Mama Dip's Sets Closure Date for August 17, as Family Teases 'Next Phase of Business'

Update: After the restaurant Mama Dip’s Kitchen initially shared the news of its August 17 closure on social media, co-owner Spring Council told The News & Observer there was a “miscommunication.”

According to Council, after August 17 the restaurant will still be serving family-style carry out meals. Dine-in will not be available.

A day forecasted to the Chapel Hill community over the last year is now formally set for next month: Mama Dip’s Kitchen is set to close its door.

The family of Mildred Council, the titular country cooking icon and original owner of the restaurant on 408 West Rosemary Street, announced on social media Wednesday that the business’ last day of operations in its current form will be Saturday, August 17.

“For the past 48 years it’s been our honor to serve the Chapel Hill community,” says the video’s caption. “But on Aug. 17 our doors will be closing as we move into our next phase of business. This is not a goodbye… But we wanted to take the chance to thank everyone who has graced Mama’s kitchen these last 48 years and the whole community for supporting us along the way. We cannot wait to see you in our next adventure.”

Change to Mama Dip’s was expected after the Council family’s company put the West Rosemary Street property on the market in April 2023. At the time, co-owner Anita “Spring” Council told Chapelboro the family was in the initial stages of figuring out a path forward for the business as some of the family members considered retirement and the restaurant industry was continuing to adapt after the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the plan was for the land to eventually be sold and potentially use that as an opportunity to create a new iteration of Mama Dip’s.

“We will not close the restaurant until the property is sold — and of course, we don’t know when that will be,” said Council in 2023. “We have two things: the property and the brand, and we want to keep Mama’s legacy going.

“We know we’re going to be in Chapel Hill,” she added, talking about future business opportunities. “We just came up with the decision a couple months ago, so we’re in the initial planning stage — but Chapel Hill is where they want to be.”

According to Orange County land records, the land was transferred in May from one company called Mama Dip’s Properties LLC to another called Mama Dip’s Family Properties LLC. The property was not sold for any listed amount, but its status on several realtor sites is listed as ‘pending’ or ‘not available’ as of Thursday.

Even if temporary, the closure of Mama Dip’s original location — snugly in the area between downtown Chapel Hill and the historically Black Northside neighborhood — represents a major shift for the local restaurant scene and community writ large. Mildred Council opened the restaurant in 1976 after having cooked for years at the Carolina Coffee Shop, St. Andrews Hall, and a take-out kitchen with her mother-in-law during the 1950s. The menu at Mama Dip’s offers a variety of Southern and country dishes that visitors would be hard-pressed to find a combination of anywhere else — ranging from chicken-fried steak and seafood, to chittlins and cream cheese pound cake.

Mama Dip’s Kitchen’s current hours are Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Photo via Mama Dip’s Kitchen.

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Mama Dip’s Sets Closure Date for August 17, as Family Teases ‘Next Phase of Business’

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