Buckle up foodies, 2023 will be a big year for the Fayetteville food scene.
After a pandemic-induced lull, chefs and operators are back at it in full force. Mom-and-pop shops and franchises alike have plans to open restaurants, breweries, food truck parks, coffee stands and barbecue joints around town next year.
People can skip the trip to Raleigh or Wilmington for worldly flavors — culinary minds are bringing bulgogi burgers, birria tacos and ramen to Fayetteville.
Here’s a look at what’s in store for 2023, plus one opening scheduled just before we ring in the new year.
Find one we missed? Email Taylor Shook at tshook@gannett.com.
Chef-owner Vanessa McKoy of Kwon’s Kitchen Korean Fusion Cuisine food truck is opening a restaurant at 5173 Bragg Blvd., which she said will serve Korean barbecue, fusion food and authentic flavors.
McKoy, 34, said Monday she’s been cleaning and renovating the space at 5173 Bragg Blvd., the former location of GT&B Soul Food Kitchen, for weeks and expects to hold a soft opening from Dec. 27 to Dec. 30. The restaurant can seat 20 and she said she plans to add booths in the new year.
The restaurant will offer McKoy’s calling card — Korean hot dogs. Available in mozzarella, beef, chicken and cheddar variations, each is battered, fried and topped with sugar, white sauce, green onions and cabbage.
McKoy is expanding her bulgogi offerings to include chicken, beef or spicy pork, served on tacos or loaded fries. Kimchi, cucumber salad, Korean barbecue wings, bulgogi burgers and cheesesteak fries are also on the menu.
Before she started her culinary career, McKoy worked as a barber. She said she pushed herself to expand her food business to support her four children, and her mother, 70, who she said taught her to make Korean food.
Restaurant hours will be Monday-Wednesday and Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m.; Saturday noon to 8 p.m.; closed Sunday and Wednesday. Her food truck will close in January and February, but reopen in March, she said.
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Southern Pines Brewing Company is slated to open a rooftop brewery, bar and restaurant at 123 Hay St. in September.
The company purchased the historic 13,000-square-foot former antique shop late last year. Each of the two stories and the rooftop will have a different concept.
The ground floor will be a casual bar and restaurant where beer and batch cocktails will be served alongside Birria tacos and ramen, owner Micah Niebauer said.
The second level will be an upscale lounge, serving tapas-style plates and elevated cocktails, he said.
The 4,000-square-foot rooftop will have a “backyard party” vibe, Niebauer said. Guests can order ice-filled coolers of canned cocktails and beer, play lawn games, enjoy a bonfire, drink tiki cocktails and relax on banquet-style seating, he said.
“I had to elevate my vision because of how amazing this space is,” Niebauer said.
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Haymount Truck Stop is slated to open early or mid-2023 at 100 Broadfoot Ave., formerly Haymount Auto Repair. The food truck park will also have a full bar, arcade, patio and outdoor entertainment space.
Owner Jordan Sherrod said he hopes for the family-friendly attraction to become an anchor in the Haymount area.
“We’re excited about it,” he said.
Project manager Stephanie Pirruccello said the food truck park will host up to four food trucks on a rotating basis.
“You will see all of your favorite food trucks at the Haymount Truck Stop,” Pirruccello said.
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Crave Hot Dogs & Barbecue, a fast-casual restaurant that aims to bring the family cookout experience to patrons year-round, will open in January at 2725 Freedom Parkway, Suite 2, in the Freedom Town Center, franchisee Eddie Womack said.
According to plans submitted to the city, the 2,400 square-foot space will have a patio and is part of a strip with seven other commercial units.
The menu reads like a summer cookout on steroids, with kosher all-beef hot dogs, bratwursts, grilled sausages, smoked brisket, pulled chicken and pulled pork, all served with signature sauces. Womack is also opening a Crave food truck in January that shares a menu with the restaurant, he said.
A self-serve beverage wall will feature 17 local beers, two wines and five mixed drink taps, Womack said. The technology-forward beer wall allows guests age 21 and older to sample and pay for different beers by the ounce — without having to commit to a full pint.
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Two 7 Brew coffee shop locations in Fayetteville and Spring Lake are slated to open in January.
The drive-thru and walk-up coffee stands are at 3307 Bragg Blvd. in Fayetteville and 200 S. Bragg Blvd. in Spring Lake.
The Rogers, Arkansas-based, 7 Brew serves espresso coffee drinks, Italian soda, smoothies, tea and energy drinks. Coffees start at $4.25.
The chain has seven signature coffee drinks served hot, iced or frozen with flavors like German chocolate, hazelnut caramel, and white chocolate macadamia nut. Patrons can customize drinks with 30 syrup flavors and four sauce options.
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Texas Roadhouse’s fast-casual concept Jaggers is coming to 515 N. McPherson Church Road, formerly Super King Buffet, next to Chuck E. Cheese in April, according to a spokesperson. The 4,135-square-foot restaurant will have a patio and a drive-thru, according to county geographic information system records.
Founder Evan Taylor told the Louisville Business Journal last year that the restaurant is “if Chick-fil-A and Five Guys got married and had a kid.” Some patrons online have described it as an “upscale fast-food” experience.
The menu is primarily chicken, burgers, vegetarian options, salads and shakes “made fresh and from scratch,” a spokesperson said. The menu has meals less than $10 and kids meals for $4. Restaurant hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, the spokesperson said.
