Any time the Tar Heels play, the pre-game energy in Chapel Hill can best be described as “electric.” For both long-time locals and returning visitors, an integral part of a Tar Heel gameday actually begins well before the whistle blows at venues across campus. During a recent survey, Rams Club members were asked about their favorite pre-game stops in Chapel Hill.

One thing is for certain. Carolina Fans take their traditions, much like their fandom, very seriously, and while there were countless options to choose from—a staggering 72 different locations, both current and long gone, received votes—there were some common themes. Here is a look at some of your favorite stops.

NORTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST RESTAURANT

Did you know that North Carolina’s oldest restaurant is located in Chapel Hill? Opening its doors for the first time in 1922, the Carolina Coffee Shop has been a Carolina favorite for more than a century. That level of history is not lost on Coffee Shop co-owner and former women’s soccer student athlete Heather O’Reilly, who acquired the restaurant in 2018 with an ownership group comprised exclusively of UNC alumni.

“What started off as banter among friends that was essentially ‘We should save the Coffee Shop’ became ‘Okay, how do we
actually do this? What do we need?’” O’Reilly said. “It was the idea of preserving history and respecting small business and preserving Franklin Street. That hit a chord for all of us. Carolina Coffee Shop is going to be one of the restaurants that bridges the old with the new. That’s what we’re going for!”

While her soccer career has taken her across the globe, Chapel Hill has always held a special place in the heart of O’Reilly, along with her husband and Carolina Coffee Shop co-owner, men’s lacrosse alumnus David Werry.
“Chapel Hill means a lot to Dave and me because we met at UNC. Neither of us is from North Carolina, but separately, I think we fell in love with Chapel Hill and being a Tar Heel,” O’Reilly said. “I’ve lived a lot of places throughout the world, and I’ve enjoyed my time in each of those places, but at the end of the day, we just had this pull and draw to come back to Chapel Hill. For us, it came down to community. Chapel Hill is different in the way that people care about each other and just have a common bond. That was our draw to coming back to Chapel Hill over anywhere else we’ve been.”That community is on full display during a Carolina gameday, as thousands descend on Franklin Street. According to O’Reilly, gamedays at the Carolina Coffee Shop are a special time at the restaurant.

“It’s great seeing the restaurant littered with Carolina Blue shirts at all times, but especially on gameday,” she said. “It’s usually happy vibes, because before a game, there’s a great hope in the air. We try to get people in and out as quick as possible so they can go to the game, but we also want them to enjoy their meal.”

“I think if there’s anything that people can take out of the Carolina Coffee Shop, it’s that connection, community, and tradition are worth fighting for,” O’Reilly concluded. “That was the driving force for us.”

THE SOCIAL CROSSROADS

Located at perhaps the most iconic intersection in the town of Chapel Hill, Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery has had a bird’s eye view of countless Franklin Street celebrations since its opening on September 5, 1996, the night that Hurricane Fran hit Chapel Hill.

“After Hurricane Fran hit, there were only two restaurants on Franklin Street that were open, us and Subway. We were the only ones who had electricity,” Top of the Hill’s proprietor and founder Scott Maitland recalled. “We had a bunch of water in our brewery that we were going to use to make beer, and we ended up using that to wash dishes.”

After its touch-and-go beginnings, Top of the Hill was quickly able to “take the baton” and establish itself as one of the places that Carolina fans patronized before and after games inChapel Hill.

“If the Carolina Inn is the living room of the University, which is what Frank Porter Graham called it, we try to think of ourselves as the front porch,” Maitland said. “We try to behave ourselves in that way and see ourselves as the gathering place that’s truly trying to support the town and the university.”

While football weekends are their own animal for the Top of the Hill staff, Maitland notes that a lot of Carolina’s athletic teams are bringing crowds to the restaurant during their home contests.

“The rhythm of a football weekend is, ‘Starting Thursday, get geared up cause it’s going to be busy from Thursday afternoon all the way to Sunday afternoon,’” he said. “Basketball is more fascinating because it depends a lot on the day and opponent, but especially in the last few years with the additions to The Bosh, the construction of Dorrance Field and Karen Shelton Stadium, the Olympic Sports programs have started drawing bigger crowds, and we’re getting definitely more business from Olympic Sports than we used to.”

The symbiotic relationship between Top of the Hill and Carolina’s athletic teams is evidenced as part of the restaurant’s “Founder’s Club 2.0,” which was established in the early days of COVID-19 to help keep the restaurant afloat in times of uncertainty. For those who bought into the program, Top of the Hill provides a free beer on gameday; not just for football or basketball, but any home game for Carolina’s 26 athletic programs.

