Wells Fargo wraps overhaul of food hall, tech hub at University City campus

A new, employee-only food hall, Tech Express space and renovated auditoriums opened earlier this month at the CIC campus.

The work was part of a massive overhaul at the campus that kicked off in spring 2023. Wells Fargo is investing about $500 million over five years into facility upgrades across the Charlotte region. That includes work at CIC as well as its uptown office towers at Three Wells Fargo Center and 550 S. Tryon St.

Valerie Goble, Wells Fargo executive director of design and construction, said the financial institution has spent about 64% of the allocated funds so far. That totals about $320 million.

Goble said the building where the food hall was built previously had limited dining options for employees. Now, she said, employees can choose from options that are made fresh daily on site.

“This food hall is very similar to what we did in 550 South Tryon,” she said. “This used to be more like a mall food court with very limited choices. Most of that food was prepped off-site and brought in, but now everything is prepared fresh.”

Minnette Curl, Wells Fargo amenities program manager, said dining options include a coffee and breakfast bar, hot and cold food stations with daily rotating options, a chicken station, a salad and wrap station, and a demo station where employees get a bird’s-eye-view of their food being prepped.

The bank is bringing in local businesses on a rotating basis and working with Davidson-based Hearfest Coffee Roasting Co. to source its coffee, Curl said.

“We want to be able to showcase small, local restaurants because it’s a great opportunity for many of them to get more exposure,” she said. “The length of each rotation will depend on popularity. We’re trying to keep a good variety here at all times.”

Goble said Wells added a new Tech Express space to the food hall, the third of its kind in the Charlotte market. It features on-site tech support. for employees. Additionally, a Tech Express vending machine is located on the floor, giving employees immediate access to equipment like keyboards, headsets and laptops.

“These additions were made with (Wells Fargo) wanting to be more efficient and supportive of our employees,” she said.

In the two years since work began, Wells has completed renovations on nine floors of office space, the construction of a new 2,500-spot parking garage, and pickleball and basketball courts. Another five floors of offices are under construction now, as well as a total rebuild of the campus courtyard.

Goble said the courtyard, which spans about 2 acres, was previously used as an area employees cut through between buildings. It was redesigned to better serve the campus as a social gathering area. It will have WiFi capabilities and traditional seating areas, as well as concrete step-like tiered seating.

Construction on the courtyard is expected to wrap up in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Wells Fargo has about 27,000 employees in the Charlotte region, 10,000 of whom work from the Customer Information Center. The 2.1 million-square-foot campus opened in 1996 and is one of Wells Fargo’s largest across its entire office footprint.

Substantial upgrades to Wells’ two uptown office towers are also ongoing. Renovations on more than a dozen floors at Three Wells Fargo have already delivered. At 550 South Tryon, the former Duke Energy Center building, Wells has delivered renovations on floors 46 through 48, as well as an employee-only food hall. on the 10th floor.

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