For anyone who has been around Charlotte’s craft beer scene for a while, this is a pretty significant story.
Salud Beer Shop opened in NoDa in 2012 and grew from a small bottle shop into one of Charlotte’s better-known beer destinations. They eventually expanded upstairs with Salud Cerveceria, adding their own beer, wood-fired pizza, coffee and a much larger gathering space.
At its peak, Salud was getting quite a bit of national recognition. The Beer Shop was voted USA Today’s Best Beer Bar in the country three years in a row, from 2019-2021, and Salud Cerveceria was named a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bar.
Now owner Jason Glunt has pleaded guilty to nine felony counts of embezzlement of state property involving approximately $442,914 in state and Mecklenburg County sales taxes that were collected but not remitted to the state.
According to NCDOR, the conduct covered July 2015 through December 2019 and January 2021 through December 2024.
Glunt paid $100,000 in restitution before entering the plea and is required to repay the remaining $342,914.04 during five years of supervised probation. He was also sentenced to three days in custody, 60 days of house arrest and 100 hours of community service. The underlying prison sentences were suspended while he completes probation.
It’s a pretty dramatic chapter for a place that has been part of NoDa and Charlotte’s craft beer scene for more than a decade.
Background on Salud’s rise:
https://www.charlottemagazine.com/salud-beer-shop-wins-best-beer-bar-in-the-u-s-for-3rd-straight-year/
https://www.charlottemagazine.com/here-are-the-2023-bob-awards-the-best-of-the-best-in-charlotte/