K&W Cafeteria

Note: K&W is not connected with the old B&W Cafeteria chain in Nashville, Tennessee nor to the S&W Cafeteria chain headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

K&W Cafeteria is a Southern USA chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. K&W serves traditional Southern favorites including fried chicken, turnip greens, fried okra, and homemade desserts.

Grady T. Allred, Sr., a founder of K&W Cafeterias, entered the restaurant business as an employee of a small restaurant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, known as the Carolinian Coffee Shop. Sometime later, three brothers with the last name "Wilson" and a brother-in-law, "Mr. Knight," bought the Coffee Shop. Hence, the initials K&W were adopted and K&W Restaurant was established.

Allred later acquired a one-third interest in the K&W Restaurant, and it was moved to Winston-Salem. After operating the restaurant with his partners for a few years, Allred purchased their interests and became the sole owner of K&W Restaurant around the year 1940.

The K&W Restaurant continued to flourish at the Winston-Salem Cherry Street location until fire damage forced it to close for several months. After repairs and restoration were completed, it reopened as a restaurant/cafeteria combination. The cafeteria concept of the operation became so popular and successful that Allred decided to convert the unit entirely to cafeteria style food service.

K&W occupied its original location in Winston-Salem until an urban renewal project forced a move to 720 Coliseum Drive in Winston-Salem.

In the late 1980s a Winston-Salem location on Knollwood Drive exploded due to a gas leak. The blast occurred while the location was closed so no one was injured.

While other cafeteria chains went bankrupt during the 1980s and 1990s, K&W continued to prosper. From the original restaurant establishment, which seated 110 people, K&W has expanded to 35 cafeterias and over 2500 employees throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and formerly Maryland.

Grady Allred, Sr. died in 1983. The chain continues to be operated by his family.