Franklin Street is invariably packed with hungry students, whether in high school or college. The pandemic caused many restaurants to close, but, with COVID restrictions easing, several new eateries have opened that cater to younger customers. Proconian gives you the scoop below.
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is a restaurant chain specializing in burgers and milkshakes; its newest location can be found in the Eastgate Shopping Center at 1800 East Franklin Street. Since its opening on December 22, the Chapel Hill location has been teeming with customers.
“I went on a Tuesday night, and it was pretty packed. I had a burger and a chocolate milkshake that was good, and the wait wasn’t that long,” junior James McAdam said.
The menu consists of burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fries, shakes and custard, offering plenty of variety, as well as indoor and outdoor seating.
“I had their ‘Shroom’ burger, and it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” junior Gracie Vollins said.
Prologue Rare and Used Books
While Epilogue Books & Chocolate Brews has been open for quite some time, its sister store Prologue will have its official opening in 2023. Epilogue, located at 109 East Franklin Street, is a café and bookstore that serves a variety of snacks and desserts, in addition to selling new and used books.
“I have been to Epilogue and am excited to see what they do with Prologue. It has a great work environment and the coffee is really good,” junior Arul Nagarajan said.
Prologue will be opening right beside the sister store as a rare book shop, providing additional seating for Epilogue; it will also include a meeting space and an area reserved for performing artists.
The bookstore had its soft opening last summer and is semi-operational; its official opening will occur soon.
Crumbl Cookies
Crumbl Cookies is a bakery franchise that mainly serves large frosted cookies. While there is already a location near Southpoint, the newest franchise is scheduled to open at 133 West Franklin Street next month.
Crumbl’s menu features a wide variety of cookies and ice cream—from lemon cheesecake to peanut butter crunch—with new weekly flavors.
“I do like the rotating flavors. I think that part is creative,” junior Caroline Munsell said.
The company was founded in 2017 as a local bakery in Utah and now boasts over 600 franchises, six of which are in the Triangle area.
“I like Crumbl Cookies; they are big and the frosting is really good,” Nagarajan said.
Raising Canes
Raising Canes is an American fast food restaurant chain that specializes in chicken fingers and fries. The newest location at 101 East Franklin Street, formerly the home of the restaurant Lula’s, is scheduled to open in the spring.
The Chapel Hill location will be the third franchise of the Louisiana-based chain in North Carolina.
