After a run of smoking pork on Franklin Street for more than four years, a barbeque restaurant is preparing to shut down its dine-in location in favor of catering.

Blue’s on Franklin, owned and operated by Andrew Young, will have its final day of dine-in operations on Saturday, Mar. 15 before closing its space at 110 West Franklin Street. The business made the announcement through a post on its website and on social media, saying the closure comes as its lease is ending and its catering operations are gaining traction within the community.

“We will treasure the last [four and a half] years on Franklin Street,” reads the restaurant’s message, “where we shared our good ol’ Southern hospitality and food with folks from all over the world and cheered on our beloved Tar Heels together. We genuinely appreciate the loyal support we received from the athletes, the alumni, the frats and sororities, and the many undergraduate and graduate schools — you made Blue’s successful.”

Blue’s on Franklin opened in Oct. 2020 at a time when the Chapel Hill community was adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant aimed to market itself as a place to watch the Tar Heels and owned by UNC fans, as it was filled with Carolina memorabilia and featured a smoker near the seating area. It becomes the latest in a line of businesses at 110 West Franklin Street to shutter its doors. Before the barbeque restaurant, Moe’s Southwest Grill operated there for roughly five years before closing during the pandemic — and prior to that, was a Caribou Coffee shop and a Pizza Hut franchise. The building still resembles the pure oil and gas station it was for many years since being built in the 1930s.

Since their hours change for days with Carolina Athletics games and have dwindled with the preparation to close, check the Blue’s on Franklin social media pages for operating hours through its final day of Saturday, Mar. 15.

Featured photo via Blue’s on Franklin.

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