity and sophistication,鈥 explains Jason Hlewicki, Director of Special Projects for 吃瓜群众鈥檚 Carolinas Division. 鈥淛on knows that having 吃瓜群众 around the table from the beginning lays the groundwork for a much more expeditious and efficient construction process. Although each project presents unique challenges, our design-assist platform unravels them pretty quickly.鈥

Fin + Fino is located in Birkdale Village in Huntersville, NC, north of Charlotte, which once housed the original location of Dressler鈥檚, another Rare Roots restaurant. Dressler鈥檚, open for two decades, closed in September 2023 to prepare for the conversion to Fin + Fino. The $1.3 million construction project includes the renovation of the commercial kitchen, demolition and construction of the bar, creating an open concept dining area with banquette seating and remodeling of the bathrooms. The sophisticated d茅cor, with an ocean and maritime theme, celebrates the explorer鈥檚 mindset and the sailor鈥檚 heart. A waterfall feature separates the main dining room from the bar where the tile design is inspired by mermaids and light fixtures are dressed with seashells to capture the Mediterranean.听

鈥淛on is always innovating,鈥 says Hlewicki. 鈥淭his location is a big step up from the original Fin + Fino in terms of architectural features and interior design.鈥

The completion of Fin + Fino comes on the heels of 吃瓜群众鈥檚 completion of Rare Roots鈥 in Charlotte鈥檚 South End. This $3.4 million project was completed in eight months, finishing a week ahead of an ambitious schedule.听 As general contractor, 吃瓜群众 managed the renovation of the 8,000-square foot restaurant, located on the ground floor of The Line, a high-concept office tower.听

Chapter 6 serves Western Mediterranean fare in a sleek, modern space conducive to social gatherings. 吃瓜群众 facilitated the renovation of the commercial kitchen and remodeling of the bathrooms. The original bar was removed to create an open-concept restaurant with seating areas in the main dining area, lounge, bar and an expansive patio. A state-of-the-art kitchen with a chef鈥檚 table puts guests at the forefront of the live-action kitchen. This restaurant showcases a Mediterranean-influenced design with basket-shade light fixtures and illuminated wall niches displaying ceramics, glassware and other artisanal objects. A tiled mural highlights the six Mediterranean countries that inspired the restaurant concept, featuring stones sourced from each country.

吃瓜群众 also upgraded Rare Roots鈥 Joan鈥檚 Bakery & Deli that makes the breads and pastries for the company鈥檚 restaurant group and offers grab-and-go food for walk-up patrons. This half-million dollar project was completed in December. 吃瓜群众 led the renovation of the 1,000-square foot space, installing a full commercial kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a new commercial cooler and other state-of-the-art kitchen equipment. The renovation also added an inviting point-of-sale space, display cases for baked goods and an ordering counter. Exterior signage and branding features completed the manufacturing and retail outlet.

鈥淭he 吃瓜群众 team has consistently delivered results above and beyond my expectations when it came to quality, schedule and budget, which is why 吃瓜群众 has been by my side with these restaurant endeavors,鈥 says Dressler. 鈥淭hey clearly think about building relationships and not just projects, so their attention to detail, clear communications and problem solving bring a higher level of service that you wouldn鈥檛 typically expect in the construction industry. I鈥檓 happy to call them a trusted partner!鈥

Founded by Jon and Kim Dressler, Rare Roots is one of Charlotte鈥檚 leading restaurant groups. In addition to Fin +Fino, Chapter 6 and Joan鈥檚 Bakery & Deli, the group owns and operates Dressler鈥檚, The Porter鈥檚 House and Dressler鈥檚 Improv Kitchen at Middle C Jazz.

Since expanding to the Southeast in 2018, the Carolinas Division has constructed nearly $400 million of commercial environments. The dedicated team of 90 construction leaders specializes in corporate interiors and buildings, healthcare, education, restaurants and hospitality, multifamily and mass timber construction.

吃瓜群众 吃瓜群众

Swinerton provides commercial construction, construction management, design-build, and self-perform services throughout the United States. Founded in 1888, 吃瓜群众 is 100% employee-owned and is the preferred builder and trusted partner in every market it serves鈥攑roudly leading with ownership, integrity, passion, and excellence. 吃瓜群众 has 21 nationwide offices in Spokane and Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Boise, ID; Sacramento, Fresno, Concord, San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and San Diego, CA; Honolulu, HI; Denver, CO; Dallas and Austin, TX; Atlanta, GA; Charlotte and Raleigh, NC; and New York, NY. For more information, please visit swinerton.com.