🟢 2 New Restaurants Open

Presented by:

By Ted Williams

Hello Thursday. My 11-year-old son came in last place in his fantasy football league.

The losing boy's dad had to host a party serving unlimited Bossy Beulah's nuggets for the boys ($76 per 60-count) and "premium meat" for the dads.

I drained my son's 529 plan, and purchased a $129 bone-in tomahawk from the New York Butcher Shoppe in Dilworth.

As a blogger with limited life skills, I had to ask my wife how to turn on the grill. My 5-year-old daughter stared at me and asked, "Dad, do you even know what you're doing?"

Credit to me, I absolutely nailed it. Sources say that my new nickname around town has transitioned from "Tiny Ted" to "Tomahawk Ted"🥩

5-minute grill sear, then bake at 425 and finish with garlic butter

💼 Hot job: Senior Marketing Event Manager at Honeywell ($142K – $178K). Hybrid. Manage large-scale internal and external events.

🏠 For sale: 1935 brick Colonial in Eastover asks $2.5M. Ivy-clad pergolas. Pool. 4 beds, 2 baths on .24 acre lot. Old money curb appeal.

📰 Newsmakers: Power couple Jamie and Jeff Tonidandel, for releasing their 4-story Dilworth restaurant plans and swapping Reigning Doughnuts for a walk-up sandwich window.

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

S&P 500

6,978

+1.74%

Nasdaq

23,857

+2.68%

BULLISH

Charlotte's first Mahjong Club to open near The Health Club in Oakhurst

Future 2,382 sq ft home of The Queen's Mahjery, next door to Ilios in Oakhurst

Insider news: The Queen's Mahjery, our city's first brick-and-mortar Mahjong Club, plans to open this summer next to The Health Club.

"Other cities like Dallas and Charleston are killing it at the Mahjong studio game," founder Lauren Ulrey told me.
Mahjong events are growing 179% YoY across the country, with some Southern cities reporting over 800% growth.

Idea: Founders Lauren Ulrey, Jennifer Ross, and Patti Roth, play together frequently and were inspired by clubs like Peace Love Mahjong in Dallas.

The 3 women have existing networks at Charlotte Latin and Providence Day, so I anticipate this to take off like a rocketship.

Location: The club takes 2,382 square feet in Oakhurst Commons, also home to hot concepts like The Health Club, Mood House, and Switchyards.

"We decided to be somewhere outside of the Eastover and Myers Park bubble with easy parking for SUVs," explained Lauren. "People can pop in after preschool drop-off, or while killing time during a 3-hour field hockey practice."

Vision: Interior will be vibrant, but homey and comfortable. I'd expect 15-35 tables, wine, coffee, retail, snacks, and gifts.

How it works: The Queen's Mahjery will offer memberships as well as a la carte online booking. "You can play 2 games and chat, or 10 games seriously."

PRESENTED BY MOOD HOUSE

Mood House surpasses 2,150-members — but you don't need to be a member to book

Mood House giving off Palm Springs vibes

Awards: Congrats to Mood House for making it on Yelp's 2025 Top Local Businesses List!! Only 3 North Carolina businesses made the list.

Voted "No. 1 Best Massage" in Charlotte in back-to-back years.
Surpassed 2,150 massage members ($92/mo) across their Dilworth and Oakhurst locations — but you don’t need to be a member to book.

Valentine's Day: Use code “TINY20” at checkout for 20% off gift cards or services (code valid for next 24 hours). It’s awesome.

NOW OPEN

$300K Dozo opens in former Fern space in Dilworth with tasty Caesar Pork Cutlet

New York meets Tokyo vibes, 10 bar seats and about 15 tables

Now open: Dozo, an intimate Japanese-American restaurant, opens tonight in Dilworth. I sampled 11 dishes on Tuesday night.

Founders: Perry Saito and John Gambler, who won "Charlotte's No. 1 Best Food Truck" 3 years in a row.

