CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Around the country, fewer workers are coming into the office.
This change comes after the pandemic led to a rise in hybrid work models, leading more people to want to work from home.
Just last month, Joanna Sikiotis drew a crowd by closing Green's Lunch in Uptown after nearly 100 years, in part because she said customers that used to come from the office weren't there.
“Nobody’s coming to work," Sikiotis said. “I mean, during the day, there’s nobody up here.”
But the city of Charlotte is working to change that. Charlotte Center City Partners' Michael Smith said they're building new office space with amenities that will encourage people to come back. One of those towers on South Tryon Street is expected to open soon.
“We're hearing again and again from major employers that it is their aspiration to have their teams together," Smith said. "They want an office environment that is attractive so that people come to the office by choice instead of by mandate.”
They're also working to modernize or repurpose older structures, something Danny Chavis with Charlotte Regional Business Alliance said is helping to bring new faces into the city.
“Whether that's residential, whether that's hoteling, whether that's any other type of use … to drop some of that vacancy rate down," Chavez said. "The newer type of stuff is not having a problem filling up. The older space is.”
Eighty to 100 people new people a day are moving to the Charlotte area, according to Smith.
As the area changes, Sikiotis said she's open to the idea of bringing her family's famous hot dogs back to the Queen City.
“You know, in a couple of years I believe Uptown will come back to life again," Sikotis.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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