This makes sense. I believe Canes is wanting to get into/test the market here by first placing a location next to a college campus. The Hillsborough street location would be a great fit. 2 of the 3 locations in NC are in close proximity to a major college campus (ECU, UNC). The 3rd location is in Cherry Point in or near Camp Lejeune. Hopefully NCSU is next. An article from Axios a while back stated such: “Expansion in the Triangle does not appear to be done, with multiple employees telling Axios that the Cane’s has plans to open a location near N.C. State University in Raleigh.” https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/11/07/raising-canes-chapel-hill-north-carolina-expansion
2 Likes
went to the one in Chapel Hill…no different than a bojangles. the sad part about it is they own a historic building in downtown chapel hill that they are housing a fast food joint that slings chicken nuggets…with a different name. sad for Chapel Hill…
Daaaamn, bro - you mad New Bern didn’t get it !?!?!
1 Like
It’s sad that a college town has an affordable chicken wing joint?
Courtesy of a Reddit post. Thought these lil history photos were cool.
First four images were lifted from a Facebook group (which provided the info below) and last one is from the N&O archives.
“To commemorate McDonald’s thirtieth anniversary, regional managers were asked to select one property in their respective areas that would be shaped into a one-of-a-kind design. Bruce Wunner, the chain’s southeast regional manager, chose a newly acquired site in Raleigh: a circa 1920 building last used as a movie theater (first opened as the Varsity Theatre in 1941) and located on busy Hillsborough Street. The fact that the interior of the building was laid out like a theater, and the fact that McDonald’s was founded in 1955, gave Perry & Plummer Design Associates (Wilmington and Raleigh, North Carolina) the inspiration for the design theme. The stage was set for a fifties diner articulated within the shell of the old theater.” Scanned from the Dec. 1986 issue of Contract Interiors, and Restaurant Design: Ninety-Five Spaces That Work (1987)
20 Likes
That brings back memories. I remember the first time that I stepped foot in it after it opened.
2 Likes
Neat! That’s where Umami Bistro is now? Is any of that left other than the marquee?
Agreed. I was a skeptic , they are different. They must be ringing chicken’s necks right at the store. Fressssssshhhhhhhhh.
1 Like
We need a similar sized building nearby this place soon, it’s massive and looks separate from the rest of Hillsborough Street, in terms of large residential buildings. I’d love to see The Village district be more connected (density wise) to the Hillsborough neighborhood sometime in the near future.
2 Likes
I too truely love this house.
1 Like
We won’t see anything more than 5-6 stories there because of zoning.
We have to remember, that Hub only happened because of the anomalous pre-existing 12 story zoning. Another OX-12 rezoning in the area is likely going to meet with opposition.
The parking lot next to Players Retreat facing the roundabout, and the parking lot of North Hall, are both zoned for 7 stories. Those are the next-best shots for something tall-ish in the vicinity.
But Hub itself will stand alone, for the forseeable future.
14 Likes
Coming along really well. Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
1 Like
I’m assuming the condo project that was once planned for the PR parking lot is all the way dead since I havent seen any movement for years
2 Likes
I wish someone would resurrect this, such a good use of a weirdly-shaped space
4 Likes
That was a promising project. It’s sad that it’s gone.
1 Like
The curved shape was neat and it would have been a decent development for the previous cycle, but rules and expectations have changed. That plan had no retail and not even a proper entrance facing the roundabout. We can do better.
I was kind of hoping for another hotel on that spot TBH. There is not nearly enough lodging within walking distance of NCSU.
1 Like