Chop Chop Red Pot is setting up shop in Uptown Charlotte, taking a stall inside The Market on 7th with an opening targeted for April 1. The onetime food truck turned catering crew is blending its Southern barbecue with a seafood-first lineup alongside Marlee Jean's Raw Bar & Kitchen. It is the team's first Charlotte food hall location and gives both chefs a long-anticipated foothold in the heart of downtown.
The new stall is headed for the former Mad Dash space inside The Market at 7th Street, the non-profit food hall and small-business incubator at 224 E. 7th Street. The Market leans on a rotating roster of local vendors, courting both hurried office workers at lunch and neighborhood regulars at night. With its prime spot along the light rail, it is a natural landing zone for a fast-casual concept looking to tap steady Uptown foot traffic.
According to Axios, Chop Chop Red Pot on 7th is slated to debut on Wednesday, April 1, with a menu that fuses the truck's barbecue staples and Marlee Jean's seafood program. Planned offerings include smoked prime rib panini, lobster rolls, crab cake sandwiches, oysters on the half shell, short rib grilled cheese, smoked wings, crudo and shrimp and grits. Axios also reports that owners Amanda Overdorf and Erick Crawford will keep seasonality and local sourcing at the center of the operation.
Chop Chop Red Pot started out as a Charlotte food truck before evolving into a catering outfit, the business notes, with chef Erick Crawford leaning on family recipes and regional ingredients. The partners grew the Marlee Jean's brand in Davidson before securing this Uptown stall. Marlee Jean's continues to operate on Depot Street in Davidson and has been a fixture alongside local breweries and neighborhood events around the Lake Norman area.
What This Means For Uptown
The move adds to a steady stream of local and regional players using Uptown food halls as launchpads, eyeing lunch crowds by day and destination diners at night. The Market on 7th, in particular, has carved out a role as an incubator where small restaurants and pop-ups can test downtown demand without taking on a full brick-and-mortar lease. For a broader look at how these halls are reshaping where Charlotte eats, WBTV recently pulled together a citywide roundup of the major players and their footprints.
If you go, Chop Chop plans to operate Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to Axios. The Market sits at 224 E. 7th Street in Uptown Charlotte, while Marlee Jean's home base remains on Depot Street in Davidson. Expect a mix of grab-and-go and dine-in options when the stall opens on April 1, and keep an eye on the partners' social channels for word on any soft-opening plans.
