Attention all Charlotte Residents! Her Campus UNCC conducted an interview with the owner of the fabulous breakfast joint, Uptown Yolk. Keep reading to learn more about who Uptown Yolk is and why you HAVE to grab breakfast or brunch here if you’re ever passing through Uptown!
*some answers have been edited for clarity.
How did Uptown Yolk get their start?
Uptown Yolk started as The Yolk Café in Rock Hill SC in 2012. Chef Greg and I had moved from Phoenix AZ, where we lived while he attended culinary school. We met back home in Memphis TN, Greg worked at the hot wing place I would frequent. I was a waitress at a bar on the famous Beale Street, and food was our connector from the beginning. We married years later and decided we wanted to move back to the South. My parents were in the Carolinas due to my father’s job moving them to Charleston. We decided on Charlotte, NC because we googled something like “Top cities for young, black professionals or entrepreneurs” or something like that. LOL!! Charlotte was on each list and it was close to my family. We found this little run-down shopping center in Rock Hill that previously had a diner in it and worked HARD for years.
If you could describe in three words what Uptown Yolk stands for, what would they be?
Uptown Yolk is local, delicious, and innovative.
How did Uptown Yolk end up at 7th Street Public Market?
We were playing with the idea of growing into the Charlotte market and an opportunity came available in 7th Street. We needed to change from full service to counter service, but it opened us up to a whole new market! It was a very uncomfortable part of growth as we had been in Rock Hill 6 years, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
What is the best thing about being a part of the Charlotte community?
Charlotte is the most diverse, melting pot of folks that I have ever met and I love it. Having a mixed group of folks that think, speak, eat differently is important to any business. You need all those folks for you to get better. Folks that do not like your concept and or business serve their purpose as well. As much as we appreciate and love our supporters, we get better by listening to critiques as well. Charlotte is going to tell you if they like you or not. And when they love you, they make sure you know it.
How have operations changed due to COVID-19?
We pivoted to strictly curbside the first 6 months of the pandemic. In September, we added a new point of sale kiosk and tablet that would allow guests to input their own orders. This is allowing us to slowly get back to normal but keep our guests safe.
What is the most unique dish on the menu?
Our most unique dish is our MOJO HASH!! It is our coffee braised steak with mushrooms, sweet potatoes topped with 2 over medium eggs and scallion pesto. It’s not on the current COVID menu, but it will be back in the winter. It is Chef Greg’s take on a “Steak and Eggs” and it’s quite popular
What is the most popular dish on the menu?
It is definitely the 2 if by Land, a grit bowl topped with eggs, bacon, and cheddar. In our college days, Greg used to PARTY!! We had “Krystals” restaurants in Memphis and they had an item called “THE KRYSTAL SCRAMBLER”. This was the best hangover dish in the world to him. He wanted to do his own take on this using higher level ingredients: Local Yellow and white stone ground grits, bacon, quality cheddar, and local eggs.
What can we expect from Uptown Yolk in the future?
Uptown Yolk will expand into something bigger but remain local and a “boutique” style concept. Rebranding is around the corner because keeping things fresh is a necessary part of growth in business.
You can find Uptown Yolk on Instagram @uptownyolk or visit their website at https://theyolkcafe.com/