The Table makes list of America’s Top 100 Restaurants

ASHEBORO — Local diners have known for a dozen years that The Table is a special place. Now Yelp.com has made it official, ranking the local eatery at No. 54 on its list of Top 100 Restaurants in America.

Yes. America.

Dustie Gregson took a former textile office building at 139 S. Church Street in Asheboro, remodeled it and opened its doors to the public in May, 2013. She eventually added a patio, then an enclosed outdoor space, all the while delighting customers with her special blend of entrees, bakery, espresso bar and market.

But it wasn’t until February of this year that Yelp contacted her to let her know The Table made the Top 100 list.

“It was funny, when they called me, I asked, ‘Do I have to pay something?’ They said no, it was based on reviews,” Gregson said of the ranking.

“It’s an honor that people have time to write about us. It takes a team to accomplish this.”

Yelp, in publishing its top 100, says The Table also made its Top 100 Places to Eat in the Carolinas, “for its simple, clean, and elevated take on American classics (lots of sandwiches, grain bowls, and coffee), the popular restaurant is a ‘hidden gem’ that has helped transform downtown Asheboro.

Yelp continues: “Yelp reviewers go out of their way to note the hospitality and sense of community Gregson provides. ‘My mom and I waited in line and were greeted so warmly and thanked for being there,’ Ryan A. says. For Gregson, it’s all part of her mission: ‘When [customers] walk through that door, they’re coming into our home, and that’s how I want them to feel.’”

That was Gregson’s goal from the beginning and why she chose to name her restaurant The Table. Everyone is welcome to sit at the table for food, conversation and fellowship.

“Reviews like that,” she said, “the blend of food, space, hospitality, to be able to hit all those marks is pretty special. Our team works really hard to hit those marks.

“The way the community has supported us is really incredible,” Gregson said. “Without them, there would be no restaurant.”

Yelp, founded in 2004, and its website, Yelp.com, “publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses,” according to Wikipedia, which notes “it has since become one of the leading sources of user-generated reviews and ratings for businesses.”