A local classic,
reimagined with purpose
Our Story
Created by James-Beard-nominated Executive Chef Sam Diminich and the team behind Your Farms Your Table, Grey’s carries forward the same commitment to thoughtful sourcing and standards found across the YFYT family of brands, reimagined in a space that honors character and nostalgia—and where everyone’s got a seat at a booth.
Named after Sam’s son, Grey’s is built for family–yours, ours, and the chosen kind—where everyone is welcome as they are.
History
Before Grey’s, there was Mattie’s – a rescued 1948 vintage diner with a story as iconic as its chrome paint. The diner was built in 1948 by the Fodero Dining Car Company and spent decades in New Jersey before being heavily damaged by Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
In 2005, owner Matt King found the abandoned diner and brought it to Charlotte. After years of restoration, it opened in 2010 at the North Carolina Music Factory as a beloved late-night (and early-morning) spot. When it closed in 2015 due to development, the diner car sat empty until it returned to Plaza Midwood in 2022, welcoming a whole new run of regulars.
When it closed again in 2025, Chef Sam saw it as an opportunity to revive a piece of local history in a neighborhood that’s quickly evolving and has deep meaning to him. Plaza Midwood was his first home in Charlotte, the place where he found sobriety, and the community that taught him the importance of roots.