CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Saturday was the last call for a South End ramen staple.
Futo Buta announced on Instagram late in the evening that it had closed its doors after serving up ramen dishes for nearly 10 years. The restaurant was spearheaded by the late Michael Shortino, a beloved chef who died in September 2023.
"Just as a death does not diminish the life of a loved one, the closing of a restaurant does not erase the impact it has had on a community. Michael's life was, and is, so greatly intertwined with this concept, one that cultivated an incredible story, marked with truly life-changing relationships," a statement on the restaurant's Instagram page read.
The statement thanked staff members for their contributions and hoped patrons carried fond memories made at Futo Buta with them.
Futo Buta's closing comes just over eight months after Lincoln's Haberdashery - another restaurant Shortino helmed - closed its doors for good. Shortino's daughter, Cassie Shortino, had stepped in to launch another new restaurant shortly after his passing.
The ramen house's website notes Shortino was a third-generation chef raised in New York, honing his craft in Asian cuisine. He opened Roka Akor in Arizona in 2006 before opening up shop in Charlotte in 2013 and settling in soon after.