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  harles
Winston, Jr. and his friend Wil O’Neal have
been in the restaurant business most of
their lives. As family friends and
neighbors, the boys got their start early.
Starting at the Bottom
Charles and Wil
got their first jobs together as kids,
sweeping floors, mowing grass, taking out
the trash and moving a lot of chairs in a
local restaurant during summers. They didn't
make much money, but what
they got was worth a lot more than floor-sweeping
experience!
From grade school through high
school, Charles and Wil took a variety of summer
restaurant jobs and learned the business from the bottom up—together.
While their friendship continued, something
was added to the relationship.
They discovered, and began to respect, each other's business talent
and work ethic. After high school, Charles
and Wil took separate paths in education and
work but, not surprisingly, those paths soon
converged.
An
Idea is Born
In 1985, Charles was 25 and in management at
Houlihan's in New Orleans. Deciding it was
time to go out on his own, he called his
"old" friend Wil, who was 24 and working
with Darryl's in Greenville. The idea for
Winston's began to take shape.
The two knew what they wanted to create...a
casual fine dining experience with a
moderately priced menu...but as they soon
learned, experience, a good idea and even
the capital to back it is only the
beginning. They opened Winston's
Restaurant in 1986,"a white table cloth,
fine dining establishment widely regarded as
the most innovative and beautiful restaurant
in the Triangle area at the time." even
though it was successful, Charles and Wil
saw the trend moving away from special
occasion restaurants toward a more casual
dining experience. They fine tuned their
concept and, in 1989, Winston's Restaurant
became Winston's Grille.
 Extreme Makeover
In the summer of 2001, Winston's Grille got
a serious makeover. It was closed for two
months while Charles, Wil and even some of
the employees worked on the completely
redesigned interior and exterior. The result
is a friendly, neighborhood eating
establishment known for its upbeat
environment,
delicious food and fantastic service.
Winston's Grille attracts locals,
business people and travelers who say a
highlight of their trip to Raleigh is a
return visit to Winston's Grille. The
friendly atmosphere, great food and
excellent service have made it a popular
Raleigh tradition for almost 20 years.
And that's just what Charles and Wil had in
mind! |
