The Carolina Coffee Shop, an 85-year-old Franklin Street attraction, almost closed this year. When University of North Carolina (UNC) alumni Jeff Hortman and Clay Schossow heard of the shop’s possible closing, they sprung into action to make sure the local historic site was to stay in business.
“We got together with other friends who are also alumni to invest in the restaurant,” Schossow said. “We all had some sort of memory of it, so it connected us in a way.”
Partnering with other alumni, the two worked to create a group with an effort to invest in the restaurant, along with another significant figure who has helped the restaurant stay in business and retain its historical charm: soccer Olympian Heather O’Reilly.
As a fellow UNC alumna, O’Reilly felt it was only right to keep the restaurant in business. After hearing the countless sto-
ries of proposals and first dates taking place in the establishment, O’Reilly realized the sentimental value behind it.
In the 1960s, the restaurant was a frequent meeting place for political activists to discuss policy and plans concerning issues such as civil rights or efforts to end the war in Vietnam.
Over the years the Carolina Coffee Shop has served UNC’s campus, the menu has matured from its original breakfast and coffee menu, now serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each menu has a large variety of options.
The restaurant has experienced trouble competing with new businesses in the area. Junior Kaileigh Brackett has never been to the Carolina Coffee Shop, but commented on the fact
that many Franklin Street staples have had to close to support new business.
“I think some of the new stores popping up, like Target,
will be convenient for college students, but it’s still disappointing that older places have had to close,” she said.
Current investors have ambitions of reconstructing and bettering the dinner portion of the menu, as Hortman has claimed “the dinner has been down for the past few years.” The cuisine focus of the restaurant has always been Southern style. There are ideas cultivating of introducing new dishes to the menu, including a few healthier breakfast options.
The restaurant has undergone multiple modifications made by its new staff and O’Reilly to reflect a more historically aesthetic vibe, a vibe that O’Reilly is in full support of, asserting that to restore its historic charisma is a necessity.
As envisioned by O’Reilly, the Carolina Coffee Shop is considered the “staple” of the street and town of Chapel Hill.
The current group of investors have intentions of keeping the restaurant around for awhile, or at least until its 100th anniversary.
