The Chapel Hill restaurant scene received devastating news on Wednesday when Crook’s Corner announced it has permanently close its doors.

“With an incredibly heavy heart, I must share the news that we are closing,” reads a message sent from Crook’s Corner to its customers. “The position we find ourselves in, exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, is no longer tenable.”

The restaurant has been a mainstay in the Chapel Hill community since Gene Hamer and chef Bill Neal first opened it in 1982. The James Beard Foundation named Crook’s Corner one of America’s Classic Restaurant in 2011, which the foundations gives to restaurants for qualities like “timeless appeal, beloved for quality of food that reflects the character of their community.”

Customers and fans of Crook’s Corner turned to social media to express their devastation at the news.

“My heart can’t take it anymore,” wrote Carolina Bass on Twitter. She also shared a photo of the shrimp and grits dish that Crook’s Corner was famous for. Others also chimed in to voice their love of Crook’s Corner’s shrimp and grits dish.


Restaurants in Chapel Hill and Orange County were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several longtime institutions within the local area have closed during the pandemic — including Elmo’s Diner in Carrboro and Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe on Franklin Street.


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Recognized by its iconic pig figurine and its eclectic decor of local art, the building on West Franklin Street held many forms before the current version of Crook’s Corner.

Initially a fish market run by community member Rachel Cook in the 1940’s, the building has served as a taxi stand, bait and tackle shop and pool hall, according to the restaurant’s website. Chapel Hill businessman and Town Council member Cam Hill remodeled in the space in 1978 and opened a barbecue house, calling it Crook’s Corner in honor of Rachel Crook, who was murdered in 1951 at the intersection of West Franklin and Merritt Mill Street.

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The message from Crook’s Corner signed off with a message of thanks for the community members who helped them flourish for nearly 40 years.

“On behalf of generations of Crook’s Corner staff, we thank you for your many years of support.”

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