Restaurant and Retail News in the Triangle

01/02/2022

A 20-year-old UNC student is opening a wing spot on Franklin Street — and there will be a Hubert Davis meal on the menu. Owner Will Gerstein is a sophomore at Carolina and will be serving wings and chicken and waffles at his new pop-up concept Buckets at Chapel Hill. He's working with athletes (and Davis) to name menu items after them with a portion of the sales going to local charities. Oh, and this is not Gerstein's first time opening a restaurant concept. Check out more in my story below.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/01/31/chapel-hill-new-chicken-restaurant-unc-student.html

“I am a 20-year-old kid," owner Will Gerstein said. “We're trying to change the restaurant culture in Chapel Hill, just a bunch of kids.”

25/01/2022

I grew up (in Sanford) hearing commercials for Whitley Furniture on the radio — and now I'm writing about the 113-year-old store's closure. It was bittersweet talking to fourth-generation owners Charles Estes and Nelle Carroll.

The downtown Zebulon store is having a total liquidation sale. What do you want to see in the furniture store's place? A new restaurant? A brewery? Drop some ideas below. 👇

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/01/23/whitley-furniture-store-zebulon-closing-property.html

Whitley Furniture in downtown Zebulon is closing and the current owners are looking to sell the property, which spans a city block.

13/01/2022

Thinking about making a reservation at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Raleigh for your next special occasion? You'll have to schedule that for 2024.

The fine dining steak chain has closed its North Hills location and won't be reopening until the winter of 2024. Find out why 👇

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/01/12/raleigh-ruths-chris-steakhouse-closed-2024.html

The lone Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Raleigh has closed due to the massive redevelopment of the North Hills shopping district.

13/01/2022

Ever tried M Sushi in Durham? ( M Restaurants ) What about M Kokko, M Tempura or M Pocha? The restaurants are all owned by Chef Mike Lee.

His M Sushi restaurant was just named one of the best in the country by OpenTable. 🍣

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/01/11/durham-sushi-restaurant-opentable-top-100-2021.html

The restaurant's owner is planning two new locations to open in Cary this year.

12/01/2022

321 Coffee is a mission-based company started by two NC State grads while they were in school. Now, it's expanding to downtown Raleigh and beyond. In the same development, the first of four local YogaSix locations is about to open, plus popular brunch spot First Watch.

Check out the details 👇

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/01/12/raleigh-bloc83-development-new-retail-tenants.html

Fans of 321 Coffee and First Watch have something to cheer for in Glenwood South.

11/01/2022

Another popular Raleigh restaurant is getting a rebirth — fans leaving PNC Arena will once again be able to meet each other at "The Mill" thanks to the owners of Vivace, Chow and Coquette.

In the former Edwards Mill Bar & Grill spot comes a yet-to-be-named restaurant from Urban Food Group hoping to keep the old restaurant's spirit alive.

The former home of Edwards Mill Bar & Grill in Raleigh is getting new life with a concept from the local group behind dining venue's Vivace, Chow Pizza Bar and Coquette.

04/01/2022

Ever heard of a ghost kitchen? It's the restaurant industry's favorite new buzz word, so I talked to local business owner Jason Johnson about his company, its expansion plans and how anyone can invest in his idea. Read it all here 👇

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2022/01/04/hubb-kitchen-raleigh-ghost-kitchen-expansion.html

The company plans to have six ghost kitchens – sites where food is prepared for delivery – in the Triangle by the end of 2022.

04/01/2022

Everyone's favorite story topic: Grocery. I rounded up new and coming soon grocery stores in the Triangle and surrounding areas. It's a new year, and i've got you covered with finding a new favorite grocer 👇

30/12/2021

Apparently I can't escape the college main street news — last week was the Spanky's Franklin St. building selling to Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers and yesterday it was Mitch's Tavern on reopening.

Now, a section of Hillsborough Street has been sold AND a Starbucks is coming to the corner spot in January. 👀

The building on Hillsborough Street sits between Target and Pogue Street across from the N.C. State campus. A Starbucks is set to open there in January.

29/12/2021

Wolfpack fans, this one's for you. The iconic restaurant Mitch's Tavern has not been fully open since March 2022, but I've got the scoop. See when it's opening and who's running it in this story.

(For non-State fans, this is the bar from the fight scene in the movie Bull Durham. Cool, right?)

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2021/12/29/mitchs-tavern-raleigh-set-to-repoen-in-2022.html

The iconic bar and restaurant across from the N.C. State campus has not been fully open since March 2020.

28/12/2021

A reader who moved to the Triangle from Boston once asked me why NC has so many storage facilities (more than he'd ever seen), and if it was because we needed room to hold all of our Coach K bobbleheads. I told him no — because, as us locals know, it's to hold our Roy Williams and Michael Jordan bobbleheads.

In this story: The largest self-storage company in the world just spent $80 million in the Triangle area.

Two of the facilities are in Durham while the others are in Cary and Morrisville.

21/12/2021

Knightdale, North Carolina is throwing it back to the '80s and '90s with a new retro-themed cocktail bar opening early next year. Rewind Retrobar is bringing signature drinks (including one with cotton candy), video games and even pinball to the Wake County town.

What do you think of this bar being in Knightdale? Would you go?

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2021/12/21/rewind-retrobar-cocktail-bar-to-open-in-knightdale.html

The nostalgia-inducing cocktail bar will serve signature drinks and offer arcade and video games for patrons.

21/12/2021

Did you know short term rentals (like Airbnbs) were technically illegal in Raleigh up until February of this year? They're now legal, and the state's tourism group Visit North Carolina has partnered with Airbnb to create a campaign encouraging travel within the state and to NC in 2022.

Where in North Carolina is on your travel list for next year? 🏖or 🏔?

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2021/12/16/airbnb-targets-north-carolina-tourism-recovery.html

The state's top tourism promoter is partnering with Airbnb on a campaign to attract more visitors to North Carolina.

20/12/2021

Small business owners: More relief money is now on the table in NC. The fund is $500 million in total. See what businesses qualify, how to apply and more details in this story. Tag someone who needs to know in the comments.👇

Eligible businesses could receive up to $500,000 if they fall under one of two eligibility categories.

17/12/2021

Crumbl Cookies just opened in — this gourmet cookie company has been all over social media with people giving reviews of the weekly rotating cookie flavors.

Have you tried Crumbl yet? Is it worth the hype?

The gourmet cookie chain made popular on social media for its unique flavors is now open in Durham.

17/12/2021

Hey everyone 👋 Creating this page as a place to share my recent stories and interesting news. Follow to stay up to date on all things retail, restaurants and hospitality in the Triangle and surrounding areas.

Got a tip or story idea? Send it my way. 📩