CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new restaurant in Charlotte is days away from the grand opening.

Steak 48 in SouthPark is a project that’s been in the works for years, and construction on the restaurant began at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The owners of the restaurant say they’ve assembled a team of 250 local employees, many of whom lost their jobs at other bars or restaurants during the pandemic.

Dennis Andrews is a server, and says it feels great to be working full-time again after months of uncertainty.

“It feels rejuvenating. The ability to again be able to provide for your family on such a high scale. You really have to be grateful for something like that,” he says.

Heather King, the Executive Chef, says even with the COVID-19 restrictions in place, it feels like getting back to work is lifting a huge weight off some of the employees’ shoulders.

“I was just talking with one of my co-workers and we were just saying how welcoming it is, and how such a relief it is to feel happy again,” King says. “My heart is warm and you can just see the attitude, and just everything feels really good and it feels like it’s, can’t say normal, but some kind of normalcy is coming back to our area.”

Steak 48 officially opens December 18th.