Ham’s – The Houdini of Restaurants in North Carolina
Ham’s has been a part of my life for about as long as I can remember (minus the 4 years that I lived in Chattanooga, TN in the late 90s and early 2000′s). After baseball practices for Little League, our entire team would head up to the Ham’s on Skeet Club Road in High Point to have team meetings and devour basket after basket of their homemade chips with ranch. My parents would take me and my brother up to Ham’s another High Point location and I would sit entranced as the model train went back and forth along the tracks in the restaurant. #easilyamused
In college, there was a Ham’s Brewhouse, God rest its soul, in downtown Greenville, NC where they served some of the better microbrews that were around before the recent microbrew boom occured…especially for an 18-year-old kid whose license made him three years older. For the past few years, I have lived just a mile or two down the road from the original Ham’s where it had stood for 75 years, until recently, on Smyres Place off of Friendly Avenue in Greensboro and drive by it (but seldom eat there because it isn’t the cleanest place) daily to and from work. Needless to say, Ham’s and I go way back.
In October of 2009, Ham’s Restaurants (under the owner, Charles Erwin, who bought it back in the early 80s) filed for Chapter 11 which would allow them to continue operation as they worked to reorganize its business model and figure out how to get its lifeline back.
Even with all of the fond memories that I have of the place, I can’t say that I have been to one recently. The lack of my patronage (and a few other people’s) could have led to the issues that the Greensboro-based chain is having. In early April, the Greensboro News-Record announced that the original Ham’s was shutting its doors after 75 years of business.
In 1935, Newmer Ham opened Ham’s, offering curb service and deli-style food. Al Freiberg and Carl Herbst took it over in the 1940s. The popular restaurant — easily accessible to what would become UNCG and Grimsley High School — became a hangout for students.
Greensboro News-Record
The chain was a little more open about the closing of the original restaurant in Greensboro. The manager let locals know what was going on and they actually announced the closing in advance to let people come get their last meal or two for old time’s sake.
However, the Ham’s Brewhouse in Greenville, NC was not so vocal about it. In fact, the Greenville location just decided to lock up one day and post a sign on the door reading: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ham’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is closing for business. We greatly appreciate your patronage throughout the years. You will be missed.” According the The Daily Reflector, restaurant goers were seen walking away while shaking their heads in disbelief being denied the lunch they thought they were about to get.
However, there is good news coming out of this. The brewmaster, T.L. Adkisson, from the Greenville location is heading to Winston-Salem to become the head brewmaster at Foothills Brewery, my favorite North Carolina brewery, which makes some delicious beer. Check out their I.P.A. called Hoppyum if you have a chance. #delicious
In the April 5 article, the Greensboro News-Record reported that Charles Erwin, according to court documents, owes between $1 million and $10 million including more than $2.5 million in state and federal taxes. Obviously, there is a huge gap between $1 million and $10 million but an article published in the News-Record yesterday reported that Ham’s assets could be sold at auction or to family members.
Apparently, Ma & Pop Erwin are trying to bail out their son. On June 17th, they set up a company called Pika in which they propose to buy Ham’s assets for a quarter-million and possibly put their son back in charge even though he won’t have any financial stake or equity interest in the company unless he inherits it from his parents. Others interested in the bankruptcy need to make their voices heard (legally speaking: file a motion) before July 24th to be included.
If you are interested in jumping on this sinking ship, you might be able to get a piece for a good price at the bankruptcy auction being held in Wilson, NC at the US Bankruptcy Court on August 24th. If you would like a better return on your investment, send me whatever you are planning to spend on Ham’s and I will take half of it and then send you the other half back. Everyone will be a winner…somewhat.
If you don’t know about Ham’s, going to their Web site won’t help. It is shut down just like the original restaurant.
I drove past the flagship in Greensboro last night and was wondering the same things. Thanks for posting.
Sad to see them going under but the restaurants hadn't taken any steps to improve in a few years. It was kind of expected.
I have worked for Ham's as a server/bartender for almost 4 years now, and while I have my own qualms with the company, I feel like some of the things you have written are very disrespectful. It is obvious that Charlie Erwin got in way over his head at some point in his leadership of the company; these things happen in the restaurant industry. Unfortunately, it was not only poor management of the company but also people like you, who stopped going to the restaurants for one reason or another, that led to Ham's downfall. I will also disagree with the notion that they did not try to improve. There have been several additions and changes to the menu to try to keep up with food trends, just in the short time that I have been with the company. How much does a restaurant have to change to be accepted by all? People went to Ham's because they knew what they wanted for dinner, and what they wanted was on our menu. The reality of it is that Greensboro grew fast around the company locations, and we weren't able to keep up. I worked at the original store for 3 1/2 years before they shut it down. It was like home away from home for me. All of the regulars made the place what it was, and while many people will look at the small place and say its dirty, many others look at it and realize that it's not dirty, its just old, and they will remember good times that were had there. I cannot tell you how many people in the last week told me stories of the place I thought I knew. I now work at a different location, and while the feeling is not the same there, I know that the regulars I see on a daily basis will feel the same when their hangout spot closes. I cannot say that I am surprised at what has come about, but I do have respect for the company, and you should to. They had a good long run, even if they tripped along the way.
Thanks for commenting with an insider's perspective. Let me clarify what I meant about the improvements to the restaurant. I felt like the additions to the menu (like pasta, country fried steak, ribs, etc.) was a failed attempt by Erwin to try to position Ham's as a national chain restaurant like Chili's or Applebee's. I feel like they decreased the quality of the other items to allow room in the budget for the new additions on the menu which was a failure even though the mac & cheese was the bomb.
Old does not equal dirty but looks can be deceiving. If some money had been put on refurbishing the original Ham's instead of letting it deteriorate, I think it would have been more inviting to people and may have had more patronage than just the hardcore regulars.
With all that said, I hope Ham's will survive but I am disappointed that the legacy of Newmar Ham is being tarnished by the financial difficulties and shady operations of the current corporate office.
Charlie I agree with you. Chelda tried to be one of the big boys but could not put the big boy britches on. The mac n cheese was the bomb, the chips were eaten by the ton…the kids nights were killer but very unprofitable. They never looked at portion costs on that deal. In fact they (Erwin and Chelda) never bothered looking at a lot of things that make a restaurant successful. The last Ham's I went into was in Chapel Hill(now closed)…it was a Friday night several months ago they had already ran out of ribs, burgers, and a couple of their appetizers…that was not the most eye opening about this company…the men's room stall partitions were rotted through from urine and that is the sign of a restaurant operator not really giving a damned.
I certainly hope the new owners of Ham's put people in place that understand how to properly take care of a landmark restaurant and bring the chain back to being one of the better/safer places to eat in North Carolina….Mr. Erwin and his company certainly did not…and for everyone who wants to defend him look at all of the locations that shut down and why…then take a look at the News and Record from Sunday and note the business practices at another Greensboro landmark The Barn Dinner Theater. What a shame…hopefully someone will soon step in there and save that landmark from the demise of Ham's off of Friendly, Ham's Chapel Hill, Ham's Burlington, and Ham's Greenville!
Does anyone know when the old Ham's off Friendly Ave will be reopened?
Susan,
I believe that there are plans to reopen the restaurant but I am not sure when it is going to happen. I'll try to keep my ears open. More info here: http://www.kotis.org/propertydetails.php?rp=3&…
- Charlie