Wednesday marks the opening of a new bar in Chapel Hill, operated by a native son who is looking to add a “neighborhood local” to downtown.

Max’s Tin Can, operating in the underground space at 201 East Franklin Street below Time-Out, is holding its soft opening before welcoming a weekend crowd amid the start of the college sports season. The business is owned and operated by Chapel Hill native Michael Rosenbacher, who says the space will feature a distinct Tar Heel theme while providing a relaxing atmosphere. Previously, the nightclub and bar Down Time was in the space before closing in May 2023 and the address has housed a variety of local bars in recent decades.

“I’d been looking at this space for a while,” says Rosenbacher, who has decades of bartending experience on Franklin Street, “and I’m very fortunate to know the landlord, and we’d been talking for a while. When it finally came available, we got to working out a deal.”

The bar will be filled with historic UNC memorabilia — “the older the better, for sure” says Rosenbacher — including some archival photos of one half of the bar’s namesake. The Tin Can was a steel building constructed on Carolina’s campus in the 1920s to serve as the temporary home for varsity UNC basketball games. Over time, it was also used for other Tar Heel sports and even as a temporary dorm for students during World War II. Earning its nickname from the look and its initial lack of temperature control, basketball played there until Woollen Gymnasium was built nearby. The facility was torn down in 1977 to make way for new buildings and both Fetzer Hall and the Student Recreation Center currently stand in its footprint.

The Tin Can on UNC’s campus, as shown in the 1924 edition of the Yackety Yack yearbook.

While he graduated from Carolina, Rosenbacher says he just missed being able to visit the original Tin Can in person — but went with the name to honor a fun piece of UNC history that locals may connect with. He says he worked with Wilson Library’s archives to get some historical prints made of the Tin Can, which are hung on the walls with some details of its history. And after figuring out he wanted to name the bar partially after the Tin Can, Rosenbacher came up with the conceit for what it will mostly serve: the featured menu will be all canned drinks — beer and wine — as well as traditional bar service.

Michael Rosenbacher stands behind the bar and next to a photo of his dog Max — one half of the business’ namesake.

The other half of the business’ name is even more personal. Rosenbacher — whose local business experiences features places like The Strowd, Jordan Lake Brewing Company, and Jujube where he still plans to work as a manager — wanted to honor one of his beloved golden retrievers, Max. He says he has fond memories of walking Max around UNC campus and a photo of the dog sitting in front of the Old Well is prominently featured behind the bar.

Rosenbacher says he hopes to eventually add food service from the space’s kitchen, focusing on sandwiches and barbeque, after further renovation and staffing hires. But in the meantime, the owner wants to create an atmosphere the entire Chapel Hill community would be comfortable stepping into and cracking open a can.

“Whether you’re 21 or 51, it doesn’t matter, we just want people to come and enjoy themselves, and be able to relax,” he says. “I want to compliment other bars that are here. The greatest thing is for every one of us to be successful, because that brings more people together and [let’s them] be able to go to different places throughout the night. All I want to do is compliment what is already here.”

Max’s Tin Can will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. — but will open early on days with football games and other Carolina athletics events.


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