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Fowler’s Southern Gourmet started as a food truck in 2017 before it found a permanent spot at 723 Rowan St. the following year. The food truck ceased to operate in 2019, but owner Wade Fowler said he plans to resume early next year.
The truck will have a similar menu to the restaurant, which is known for its burnt ends, pulled pork and the Angry Hawaiian — a pork or chicken sandwich dressed with house-made teriyaki sauce, fresh pineapple and jalapenos. It will be available for catering, private events, and festivals, Fowler said.
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Main Event, a family restaurant, arcade and bar operated by the same parent company as Dave & Buster’s is coming to Fayetteville late next year, according to a Cross Creek Mall news release.
Construction is underway on the 38,000-square-foot building, which will offer bowling, laser tag, arcade and virtual reality games.
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A free-standing Chick-fil-A at Bronco Midtown and a Starbucks on the Fayetteville State University campus are expected to open late next year, Chancellor Darrell Allison said at an October groundbreaking ceremony.
There is a Chick-fil-A in the student center that may close when the new one opens, a university spokesperson said. The freestanding Starbucks will be in the center of campus, near the parking deck.
The news comes a year after the university purchased the property formerly called Bronco Square, which sits on Murchison Road directly across from the campus, for $5 million.
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In addition to the confirmed 2023 openings is a slew of restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, food truck parks and donut shops that have plans for Fayetteville area locations. Here’s what we know.
KPot submitted plans to the city to renovate an existing space at Cross Creek Mall. The restaurant chain offers hot pot, soup stock simmered at the dining table served alongside vegetables, meat and fish for diners to cook in the stock. It serves Korean barbecue, where diners grill meat at the table to be eaten with sauce, rice and lettuce. The chain’s restaurants also have a full bar.
Neither restaurant nor mall spokespeople were immediately available for comment.
Plans submitted to the city show a US Foods CHEF’STORE, a wholesale grocery and kitchen supply retailer, at 200 Cross Creek Mall. The 20,000-square-foot store, open to the public, may be built on currently vacant land in the parking lot of Cross Creek Mall.
According to city officials, feedback was provided on the site plans Oct. 17, and the city is waiting for the company to resubmit the final plans. US Foods and Cross Creek Mall spokespeople said in October they could not confirm the new store.
The food and kitchen supply warehouse caters to restaurant professionals but is open to anyone. Shoppers do not pay a membership fee, nor is there a minimum purchase requirement. Open daily, stores host biweekly specials and offer online shopping for pickup or delivery.
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Wawa, a Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain that residents have long clamored for, could be coming to the area.
Preliminary plans posted to the county development review site show a 6,049-square-foot convenience store and gas station at 3613 Raeford Road, a vacant lot between Roxie Avenue and the All-American Express Way. The spot was once home to Carolina Heart Physicians.
The Fayetteville Technical Review Committee assessed the plans Sept. 20 in a preliminary site plan meeting, city officials said, and are waiting for the company to resubmit for site plan approval.
Modern stores typically sport a spacious open layout, with high ceilings and abundant natural lighting. At the center of the store is usually a kitchen area where customers can order hot hoagies and specialty coffee drinks for which the chain is known. Breakfast sandwiches, salads, soups, ice cream and prepackaged foods are also available. Often, stores have a dining area with pendant lighting, booths and tables.
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California-based donut brand Mochinut is planning to come to Fayetteville, according to the website. Stores offer a menu of mochinuts, a combination of Japanese mochi and American doughnuts originating in Hawaii. Made with glutinous rice flour, the dessert is said to be chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Flavors range from basics like strawberry, chocolate and pistachio, to the more adventurous banana milk, black sesame and matcha. Mochinut shops also serve Korean hot dogs, boba tea and soft-serve ice cream.
Baltimore-based Royal Farms, a convenience store and gas station known for its fried chicken, submitted plans to the city for a store at 5792 Ramsey St., just north of Methodist University. The brand announced in a Nov. 21 news release that its expansion into the Tarheel state will begin with a Grandy location, followed by stores in New Bern, Greenville, Lumberton, Kinston and Jacksonville. The StarNews reports that four stores are planned in the Wilmington area. Currently, the nearest Royal Farms stores are in Virginia.
The city reviewed plans Dec. 14 for a multi-tenant commercial development at 119 Joseph St., at the intersection of Skibo Road and Bragg Boulevard next to Garcia Used Tire.
The site would include a Chick-fil-A, with the potential for a quick oil change shop, an auto parts store, a coffee kiosk, and two quick-serve restaurants, according to city documents.
Hay Street Kitchen & Rooftop is expected to open inside — and atop — the historic Kress Building at 229 Hay St. in downtown Fayetteville. Mayor Mitch Colvin owns the property, which he said is still awaiting permits. The upscale casual restaurant is hiring servers, hosts and kitchen staff.
Famous Toastery, a full-service breakfast and lunch restaurant, is looking for a Fayetteville franchisee, according to a spokesperson. The breakfast and lunch restaurant serves mimosas, omelets and sandwiches with entrees starting at $12. Stores are open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
North Carolina is home to 18 of the franchise’s 26 locations, and they plan to add restaurants in Pinehurst, Charlotte and Raleigh, according to a spokesperson. The first location opened in Huntersville, North Carolina in 2005.
Food, dining and business reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com. Want food news in your inbox every Thursday? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.