Instructions: Perfect date night order at the 10-seat bar👇

$17 Smoked Blue Crab Dip with kettle chips
$16 Heritage Pork Spare Ribs with miso Carolina sauce
$45 Shaved Brussels Caesar on top of a 14oz katsu pork cutlet
6oz A5 Wagyu Gyūdon Bowl topped with an egg yolk

Comp: Dozo's Caesar reminds me of Bird Pizzeria’s viral $15 Kale Caesar. It's a show-stopper. Share it with the table.

Reservations: Walk-in only for the first few weeks. No reservations.

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Senior Lead, Paid Social Media at Wells Fargo ($139K – $217K). Execute buying for the consumer bank.
Chief of Staff, Risk Operations at LPL Financial ($145K – $242K). Support CCO and Wells Fargo alum Jim McHale.
Clubhouse Manager at Old Town Club ($125K). Winston-Salem. 680 members. $11.4M club revenue. My favorite course in NC.
Social Media Content Creator at Duke Energy. Hybrid. On-camera personality across TikTok and Instagram.
Retail Manager at Paper Twist ($50K – $70K). Trendy custom stationery store. I’m a fan of owner Sasha Harbrecht.

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 94 open jobs on the Tiny Money Job Board💰

MONEY TALKS

34-year-old marketer making $225K wrestles with $150K in student loan debt

Chicken Tikka Masala at Copper, this marketer’s No. 1 dish

Money Talks is a weekly series showcasing how real people in Charlotte approach money. Participate.

Living situation: “During COVID, I bought a house in the suburbs from my grandmother at appraisal value. Lucky timing. 20-year mortgage at 4%, which ends up at $1,200 per month.”

Job: “Marketing role at a large bank. $180K base salary with a 25% bonus.”

Debt: “I come from a middle-class family, so I had to finance 99% of my education. Undergrad and MBA left me with over $150K in student loan debt at just 23. It's half paid off now.”

Net worth: “About $300K. It's in savings, IRAs, 401k, and home equity. I moved my savings to Wealthfront for their 4% interest and my IRAs to Robinhood to capitalize on their 3% match.”

Splurge: “Sports betting. Anytime I'm watching a game or getting ready for a football weekend, I likely have a little coin on the action.”

Regret: “Going to a college out of state. As an 18-year-old, I didn’t understand the financial impact student loans would have on my long-term wealth.”

Full story: 34-year-old marketer making $225K tracks every dollar in Excel

MONEY SNACKS

5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on

Foxcroft home on .66 acres asks $4.95M. 5 beds, 8 baths. Pool. 6,120 square feet. Open floor plan with "endless natural light."
Luxury home staging business for sale asking $675K. Revenue $554K. Cash flow $249K. $400K inventory included. 2 FTEs.
"No Buy January" soars in popularity with Gen Z. 25% of young adults have tried it. 5x as popular as years past.
Myers Park Country Club unveils new Golf Studio with TrackMan iO and 4-seat private bar. 8-10 year membership waitlist.
Bark-style mountain home with tasty curb appeal asks $3M at Grandfather Mountain Country Club. 2 large patios.

SO HOT RIGHT NOW

$2.6M Mi Cariño opens Friday in South End with 0 prime-time reservations for 5 weeks

4 different oysters to choose from; $32 for a dozen

Opening: Mi Cariño, a gastro-cantina from the team behind VINYL, opens Friday in the space formerly occupied by Vana in South End.

Hot reservation: Only 9 reservations available before 10pm over the next 5 weeks. It’s our city’s No. 1 hottest restaurant right now!

Eat this: $15 Aguachile Prieto. Argentine red shrimp ceviche with housemade chips.

Drink this: $15 Chili con Carne. Mezcal-forward house cocktail.

Economics: Only 85 seats, but given demand and location, the team plans to have 3 full turns during dinner service. Savvy.

Happy Thursday! I just binged His & Hers on Netflix. Whew. I’m heading to Leluia Hall on Friday night before poker at a buddy’s house while watching my weatherman bestie Brad Panovich give me his snow forecast!

– Ted