K&W Cafeterias
K&W Cafeterias Inc. was a Southeastern United States chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. It has been a subsidiary of Piccadilly Restaurants since 2022; until its acquisition by Piccadilly, its headquarters were located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. On December 1st, 2025, Piccadilly announced the closure of all K&W Cafeterias effective immediately. K&W served traditional Southern favorites including fried chicken, turnip greens, fried okra, and homemade desserts.
History
Grady T. Allred, Sr., a founder of K&W Cafeterias, entered the restaurant business on Thanksgiving Day 1935 as an employee of a small restaurant on Cherry Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Carolinian Coffee Shop was owned by brothers Thomas, Kenneth and William Wilson and their brother-in-law T.K. Knight. In 1937, the initials K&W were adopted and K&W Restaurant was established.Allred later acquired a one-third interest in the K&W Restaurant. 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 1941.
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 a 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.
Grady Allred, Sr. died in 1983. The chain continued to be operated by the third generation of his family.
On January 18, 1988, the K&W located at 380 Knollwood Street in Winston-Salem exploded due to a natural gas leak. The restaurant was destroyed and the attached Sheraton hotel was severely damaged beyond repair, leading to a demolition. Four people sustained minor injuries due to the blast.
In 1991, K&W began offering takeout service through the To Go Shop. In 2009, K&W Catering began, for events such as weddings and corporate meetings.
On September 6, 2020, K&W announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on restaurants. The company emerged from bankruptcy in September 2021 after reducing the number of locations from 18 to 14 and the number of employees from 1,035 to 834.
On August 16, 2022, president Dax Allred announced the acquisition of K&W and its 11 locations by Piccadilly Restaurants. As of May 2025, the company operated 9 locations in North Carolina and Virginia.
On December 1, 2025, K&W announced the immediate closure of all locations.