Meat and grains bowl concept closes uptown location months after opening

Dank Bowls, a delivery restaurant serving hearty meat and grain bowls, has closed is takeout concept in uptown Charlotte.

“The café experiment is ending,” owner Daniel Richtand wrote on Instagram. The business shut down Friday, Oct. 9, roughly four months after debuting inside Knowledge Perk Coffee Company at The Alley at Latta Arcade.

Richtand told CharlotteFive that his business was “already on its way out,” as it had only planned to be in the space through October. Slow foot traffic expedited the exit.

“We were averaging eight bowls sold every day, and we needed to be at around 12 … for it to be economically viable,” he said. “We were growing every day. But after four months, we couldn’t get to our goal.”

A meal prep service at its core, Dank Bowls offered a rotating menu of chef-inspired bowls packed with protein, grains, legumes and plenty of vegetables, CharlotteFive previously reported. Frozen meals were also available for purchase.

The menu included combos like the Cajun Chronic — made with smoked sausage, ham hock, red beans and brown rice — and the Luck of the Irish, an Irish-inspired bowl featuring corned beef, barley, red potatoes and cabbage.

Dank Bowls also has a South End location (inside Fresh Monkee), where customers can pick up their orders.

“We freeze the bowls … so that if you want to eat clean but don’t have time to cook, you’re covered,” Richtand said.

Though the takeout option is no more, Richtand said Dank Bowls will continue home deliveries. Bowls are typically dropped off on Sundays between 7-10 p.m., according to the business’s website.

Single bowls are priced around $15.50. There’s also a subscription option for six, nine or 12 meal prep-style bowls every two weeks.

Richtand didn’t say what’s next for the brand but hinted at dreams of re-opening as a walk-up counter in the future.

“That’s still an idea that I flirt with,” he told CharlotteFive of his long-term goals.

“One of the frustrating things with this experiment is I don’t know what would’ve happened if we had our own space — if we had the ability to truly take over an entire space, decorate it and market it exactly how we wanted to do it,” he added. “Maybe it would’ve popped off.”

Location: 320 S Tryon St #116, Charlotte, NC 28202 (now closed)

Location: 1425 Winnifred St Suite 114, Charlotte, NC 28203 (inside Fresh Monkee)

Cuisine: Healthy takeout, meal prep bowls

Instagram: @dankbowlsclt

This story was originally published October 12, 2026 at 11:48 AM.