To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2021. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region.
2021 saw a flurry of restaurant closures and openings – with long-standing establishments shutting their doors after decades of operations and new ventures welcoming in customers even amid the ongoing pandemic.
Restaurant Closings
Over the summer months, residents had to say goodbye to some of their favorite, hometown staples.
In June, Crook’s Corner, which has long served refined spins on Southern cuisine, permanently closed. The restaurant formerly located at 610 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill first opened in 1982.
“With an incredibly heavy heart, I must share the news that we are closing,” reads the message attributed to the Crook’s Corner team. “The position we find ourselves in, exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, is no longer tenable.”
Also in June, The Library — a popular bar and club among UNC students — announced via social media that it was closing to “make room for a national brand.”
“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the closing of The Library,” wrote the establishment on Instagram. “Despite maintaining through [the COVID-19 pandemic] and being a town favorite for over 18+ years, we are being forced to close our doors for good to make room for a ‘national brand.’ We appreciate every single person that has been a part of our journey and became part of our family.”
As of December, the space where The Library was housed remains vacant.
In August, the Maple View Farm and Milk Company, which provides the dairy for Maple View Ice Cream, announced they’re closure after 25 years in operation. The last day of bottling milk for the Hillsborough company was September 6.
While Maple View’s Ice Cream and Country Store are still going strong, the Farm and Milk Company closed after 25 years this fall, meaning their recognizable bottles are no longer at local stores. (Photo via Weaver Street Market / Maple View Farm.)
“The cattle are all going to a good home and will be missed immensely,” the company said in a statement. “We thank all of our customers, friends, and family that have supported us day in and day out.”
Most recently, in November, the Chick-fil-A franchise at University Place in Chapel Hill announced the end of its operations. The popular fast food chain’s indoor location closed permanently on November 30, causing a social media uproar. Known for drawing for foot traffic inside the mall, Chick-fil-A joined many other business closures at University Place in recent years, including one of its original tenants: the Night Gallery, which closed in August.
Restaurant Openings
While many local establishments permanently shuttered in 2021, that didn’t stop new businesses from welcoming in patrons.
Kicking off the year, in February, the Wegmans in Chapel Hill opened its doors to the public after years of planning. The popular, New York-based grocery store chain held its grand opening for the location off Fordham Boulevard on February 24.
The 99,000-square-foot building, an estimated-$30 million development, was originally slated for a 2020 opening, however, construction delays and the COVID-19 pandemic led to a later date.
In April, Dame’s Chicken & Waffles, a popular Durham-based restaurant, opened a new location in downtown Chapel Hill.
The fourth location of the restaurant known for its fried chicken, waffles and flavored butters called “shmears,” can now be found at 147 East Franklin Street, where the restaurant [B]SKI’s was previously housed.
After several years of planning, the popular Dame’s Chicken & Waffles opened its counter-style restaurant along Chapel Hill’s busiest street.
Later that month, the latest restaurant from the Giorgios Hospitality & Lifestyle Group opened in Chapel Hill. The modern Italian eatery Osteria Giorgi moved into space at 201 South Elliott Road and quickly gained buzz as its executive chef Dan Jackson won an episode of The Food Network’s “Chopped” in June.
In June, a different Italian-themed eatery moved into a vacant space in Carrboro’s Carr Mill Mall. Since it’s opening on August 3, Grata Cafe serves up “Italian classics and inspired dishes cooked from scratch with love and consistency.” The space in Carr Mill Mall was previously occupied by Elmo’s Diner since 1991, but the restaurant elected to close in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moving into the autumn months, this September, a popular Chapel Hill coffee shop moved to a new location in conjunction with a bigger menu.
Coco Bean Coffee Shop & Cafe was previously located in the East 54 shopping center, but is now housed in the newly-constructed Gwendolyn building, adjacent to Fordham Boulevard in the Glen Lennox community. The business also changed its name following the move. Coco Bean Coffee Shop & Cafe is now known simply as Coco.
Most recently, in November, several other new restaurants began serving customers in downtown Chapel Hill.
Momo’s Master, which is described as a Himalayan bistro, currently operates out of 110 North Columbia Street near Franklin Street. The restaurant, which took over a space left empty since the Thai restaurant Sawasdee closed, serves various types of momos – a style of dumpling popular in places like Tibet and Nepal. The restaurant Pirate Captain also opened its doors at the end of the year, offering ramen, poke and smoothie to customers where Ms. Mong used to operate.
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