The Wall Street Journal-20080119-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Food - Drink -- Power Tables- Where the Business Elite Are Eating
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Food & Drink -- Power Tables: Where the Business Elite Are Eating
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Charlotte, N.C.
Although it's only eight months old, the Charlotte, N.C., Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, part of a small national chain, has been drawing prominent members of the local business and sports worlds. Many come from Nascar, which operates several key divisions in Charlotte. With 30-foot-high windows and 36,000 square feet spread out over three levels, this is the place where drivers such as Jeff Burton and brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch have been known to drop by for a fix of surf and turf.
RECENT SIGHTINGS
Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson and his wife, Chandra, celebrated his second Sprint Cup Series championship with 16 guests in a downstairs private dining room. Tennis players Pete Sampras and Jim Courier, in town for a tournament, sat at table 216. Leon Levine, founder of national chain Family Dollar Stores, ate steak at table 213. Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme sat at table 30.
THE REGULARS
Billionaire Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Nascar track owner Speedway Motorsports and founder of car-dealership chain Sonic Automotive, comes in monthly for seared tuna at table 30, sometimes with his sons.
Although he resides in Daytona, Fla., where the racing league is based, Nascar Chairman and CEO Brian France dines here monthly and likes to sit at out-of-the-way table 242.
Billionaire entrepreneur Felix Sabates, who made his first fortune distributing Teddy Ruxpin and Cabbage Patch Kids dolls in the 1980s, has been mistaken for the maitre d' because he shakes so many hands at see-and-be-seen table 11.
NBA Bobcats Sports and Entertainment President Fred Whitfield sometimes shows up with the team's co-owners, basketball legend Michael Jordan and BET founder Bob Johnson. They sit at table 216.
With offices across the street, Piedmont Natural Gas Chairman and CEO Thomas E. Skains hosts monthly business dinners at table 213.
THE POWER TABLES
Corner table 213 on the mezzanine is referred to as "the point" because it offers panoramic views out the restaurant's large windows facing SouthPark, while nearby 216 offers great views of the downstairs and a little more privacy. Table 11 is near the lounge and lobby area, so it's a popular spot for hobnobbers, and it can be configured to fit four or six. Located in the hinterlands of the mezzanine-level Lincoln Room, table 242 attracts diners who don't want to be spotted at all.
(See accompanying graphics -- WSJ January 19, 2008)
Del Frisco's, 4725 Piedmont Row Dr., Charlotte, N.C.;
704-552-5502; www.delfriscos.com/charlotte
