AROUND TOWN
Tomato Jake’s Taking
Over Franklin Street
Pizza & Pasta
Pizza shops continue to be tossed around on Franklin Street. In March, Glenn Gordon and Christopher
Mann, who own Tomato Jake’s near the
Streets at Southpoint mall in Durham,
bought Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta. By
the time students return in August, Tomato
Jake’s will have completed decor changes,
perhaps showing off a UNC-themed wall.
Craig Samuels owned the Franklin Street
pizzeria for 18 years and still owns Village
Pizza & Pasta off U.S. 15-501 in Chatham
County. He was ready to reduce his workload, and Gordon and Mann were ready to
extend their business closer to campus. The
deal was brokered by Neal DePersia of
National Restaurant Properties in Cary,
who also arranged the recent sale of He’s
Not Here.
Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta, 163 E.
Franklin St., Chapel Hill, (919) 933-5277
SARAH MCCARTY ARNESON ’ 96
The signs and interior have not changed yet, but a familiar pizza place on East Franklin Street
has been sold to Tomato Jake’s. Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta had an 18-year run; former
owner Craig Samuels still owns Village Pizza & Pasta off U.S. 15-501 in Chatham County.
Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe Stays
Open After Owner’s Death
Jimmy Chris, owner of Ye Olde Waffle
Shoppe, died in March, but his family will
continue the business as it always has been.
In 1972, Chris brought his restaurant
experience to Chapel Hill, where his family
owned the Tankersley Building. He supervised the renovation of the building into
two restaurant spaces and asked a college
friend, Al Thomas, to be his business partner
in Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe. Chris became the
sole owner after Thomas’ death in 1986.
Many staff members have been with the
Waffle Shoppe since the 1990s, said manager Daisy Maness, and will continue to
serve the good food that patrons rely on.
Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe, 173 E. Franklin
St., Chapel Hill, (919) 929-9192
closed recently and noticed that it had run
out of its iconic blue cups.
“I called Dave [Kitzmiller ’ 64, the out-
going owner],” Mehok said, “and said, ‘You’re
kidding me that we’re serving white cups. It’s
the Home of the Blue Cup, for God’s sake.’ ”
Much discussion with the manufacturer
ensued, and the blue cups, made of studier
material, were promised to be delivered in
April. The sale went through, and the iden-
tities of the buyers were made public.
Mehok, who also owns Bull City Bar-B-Que, played defensive back on UNC’s
football team and worked at He’s Not Here
as a student. Roberts, a Durham native
who now lives in Chapel Hill, met his wife
there. The two plan few changes to the
iconic bar other than some refurbishments.
They’ve already renovated the women’s
bathroom and upstairs floor. They’re looking at new ideas for the courtyard, where
“it’s hard to grow grass,” Mehok said.
“Everyone’s hugely thankful that we’re
keeping the concept, the heart and soul of
the place, and it’s not going to be an
Applebee’s,” he said.
He’s Not Here, 112 ½ W. Franklin St.,
Chapel Hill, (919) 942-7939
has put The Cave up for sale, asking
$65,000.
The Cave, reputed to be Chapel Hill’s
oldest bar, opened 43 years ago. Mock
bought it in 2000 but since 2010 has been
wanting to sell to put more time into his
career as a videographer. Since 1968, the
cash-only bar has showcased live local
bands almost every night for a few dollars’
cover or on a pass-the-hat basis. The basement bar below Uniquities and next to
West End Wine Bar does not serve food,
exempting it from certain sanitation
restrictions. Thus, you’re welcome to bring
your dog.
The Cave, 452 ½ W. Franklin St., Chapel
Hill, (919) 968-9308
He’s Not Here Deal
Completed, Blue Cups and All
White cups on the bar almost squelched
the sale of He’s Not Here to Matt Mehok
’ 93 and Bennett Roberts. Mehok stopped
by the bar one night before the deal had
The Cave Goes on the Market
You have another chance to be a
Franklin Street bar owner. Mouse Mock
Tar Heel Tattoos
Opens Parlor
Tattoo artist James Padilla has opened
what is believed to be Chapel Hill’s first
licensed tattoo parlor, Tar Heel Tattoos, in a
sunny storefront a few blocks from Glenn’s
Tattoo Service in Carrboro.
Padilla’s clients can select an image
from his portfolio, or he’ll create a custom
design. For small designs, he’ll cut a stencil,
but for large images that curve around an
arm or torso, he’ll draw directly on the
skin with colored Sharpies. He charges
$60 an hour, and he rarely works on a