“I was surprised and pleasantly delighted to hear from the coaches who told me, ‘Thanks for supporting my team.’” Maitland said. “That delights the hell out of me, and it’s fun that people feel that way. It all goes back to that sense of community.”

THE FORMER PHARMACY

From the countless photos of students and local celebrities on the walls to the signed jerseys hanging from the rafters, in every corner of Sutton’s Drug Store, you get a glimpse of Carolina. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in April 2023, Sutton’s Drug Store has been a staple of Franklin Street and the Chapel Hill community for the past century.

“We’re doing something right,” said Don Pinney, Sutton’s current and fourth-ever owner. “We offer great customer service and make our customers feel welcome when they come in. I think that’s the secret to our success.

“Our staff rarely changes,” he continued. “The cooks and servers have been here for over 25 years. People get accustomed to that and want to come back and see their favorite waitress or their favorite cook, or just have memories of eating at Sutton’s. That’s the big calling card. People enjoy Sutton’s for its history and its people.”

On a typical gameday, the former pharmacy, which became a fulltime restaurant and convenience store in 2014, can see up to 1,200 customers come through the front door, eager to dine on classics like biscuits, bacon and eggs for breakfast, and hot dogs, hamburgers, deli sandwiches and milkshakes for lunch. While that may seem like a “good” number, especially with an influx of people descending upon Chapel Hill, it’s important to remember that if you combine Sutton’s mismatched collection of booths, tables, and counter stools, the restaurant only has 75 seats, total.

“It’s organized chaos, but that’s as many seats as the town of Chapel Hill would let me have!” Pinney laughed. “We’ve kind of instilled in people that if there’s a line, and you’re done eating, don’t sit there and play on your phone. We’re nice about it, but we have to get the rest of these people fed!”

One of Sutton’s most interesting traditions and decorative features are the hundreds of 8×10 photos that can be found in every corner of the restaurant. The tradition started in 1980, when former pharmacist John Woodard took a photo of a group regulars – known playfully as the “old timers” – who would eat at the drug store every morning, and put the photo on display.

“Next thing you know, everyone wanted their picture taken,” said Pinney. “It started morphing from that point on, and I have thousands upon thousands of pictures archived upstairs that are faded. A lot of the older photos are hardly any good anymore, but we have them upstairs in case anyone comes in and asks if we still have their picture. If they’ll give me enough time, I can probably find it.”

THE RATHSKELLER RENAISSANCE

Proving that Rams Club members are big on tradition, the pre-game venue that received the most mentions in this survey actually closed more than 15 years ago. The Rams Head Rathskeller, a Chapel Hill staple that operated in Franklin Street’s Amber Alley from 1948-2007 developed a cult following of sorts over its lifespan.

Reminisced as much for its atmosphere and charm as it is its food, “The Rat” is fondly remembered for two iconic menu items – the lasagna, maybe better known as “The Bowl of Cheese,” and the “Gambler,” which was brought to the table on a sizzling cast iron skillet.

Fortunately, those who are longing for one more Gambler or Bowl of Cheese don’t have to look too far from Chapel Hill to find them. In nearby Pittsboro, the S&T Soda Shoppe has you covered. For brothers Steve and T.J. Oldham (the “S” and “T” of S&T), who grew up visiting the Rathskeller as a “weekend treat,” it’s about bringing the nostalgic tastes they grew up with to the new generation, and also the generation who misses the days of “The Rat.”

“It allows us to see how important the Rathskeller was to people,” said T.J. “There are people who drive from all over the state who will come to Pittsboro to get a Gambler. It’s flavors that they haven’t tasted since 2007 or before, and for a lot of them, it’s how they reminisce about their college days or time in Chapel Hill.”

It took a bit of trial and error to get the recipes right, but after approximately six months, Steve was able to nearly re-create the classic Gambler, the “Bowl of Cheese,” (which is still served in bowls purchased at auction from the original Rathskeller) and house salad dressing. He knew he’d nailed it when Steve & T.J.’s late father Gene, S&T’s original owner, brought in some friends who were “Rathskeller regulars” from back in the day.

“My dad’s friends came in, and I told them ‘I want y’all to try something tonight instead of getting your normal,’” Steve said. “They told me that I had the taste down perfect, all I needed to fix was the texture. Once I had that, we were ready.”

Pittsboro is just a quick 25-minute drive south of Chapel Hill, and on gamedays, many diners at the Soda Shoppe are all wearing the same color – Carolina blue.

“To think people want to include us as part of their gameday is an honor,” said T.J. “Doesn’t matter if it’s football, basketball, baseball – people will find us and order some of their favorites. We’ll have customers come in before games and always order the same thing, because they’re superstitious and convinced that what they had for lunch will lead the Tar Heels to a win.”