K&W Cafeteria announced Monday that it was closing all of its locations – including the one at I-85 Plaza along Ramada Road in Burlington – effective immediately, ending the company’s 88-year run in business.
K&W announced on Facebook that, effective immediately, it had closed its 10 remaining locations.
The closure comes amid several years of financial struggles for the iconic cafeteria-style eatery, which had been founded in Winston-Salem in 1937 as the Carolinian Coffee Shop, restaurant industry trade magazines reported earlier this week.
The K&W in Burlington had reportedly opened in the late 1970s, according to several news reports.
[Story continues below photo of notice on door of Burlington K&W.]
K&W had struggled to stay afloat since the Covid-19 pandemic, when it closed nine of its 28 locations, mostly in North Carolina, and initiated bankruptcy proceedings. K&W was later sold to a similar cafeteria-style chain, Piccadilly, and began 2025 with 10 remaining locations.
Meanwhile, annual sales for the K&W brand had declined by 10 percent in 2024, ending the year with about $27 million in total revenue, with sales projected to decline by an additional 11.5 percent this year, according to Technomic, a data analytics firm that develops financial forecasts for the foodservice industry.
K&W posted the following announcement on Facebook on Monday:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share this news. After serving our communities for over 88 years, K&W Cafeterias will be closing all doors effective immediately.
“K&W has always been more than a restaurant – it has been a gathering place, a home for Sunday traditions, and a warm table for millions of families across generations. We are deeply grateful for every guest who walked through our doors, shared a meal with us, and made us part of their lives.
“Thank you for being part of the K&W family. Your support, your stories, and your loyalty over the decades have meant more to us than words can express. We are truly sorry to bring this chapter to an end, but profoundly thankful for the love you’ve shown us for nearly nine decades.”
The I-85 Plaza along Ramada Road continues to be anchored by a Food Lion grocery store; other tenants include a state license plate agency and an insurance agency.
K&W has not yet filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN notice) for the location in Burlington, or any other restaurants in North Carolina, with the state commerce department. Such notices are required to be filed for any company with at least 50 employees that plans to close during any 30-day period or plans to conduct mass layoffs, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.
