A Legacy Lost

If you understand the order, "small block, southern style with cheese," then you have had the guilty pleasure of eating at The Penguin in the Queen City. Though its only been open since 2001, it is hard to imagine it having never been in Charlotte - simply put, its a Charlotte staple - until today.

Last night was a rowdy night in the Queen city in celebration of yours truly's birthday. And, since I adore all things hamburgers and fried pickles, it seemed only natural to celebrate my actual birthday today at my favorite dive. As we pulled in, we knew something was different just looking at the place. Media was present with their cameras. A cop was outside looking for trouble, and a band of Hells Angels were on the perimeter establishing a ring of protection. And then we had the aha moment.

Only a month ago, the official announcement was made that The Penguin would be closing in what seemed to be a business deal gone bad. While the full story has yet to surface, we know that The Penguin neither owned the name nor the building, and the owner of those elements have negotiated them out of their legacy. The hows and whys are a jumble of confusion, but it looks as though a 3rd party will run The Penguin. The group that was running it until now are left with ownership of what was The Diamond, another Charlotte staple, and are mum on what they will be doing with that building other than it will not be The Penguin menu. When the announcement was made, their was a huge public outcry of boycott and indignation, but it looks like we all forgot after the initial shock wore off. But whether or not people remember, today is the last day of The Penguin's reign in Charlotte.

It was a bittersweet scene. The fried pickles were to die for and the burger was heaven, but as I looked around, I saw a group ending an era in disgrace. Let's first be honest in admitting that there are certain required elements to work at this establishment:

Multiple Tattoo's
S&M clothing style
A love of profanity and risque humor
Working under the influence (enter a list of vices here)

All that said, they have never been known for charming the pants off of a customer, but that was part of the charm. But a biting cynical humor is one thing, defeated bitterness is another. And while a lot of Charlotte who hitched their star to the indignant bandwagon forgot the cause, they still had a crowd that showed up to display love in the final hours.

The Panthers finally won on the TV, but no cheers were made. The electric buzz had deflated. Some employees took shots to get them through. Others counted inventory of what they had left as they had been letting everything run out. As liquor ran out, they stood scratching their heads trying to figure out what liquor combination would best match the drink ordered. They would take a sip noting that it was a bad drink, but mumble that they don't care anymore and serve it to the guest anyway. When asked questions, the answers were short and to the point. There were moments of tears and holding each other when they thought no one was looking. The rough exterior of hard edge rock-n-roll disintegrating before the guests eyes.

I get it. For me, while I may be losing a favorite dive, they are losing a job, a home, a family, a cause. So its easy for me to eat my hamburger and judge. But they forgot that we loved their home too. And even if we walked in from a different side of the railroad tracks, we fully supported the cause. We had memories their too. We wanted to celebrate what was. I believe in ending seasons well. Some may have forgotten today, but imagine the larger legacy we could have remembered if they went out celebrating.