TV Restaurants

What Happened to Salt Works II? (Wilmington, NC)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Salt Works II has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, November 13, 2015.

Primary source
foodnetworkgossip.com ·
Secondary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The owners of Salt Works II posted on Facebook that the restaurant closed on November 6, 2015, as reported by Food Network Gossip, and Yelp's listing for the address, updated June 2026, still shows it permanently closed.

  • Season / episode Season 1, Episode 4
  • Original air date
  • Address 4001 Wrightsville Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403

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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) filmed at Salt Works II, a seafood restaurant at 4001 Wrightsville Avenue in Wilmington, North Carolina that had been open since 1989, when the Secondo family founded it. WECT News reported on October 1, 2010, ahead of filming, that co-owner Michael Thyberg described the business as "barely treading water," citing kitchen equipment that frequently broke down and profits that had fallen about 25 percent over the prior year despite years of a loyal local following. Thyberg, who had bought the restaurant with a partner about a year and a half earlier, told WECT the kitchen conditions were overwhelming to manage on their own, and said staff were nervous about outside cameras but welcomed any help that might come from the show's crew. Robert Irvine's crew filmed on site October 13 to 15, 2010, closing the restaurant for a menu overhaul, kitchen equipment repairs, and a refreshed dining room; the episode ultimately aired February 9, 2011, several months after filming wrapped. Staff told WECT ahead of the reveal that they hoped the renovation would preserve the restaurant's long-running local following even as the menu and furnishings changed around them. The restaurant continued operating under its original ownership for several more years after the episode aired. On November 6, 2015, the owners, identified only as "Mike & Jon," posted on the Salt Works II Facebook page that the restaurant had closed that day, citing staffing losses that made it impossible to keep the business running through a planned final weekend, as reported by Food Network Gossip on November 13, 2015. That report noted Salt Works II had been the last restaurant from the show's first season still operating under its original owners at that point. Yelp's current listing for "Saltworks II" at 4001 Wrightsville Avenue, updated in June 2026, shows the business as permanently closed.

Featured on Restaurant: Impossible

Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 4
Original air date
Episode title
Salt Works II
What was featured
kitchen repairs, menu overhaul, and dining-room refresh for a struggling seafood restaurant
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Salt Works II

Frequently asked questions

Is Salt Works II still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Salt Works II has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, November 13, 2015.

What happened to Salt Works II after Restaurant: Impossible?

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) filmed at Salt Works II, a seafood restaurant at 4001 Wrightsville Avenue in Wilmington, North Carolina that had been open since 1989, when the Secondo family founded it. As of September 2026, Salt Works II has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, November 13, 2015.

Is Salt Works II permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Salt Works II has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, November 13, 2015. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Salt Works II located?

4001 Wrightsville Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured Salt Works II?

Season 1, Episode 4 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired February 9, 2011. The episode is titled “Salt Works II”.

Did the makeover last at Salt Works II?

The episode first aired February 9, 2011. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 15 years later —: As of September 2026, Salt Works II has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, November 13, 2015.

Is Salt Works II still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?

Robert Irvine's crew filmed on site October 13 to 15, 2010, closing the restaurant for a menu overhaul, kitchen equipment repairs, and a refreshed dining room; the episode ultimately aired February 9, 2011, several months after filming wrapped. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
4001 Wrightsville Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • wect.com — https://www.wect.com/story/13254917/salt-works-ii-becomes-restaurant-impossible/
  • foodnetworkgossip.com — https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2015/11/two-restaurant-impossible-closures-Shade-Tree-Customs-Salt-Works.html
  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/saltworks-ii-wilmington

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