The Palm’s Joey Profeta makes each guest feel like a celebrity at the SouthPark dining institution.
by Michael J. Solender | photographs by Richard Israel
Of all the familiar faces greeting guests at The Palm restaurant in SouthPark, it’s Joey Profeta’s that patrons most relish seeing.
Profeta is general manager at The Palm, the clubby and classic white-tablecloth steakhouse known for power lunches and celebration dinners. The landmark eatery features enormous whole lobsters, mouthwatering steaks, Italian American specialties and generous cocktails. Caricatures line the walls, where past and present Hollywood heavyweights mingle with local glitterati, from politicos and NASCAR stars to business titans and community leaders.
The Palm has been Profeta’s sole employer since he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 1995. He started as a sous chef in his hometown of Philadelphia, then moved to Denver, where he was executive chef and later front-of-house manager. He came to Charlotte as GM in 2005.
His recall for names, preferences and personal details about his guests are a hallmark and sense of pride for Profeta. He’s built an entire team around this ethos. “I seat and welcome every guest,” says Profeta, regarding the task typically left to hosts or servers. “It’s an opportunity to connect, build relationships and get to know people.”
Profeta’s service philosophy is part of what gives The Palm the feel of a neighborhood haunt that’s always accommodating, unfussy and a calming respite from the day’s hustle and distraction, if only for an hour or two.
From Philly to Charlotte
Profeta experienced the pull of the hospitality industry early in life, growing up in an Italian household in south Philadelphia. Good food, extended family and close friendships were the epicenter of his childhood life. It was an easy decision for him to follow his love for cooking to Hyde Park, New York, where he honed his culinary and hospitality chops at the famed CIA.
When The Palm came recruiting, Profeta leapt at the chance to join what was then one of the oldest family-owned and -operated fine-dining steakhouse groups in America. Established in New York City in 1926, the chain was acquired in 2020 by Houston-based Landry’s, which operates more than a dozen Palm locations across the U.S.
In a fateful twist, Profeta crossed paths early in his career with Charlotte restaurateur Monte Smith, owner of Café Monte and Southern Pecan. Smith and Profeta worked together at The Palm in East Hampton in the mid-1990s. Smith took the helm as original GM of The Palm Charlotte in December 1997, shortly after Phillips Place opened. Eight years later, Profeta succeeded him.
Emphasis on excellence
Ever since, Profeta has been a fixture on Charlotte’s dining scene and in the community.
Terri DeBoo has known Profeta since his early days at The Palm in Charlotte. The founder and principal of Ideas@Work, a business consultancy, is such a frequent visitor her caricature is on the wall.
“Joey is the nicest human you’ll ever meet. He is so kind, so generous — he’s just a gem.”
Chicken Parmigiana, right
When she first met Profeta, DeBoo was a guest of another patron who introduced him. When she returned several weeks later, he remembered her name and greeted her warmly. “I recall thinking, ‘Whoa, this is a really special guy — this is a restaurant where they’re going to take great care of me and my guests.”
DeBoo notes Profeta’s emphasis on excellence, which inspires the rest of the staff to follow his lead. “Because he is so strong at his job, I believe he expects excellence from his team. And because he’s such a great guy and he’s so warm and so engaging, you want to do well for him.”
Profeta’s team of more than 60 is made up of tenured staff both in the front and back of the house. They know their customer’s likes and add to the convivial neighborhood feel of the restaurant. “I have servers whose children now work here,” says Profeta. “What separates us from others is when you walk in you feel like you’re at home. To me, that’s what it’s all about.”
Celeb sightings
Over the years, Profeta has connected with scores of the QC’s most colorful and recognizable personalities. A favorite memory is of the Rev. Billy Graham, who dined at The Palm shortly before his passing in 2018. While too frail to sign his caricature on the wall, Graham autographed a menu and shared a few words with Profeta. “He was very kind and a true gentleman,” Profeta recalls.
Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. was having a quiet dinner one evening when Profeta pointed out that his likeness was on the wall. “He lit up like a 2-year-old. He was so excited. ‘Oh, you got to be kidding me,’ he said. It was awesome. He came [to the back room, where many Panthers likenesses live], looked all around, and he was so happy… He got up on a chair and signed.”
One of Profeta’s most storied football tales is one of regret, however — and one he fears he’ll never live down.
Palm Zeppole (Italian doughnuts), left
A lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, Profeta got a dream call a few years back when the team was in town to play the Panthers. “I got a call from [Eagles quarterback] Jalen Hurts, who wanted to come in with his offensive line on Saturday night before the Sunday game,” Profeta says.
“It was a last-minute thing, and he wanted a private room. I don’t have a lot of regrets in life, but we had a busy night. I never seat [the private room] early, but for some reason that night, I did. I had just put a family of four in there and I told Hurts, ‘I don’t have a private room. I could get you a semi-private table. I could put you at the hotel (next door) and service you in one of the rooms there.’ And I blew it. I let them go. I let them go, and my assistant GM, Tori Thomas, has not let me live it down for years.”
Old school – in the best way
Of course, there’s the food. The Palm is an old-school steakhouse in the very best way. There are Italian American dishes like their Lasagna, Linguine with White Clam Sauce, and Pappardelle Wagyu Bolognese — homemade pasta ribbons with pork, veal and wagyu beef sauce. The Palm’s Chicken Parmigiana is thinly pounded, lightly breaded then gently fried, served with homemade marinara sauce and and their secret — melted Muenster cheese. The dish is so popular, according to Profeta, it nearly outsells their 8-ounce fillet.
Profeta brags on the Palm as one of few restaurants in town that serve whole lobster — they often have four-pounders on hand — as well as steaks, veal, jumbo lump crab cakes and classic steakhouse sides like creamed spinach, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed wild mushrooms and three-cheese au gratin potatoes.
“We don’t overthink or overcomplicate things,” Profeta says. “We serve classic food with a great ambience and attention from people who care about our guests. It seems simple, and at the core it is, yet we work very hard to get it right every day.” SP
A wall of celebrities
The Palm’s signature look is due in large part to the hundreds of celebrity caricatures on the walls. The tradition began in 1926 when the founders, without adequate money to decorate, took advantage of their New York City location near King Features Syndicate, home to many celebrated cartoonists of the day. In exchange for their meals, artists often drew their own creations on the walls of The Palm.
Today, the practice lives on. While each location opens with dozens of pre-selected celebs, local managers add regular patrons and visiting notables who’ve dined at The Palm.
At The Palm in Charlotte, Profeta adds a dozen or so a year, many of whom choose to autograph their likeness and, of course, like to sit near their portrait when dining in. SouthPark’s walls include NASCAR legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon; former and current Carolina Panthers such as Bryce Young, Luke Kuechly and Jordan Gross; local media mavens such as Tom Sorensen, Debi Faubion and Ron Green Jr.; business barons like Leon Levine, Jerry Richardson and Pat Riley; and Charlotte’s own Hollywood types like Brooklyn Decker and Angie Harmon.
