• Location: Charlotte, NC
• Superintendents: Josh and Dylon Long
• Project Manager: Brenden Eaton
• Architects: Caroline Zimmerman and Megan Gregory
• Square Footage: 4,800 SF

Bringing a National Brand to Charlotte

Maman is a French-inspired café, bakery, restaurant, and event space that has built a devoted following since its founding in New York City. Known nationally for its signature cookies—endorsed by Oprah—and an elevated yet approachable dining experience, Maman has expanded to locations in Washington, D.C., Florida, and beyond. When the brand set its sights on Charlotte, North Carolina, the vision was to open not one but three locations across the city.

The Plaza Midwood location at 1711 Commonwealth Avenue would serve as the brand's commissary—the central production hub responsible for the heavy lifting and cooking that will supply Maman's second and third locations in Eastover and Atherton Mill. That commissary designation meant this was no ordinary café buildout. The kitchen infrastructure was significantly more complex than a standard restaurant upfit in order to support high-volume production.

The 4,800-square-foot first-generation upfit presented a significant coordination challenge from the outset, requiring our team to pivot from the original drawings in order to accommodate robust food service equipment and heavy-duty HVAC specifications. Maman's leadership had set an aggressive timeline for the Plaza Midwood opening. For a brand expanding into a new market with two additional locations in the pipeline, any delay would have created a cascading impact across all three Charlotte openings.

Food and Beverage projects are consistently among the most demanding in commercial construction. The combination of specialized kitchen equipment, stringent health and safety codes, complex mechanical systems, and high client expectations makes these builds uniquely challenging. This project required a general contractor with extensive F&B experience and the ability to solve problems in real time without sacrificing quality or schedule.

Maman Plaza Midwood

The Maman Plaza Midwood commissary is located at 1711 Commonwealth Avenue within the Commonwealth mixed-use development in Charlotte's Plaza Midwood neighborhood. This first-generation upfit transformed 4,800 square feet of raw shell space into a fully operational commissary kitchen and café—Maman's first location in the Charlotte market.

The scope of work included full mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in, commercial kitchen installation with custom ventilation solutions, interior finishes consistent with Maman's established brand aesthetic, and all code-required health and safety infrastructure for a high-production food service environment. The project demanded precise coordination between the general contractor, ownership, architects, and multiple specialty subcontractors to deliver a space that meets both the operational requirements of a commissary and the elevated guest experience Maman is known for.

Proactive Problem-Solving and Dedicated F&B Expertise

Engineered Coordination

When the Liles Construction team identified the disconnect between the Food Service and HVAC drawings, they did not wait for a lengthy redesign cycle. Instead, our team pivoted quickly, developing creative solutions to properly vent the kitchen equipment within the existing building parameters. This proactive approach kept the project moving forward without compromising the functionality or code compliance of the commissary kitchen.

The ability to solve this challenge in the field rather than sending it back to the drawing board is a direct result of the experience Liles has built across dozens of Food and Beverage projects. Our team understands the interplay between commercial kitchen equipment, exhaust and make-up air systems, and building infrastructure at a level that allows for real-time problem solving when drawings fall short.

A Division Built for Complexity

Liles Construction maintains a dedicated Food and Beverage division specifically because of the level of difficulty these projects demand. From pre-construction planning through final inspections, our F&B team brings specialized knowledge of kitchen layout coordination, health department requirements, equipment lead times, and the mechanical complexities that come with high-production restaurant and commissary environments.

The result: the Plaza Midwood commissary was completed four weeks ahead of schedule, which is a rare outcome on any commercial project, and an exceptional one for a first-generation food and beverage upfit of this complexity.

Three Locations, One Trusted Partner

Liles Construction's performance on the Plaza Midwood commissary reinforced the relationship with Maman's team. Liles has been awarded all three of Maman's Charlotte locations, including the upcoming Eastover and Atherton Mill locations. This multi-location partnership reflects the trust that develops when a general contractor delivers results ahead of schedule, solves problems proactively, and understands the unique demands of food and beverage construction.

Highlighted Services

• Food and Beverage Construction Projects