An award-winning local burger chain has its sights set on Hillsborough for its next location.

Al’s Burger Shack, which earned Trip Advisor’s title of the “best burger in America” in 2018, plans to expand its chain of restaurants into Hillsborough at 115 Oakdale Drive Unit 1. The news was first reported by the News of Orange County on Oct. 7. The suite was most recently occupied by Pizza Hut.

Al’s co-owner Charlie Farris, who also owns a Jersey Mike’s franchise two units down, spoke with 97.9 The Hill about the new location.

“It took probably six months to a year to officially get Pizza Hut out and then negotiate a lease,” he said. “And then we finally got it signed and now we’re into architectural design and permitting. We’ve got the GM selected and all that stuff.”

The empty suite which will be the home of Al’s Burger Shack at 115 Oakdale Drive in Hillsborough (Image via Jada Jarillo/Chapel Hill Media Group).

Farris said his Hillsborough Jersey Mike’s location is the most popular of his local franchises in the Triangle, which gives him confidence in opening a new Al’s nearby. 

“It’s got great parking,” he said. “It’s in a good section of town, kind of an underserved section of town, I would say. And then you’re a mile north of I-40 and about half a mile south of 85. So you’ve got two major interstates that you can put those highway signs on. So [it will] definitely draw a lot of business off the highway as well.”

Al’s was first opened in 2013 by local restaurateur Al Bowers on Franklin Street. After Bowers was publicly accused of misconduct in 2020, he eventually sold the locations to Farris and his business partner Jason Kesler in 2022. There are currently five Al’s Burger Shacks across North Carolina, including its Franklin Street and Southern Village locations in Chapel Hill, as well as restaurants in Apex, Summerville and Leland.

Under Farris and Kesler’s leadership, Al’s Burger Shack opened an extension in 2025: the bar Puddin’s Beer Shack, located next to its parent business at 104 North Graham Street. The restaurant was also recently honored as the home of the “best cheeseburger in North Carolina” by FastFoodClub in May 2026. 

“I was a customer first,” Farris said. “Al’s has been my favorite burger for years, right? So the more people I can bring it to, the better. We wanna grow it and bring it to other communities. We can see where the busy shopping centers are, so from a business side, we already have a little bit of inside information about the sales it might do. We’re excited to bring [it to] the Hillsborough community.”

As for when the new restaurant will open, Farris said he’s hoping to rev up those fryers at the start of 2027.

 

Featured image via Al’s Burger Shack on Instagram.

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