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What are we missing in this market

Tayfromcarolina

By Tayfromcarolina
in Triangle Coffee House

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DanRNC Burg

DanRNC

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I've missed Friendly's ever since I moved down from the Northeast. Fairly good food at a reasonable price, and lots of great ice cream. I also miss the great family-owned diners that were common up there (usually owned by Greeks).

There was actually a Friendly's in, off all places, Siler City on US64. I don't know if its there anymore.

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NCMike1981 Burg

NCMike1981

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If you want an experience similar to Friendly's try Perkins, my friends from up north love the place, and the restaurants have a similar menu. There's one off 64 in Apex, another off Capital Blvd in Raleigh, and of course the first one I ever went to off College Road in Wilmington.

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DanRNC Burg

DanRNC

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Friendly's is kind of like a Denny's/Bob Evans/Perkins type family restaurant although much much better than Denny's or Bob Evans. They have pretty good breakfast but they are most well known for their ice cream/desserts. Pretty popular in New England area.

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sandwalker Crossroads

sandwalker

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Can someone explain what a Friendly's is, and also where it is?

Friendly's (www.friendlys.com) is a casual sit down restaurant featuring burgers, sandwiches, homestyle type meals and ice cream. The comparison to Perkins/Bob Evans is reasonable, but Friendly's has better food. There was a location in Asheboro but it closed in the last year or so. Huntersville is the only location listed in NC now but the Myrtle Beach area has a few locations.

As to Johnny Rockets I always thought the Five Guys Famous Burgers place kind of took it's place at North Hills. Strangely enough Huntersville also has the only NC Johnny Rockets.

Cheeburger-Cheegurger (www.cheeburger.com) makes a pretty good overpriced burger and seems to be similar to Johnny Rockets. I know there is one in North Raleigh off of Spring Forest and a Apex location should be opening soon.

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I'm really surprised that Dean & Deluca doesn't have a triangle location... until i saw their website, I had thought they had more of a nationwide presence than the website suggests

http://www.deandeluca.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...ions.d2w/report

and I was shocked that Charlotte has 3 locations (one main, 2 cafes) ad the Triangle has none. plus on their site they use the Stonecrest-Charlotte store picture on the location page

Dean & Deluca grows really selectively. The Charlotte locations were a natural outgrowth of the sucess of the Phillips Place location. Raleigh may get one, but don't hold your breath.

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mattm Whistle-Stop

mattm

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Yes, that's a good characterization of Friendly's -- Perkins with a Baskin-Robbins thrown in. [When I was a high school kid the jobs at Friendly's were considered the choice jobs; you practically had to be an honor roll student to get hired there.] I used to visit the one in Asheboro when I was working in Charlotte and commuting back and forth every week (when I didn't take the train, anyway). I was really disappointed to find out it was gone this summer.

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richthofen Unincorporated Area

richthofen

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Good point--I do wonder why Goodberry's never tried to acquire a location close to NCSU. Of course, with Baskin Robbins about to open on Hillsborough, plus Cook-Out milkshakes in close proximity, the time for that may have gone by.

Something that might go over well around here would be a Dave & Buster's, unless Jillian's is too similar...

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Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

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Johnny Rockets ... I thought the new North Hills was slated to have one but so far I have not seen any indication of an opening.

I think 5 Guys beside the theater is something like JRkts. I was in DT San Jose this past week and there is one there. Almost ate there but chose the expensive seafood place instead.

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Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

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ToGo's

Sandwich shops. I like their soup. You see them more out west and many company's cater meeting lunches with them.

And I will get on Beer "SoapBox" here again

FAT TIRE BEER from New Belgium Brewery

It is from Colorado and they are in Arizona and all the way up to the Bay area California. Maybe further... :alc:

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Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

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Fat Tire does rule, however, I don't think they will expand out to the East. Next time I am out in Denver/Boulder I am bringing some back.

The first time I ever drank it was about 5-6 years ago when someone I know drove a small truck for his job around the country and brought back cases upon cases of it back. It has a unusual bottle label and I thought it was "boutique beer" until I drank it.

