Two Greensboro Restaurants Make “Date Night” and Outdoor Dining Lists

By: Nancy McLaughlin, News & Record

August 19, 2022

GREENSBORO — When it comes to date night and outdoor dining, two local employee-owned restaurants are among the 100 best nationally — at both.

Print Works Bistro and the Green Valley Grill, part of the Quaintance-Weaver Hotels and Restaurant group, made lists compiled by OpenTable, a restaurant reservation service that tracks ratings by diners. OpenTable also matches diners with restaurants based on their needs and occasions.

Green Valley Grill, with its exposed bricks and dramatically high ceilings, and a leafy patio inspired by hidden urban gardens found throughout Europe, has a wood-fired rotisserie and grill. Print Works Bistro at Greensboro’s Proximity Hotel, which has picturesque patio dining with a passing stream and buffer to a nearby busy thoroughfare, offers classical and modern versions of French bistro dishes created with locally sourced food.

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at the restaurant.

OpenTable looked at millions of those reviews before finding the Top 100 places for each list.

“Met an old friend for lunch,” read one Green Valley Grill review. “Nice and quiet to catch up. Server was very nice and did not hover. Made good recommendations. Our food was excellent and served perfectly. Will absolutely be back.”

Among other places featured in “100 Best Restaurants for a Date in America” are Battista’s Hole in the Wall in Las Vegas and the Twisted Tree Steakhouse in St. Louis. Only one other North Carolina restaurant, Rey’s in Raleigh, made that list.

According to OpenTable, one of the greatest stressors for date night or cozy event is picking the right spot.

“If we had time to celebrate, we might,” said company co-founder Dennis Quaintance with a laugh. “They say you are only as good as the last meal you served.”

While Quaintance can’t exactly have a favorite between the two restaurants, he admits he and wife Nancy start date nights at Print Works Bistro with the calamari.

He says that having the spotlight locally is good news for the city and all that it offers.

And he loves hearing that guests would specifically note these properties.

Reviews show diners come back for more.

“My fiancé and I came here as a first date and decided to come back for our first year anniversary,” read a Print Works Bistro review. “Our server Willy did a fantastic job and provided great recommendations thank you for helping make it a night for us to remember.”

While the Quaintances continue to lead the group of restaurants and hotels, they and co-founder Mike Weaver sold their interest in Quaintance-Weaver to the Quaintance-Weaver Employee Stock Ownership Plan Trust.

“We’re sort of all in this together,” said employee-owner Theresa Martin, who has the titles design team manager and people department communications manager. But in a company this size, she sometimes even works at the restaurants, carrying food from the kitchen or ushering guests to their seats.

She previously worked for four years at one of the hotels. The smallest details — experience, quality of service, food, ambiance — are part of the company DNA, she said.

The two restaurants made the 2022 list for great outdoor dining places in July, with Asheville’s Sunset Terrace at Omni Grove Park Inn the only other restaurant in the state to make that list. The Green Valley Grill has previously been named a great place for brunch and Print Works Bistro was the most booked restaurant in Greensboro in 2017.

“I think ownership changes your perspective,” Martin said, “and our guests can feel that.”

More Fresh Ink

OpenTable’s List: 100 Best Restaurants for a Date in America

Triad Business Journal: These Triad Restaurants Rank Nationally for Dates, Meetups and Meetings

News & Observer: Best Restaurant For a Date? Three in North Carolina Rank Among the Nation’s Favorites

OpenTable Press release: Take it Offline: OpenTable and Bumble Reveal Top 100 Dining Guides for IRL Romantic, Platonic and Professional Meet-Ups