Towel City Tavern Is Rediscovering Its Identity with Fresh Leadership and a Community Focus

After a year of mixed reviews, the downtown Kannapolis restaurant is reworking its menu, refining its vision, and reconnecting with the community.

Chelsea Doyle and Bob VanAtta have helped revamp Towel City Tavern. Photo credit: Chris Miller

When Towel City Tavern opened in the heart of downtown Kannapolis in 2024, it was pitched not just as a restaurant, but as a bold expression of local identity.

“This is more than just a restaurant, this is more than just a brewery,” owner Steve Steinbacher said during the July 2024 ribbon-cutting ceremony, noting it would focus on the four B’s of beer, bourbon, barbecue and baseball. “It’s a statement about what the community is all about.”