Guard and Grace Opens in South End: What Charlotte's New Rooftop Steakhouse Means for Restaurant Jobs

CHARLOTTE, NC — Guard and Grace, the Denver steakhouse with a Michelin Guide recommendation, opened Thursday on the 10th floor of the Vivian at Queensbridge Collective, where South End meets uptown. Its first two nights sold out a week ahead. For anyone who works the floor or the line, the bigger news is a new fine-dining kitchen on South Tryon that has to staff dinner seven nights a week.

Guard and Grace opened October 1 at 111 E. Carson Blvd., the third location for chef Troy Guard's TAG Restaurant Group after Denver and Houston. It has been recruiting kitchen staff, though no total headcount has been announced.

Ready to search? Skip straight to the restaurant job links →

📍 At a Glance

Business	Guard and Grace (TAG Restaurant Group)
Opened	Thursday, October 1, 2026
Address	111 E. Carson Blvd., 10th floor of the Vivian at Queensbridge Collective, Charlotte, NC 28203
Size	10,224 square feet plus a 2,000-square-foot terrace
Hours	Dinner: Mon–Thu 4–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 4–11 p.m.
Concept	Upscale steakhouse with a raw bar, private dining rooms and a 750-bottle wine room
Owners	Chef Troy Guard and Nikki Guard
Industry	Full-service restaurant, fine dining

What Opened on South Tryon

This is not a neighborhood grill. The room runs 10,224 square feet with a full bar, several private dining rooms and a terrace looking back at the uptown skyline. Guests ride two dedicated elevators up from the South Tryon entrance, and valet is complimentary. Steaks drive about 60 percent of sales at the other locations, but the menu leans hard on seafood and vegetables too, which means a raw bar station and a serious prep operation behind it.

The local touches are deliberate. Raleigh Denim co-founder Victor Lytvinenko built tapestries and room dividers from selvedge denim woven at the old Cone Mills White Oak plant in Greensboro, a nod to the state's textile history. Executive chef Adam Vero runs the kitchen and Hector Mercado is the general manager.

💼 Who They've Been Hiring

TAG Restaurant Group's Charlotte recruiting has focused on the back of house: line cooks and lead cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers and kitchen supervisors, with benefits listed as health, dental and vision coverage, a 401(k), paid time off and dining discounts. Front-of-house roles like servers, bartenders, hosts and sommeliers come with any steakhouse this size, but the company has not published a staff count, so we won't guess one.

The company's own careers page is the place to start. Questions go to hr@tagrg.com, and the Charlotte hiring inbox has been hiremeNC@tagrg.com. Openings come and go fast after a launch as early hires settle in or move on, so check back over the next few weeks.

One honest note on pay: no wage figures have been published for the Charlotte room. Fine-dining server and bartender income here is mostly tips, so ask about tip pooling and scheduled shifts before you accept.

A Busy Block for Jobs

Guard and Grace is open now, but it is not the biggest employer headed to Queensbridge. Pacific Life picked the development's 43-story office tower for its East Coast hub, and the state announced 301 new jobs with full occupancy expected in 2028. Add the light rail a block away and the restaurants lining South Boulevard and Camden Road, and this stretch of South End is one of the deepest hospitality job markets in Mecklenburg.

🔎 Where to Aim Your Search

Whether or not Guard and Grace is the right fit, uptown and South End kitchens hire all fall into the holiday rush. These searches cover the roles a steakhouse opening shakes loose across the city.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Guard and Grace open in Charlotte?

Thursday, October 1, 2026. It serves dinner only for now, with lunch and brunch planned over the next year.

Where exactly is it?

On the 10th floor of the Vivian at Queensbridge Collective, 111 E. Carson Blvd., near Tryon and Morehead. Guest elevators are at the South Tryon entrance.

How do I apply?

Start at TAG Restaurant Group's careers page, or email the Charlotte hiring inbox. There is no walk-in hiring event scheduled.

How many people is it hiring?

The company hasn't said. Recruiting has centered on kitchen roles, and a room this size also needs a full front-of-house team.

Get Your Name in Front of South End Kitchens

Create a free LocalJobPage account to save searches and get new Charlotte restaurant openings sent to you, then browse every current Charlotte job posting.

Employers: opening a restaurant or staffing up for the holidays in Mecklenburg? Post your openings here.