The only way it would come here is if they set up a contract brewing operation and marketing blitz on the east coast. Do something like Yeuigling dd.

I like CPA (Carolina Pale Ale) but maybe we missed out on having numerous good local brews like Denver/CO area has. Many of their local brews are now regional. Somewhat of a tradition there since Coors went there in the 1800s. Or maybe a backlash against corporate beer.--i.e. Coors

On that subject, I see where And-Busch is creating a beer with caffeine in it. They need to forget about creating "new fad" beers and just create ONE good beer.......JMHO

:yahoo:

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ncwebguy Burg

ncwebguy

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Being out west hasn't stopped a lot of other beers from coming this way...

Anchor Steam, Sierra, Rogue just to name a few of the larger ones. To say nothing of all the imports and microbrews (Brooklyn, Abita, Left Hand) available at 7 Even (still can't call it Peace Street Market) and Total Wine.

I thought Fat Tire wasn't in the area because of the 6% alcohol by volume rule, but now that's been popped, they should work on getting it here. 7 Even has stepped up to the plate in adding a good number of higher gravity selections.. am trying them one at a time!

As for local beers, it looks like Rock Creek is starting to sell more beers at retail. Horniblows is pretty neat, though quite off the beaten path (off Atlantic south of Hodges St.)

Dave and Busters is Jillians-like, but better managed, from what I've heard. Also, Jillians' parent company is bankrupt, but not sure if the Raleigh location is corporate owned or a franchisee.

I used to go by the Manteo Weeping Radish to school every day... They're getting ready to close the Chrismas Shop next door, which all used to be owned by one person, but I think the WR is staying open.

I don't think Raleigh has a German restaurant yet, so that would be a good hole to fill.

It would be nice if a Japanese steakhouse was DT -- Jillians' hibachi grill doesn't count! With a little work, such a place + sushi could fit in the Greenshields space in city market. That or a Southern Season mini-store + restaurant/cafe would be cool.

With the lottery coming, why not do a poker room, if not a casino? Las Vegas is never hurting for convention business!

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DanRNC Burg

DanRNC

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A German restaurant with a biergarten would be a good addition to the area. If I had the cash and resources I would open one in Chapel Hill. There is a good German bakery/restaurant in Durham called Gugelhupf.

Downtown Raleigh needs some type of open-air market combined with a mini Southern Season-I think that would attract some folks downtown. Is the little market in City Market still open?

Maybe we should have a write in campaign to get Fat Tire distributed here.

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ncwebguy Burg

ncwebguy

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Once upon a time, the farmers' market was in the Greenshields building...

The farmers didn't like coming all the way into downtown, and are happy to be off Lake Wheeler near

40, which really is unfortunate as far as the synergy the market and downtown could "feed" each other.

The current farmers market next to Vic's is a remnant of that, and is nice, but small/limited.

It would be cool if they "thought big" and made either the Martin Street front, or at least dining room at the corner near Rum Runners, an open air market. The cafe (and weathervane restaurant) could be inside/outside, using the old Greenshileds bar area to make/serve coffee, etc. and use the "den" and existing outside area for seating. The upstairs loft area, could serve as seating for the restaurant portion, and maybe host cooking classes during the week when restaurant buisness is slow.

They could easily fill the rest of the building, but it wouldn't be the scale of the Chapel Hill location. I'd love to see the truffle/candy counter, and think they would do well to have a decent wine/beer selection (which could supply the restaurant and/or cafe) and then do sauces, pastas, grains, etc. They could go light on the pots/pans/plates/knives, saving that for the other store and the catalogue/e-commerce.

This would be a great location that could serve citizens and out of town tourists and convention goers alike!

If not in that building, then continue the building, and build 2-3 stories (to keep in line with Artsplosure across the street) and shift the open market to the Davie street corner.

There was talk of opening a co-op in Raleigh, but not sure if they could afford the rent in City Market, but a few blocks over behind the middle school near design box could be an option.

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