March of the Penguin

In this Charlotte institution, what’s old is new.

Set in Charlotte’s ever-evolving Plaza-Midwood neighborhood is the iconic Penguin Drive-In, famous for its cheap beer, burgers and jukebox that plays everything from The Clash to Frank Sinatra. With a menu that pleases any palate, the restaurant attracts a very diverse crowd.

“Everyone comes here,” says General Manager Andy Cauble. “Early we have bankers and all-night partyers; afternoons we have white-collar workers in here for the burgers; dinner, it’s families; and late night, the drinkers are here listening to music until 2 a.m., when we close.”

The shop had calmer beginnings. Jimmy and Jean Ballentine bought the Penguin in 1954, when it was an ice cream shop. Jim worked at the shop daily, slowly adding menu items, until he retired in 1999. During his tenure, the neighborhood went from nice and quiet to kind of dangerous to decidedly upscale.

In the mid-’90s, when big-name venues became interested in the area, a host of trendy developers eyed the Penguin’s corner with envy. The roof leaked and the jukebox was broken, but Jim wasn’t yet ready to close down or sell his beloved diner.

When he finally decided to retire, the people who leased the place decided to keep certain things—the jukebox, good eats and cheap beer—the same. New owners Brian Rowe, Jimmy King and Greg Auten spent eight months renovating with the goal of updating the Penguin without turning it into a hipster palace.

Mission accomplished. While vegetarian menu items have been added (soy dogs, chili and hummus patties), it is the beef burgers that keep folks coming back for more. “We like to say that the burgers will keep the people coming back forever,” Cauble says. “It’s our flat-top grill and the pimento cheese that makes the them taste so good.”

1921 Commonwealth Ave., 704-375-6959, www.penguindrivein.com