King of King's: Restored sandwich stop a bow to old Durham

King’s is surrounded by change and brought back to life by a vision, a prominent theme in Durham’s past 10 years. Several new apartment complexes have been built several blocks over. Google is expected to launch an nearby engineering hub on Morris Street. Boxcar Bar & Arcade and Urban Axes are relatively new and just down the road.

In the midst of all this, King’s is a nod to the town’s blue-collar heritage rooted in the tobacco and textile industry. A reimagination of old Durham in the shadow of the Durham Athletic Park, King’s brings old school ideals with a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude.

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Those values are being passed down as TJ McDermott’s 13-year-old son, Thomas, learns about hard work, helping his dad make sandwiches between schoolwork, baseball and football games.

It’s part of McDermott’s vision that helped rejuvenate a Durham institution that started in 1942 by a family of Greek immigrants. Now, McDermott runs the business with a handful of employees.

“My dad had a small factory and I was able to work with him,” McDermott said. “So I’m bringing [Thomas] to work and showing him how to put his shoulder to the grindstone and push it out. That’s what it takes in a place like this.”

King’s maintains a neighborhood feel in a growing space. You won’t find aioli sauces or brioche buns but people continue to line up for the no-frills offerings.

“I loved old Durham, but this was bound to happen to cool places,” McDermott said. “I’ve lived in Key West, I’ve lived in Tahoe, that’s what happens. It does change it, but King’s isn’t changing.”

King’s is a rare breed in the Bull City. Outside of Bullock’s, there aren’t many restaurants with tenures as long as King’s.

It’s an homage to days gone by.

“When I moved here, it was, The Federal and the Down Under Pub were the only two bars you could go to. Now there’s all kinds of places. Hopefully, some of these places stay and we still get a taste of old Durham,” McDermott said.

The bells and whistles of new Durham are absent for the most part. King’s menu is standard short-order fare with burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and milkshakes leading the way. You can walk up and order through a window from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Unlike modern-day Durham, it’s not tech-savvy, and that’s by design. You won’t find King’s on GrubHub, but they'll take your order over the counter, through a sliding window.

“The feedback is all the people in line everyday,” McDermott said. “We don’t do a lot of that Instagram and Twitter. We’re just down here for the locals. We don’t even have a phone.”

There is a black bean burger and an “impossible burger,” inspired by a vegetarian family member.

McDermott was previously a construction manager for the city and was a newcomer to the restaurant business. His inspiration for King’s sprouted from launching a renovation project for the building, helped by an artist friend.

McDermott’s sister helped create King’s sauce, which is mayonnaise-based with a couple of secret ingredients. You’ll find it on most of the sandwiches and burgers.

When TJ McDermott moved to Durham in the late 2000s, The King’s space was not habitable. The entrepreneurial spirit in McDermott and few friends brought life back into the building. It reopened about 10 years ago and has survived several challenges, including COVID-19.

“Keeping the building small and maintaining the menu and the color combination, that was some of the paramount stuff us. That was Durham rebuilding itself in many ways, the local people that pitched in to make this happen.”

There’s a staff of four, and McDermott essentially serves as the owner-operator, working just about every day. McDermott isn't a Durham native - he's from Indiana and has lived in Key West, Fla. and Tahoe, Ca.

"My wife and I, we had family friends here and we've been visiting here for 30 years," he said. "We've always enjoyed it."

Before King's, McDermott didn't have much restaurant experience, but had a passion for food.

"I've always been the guy at the grill," he said. "I have friends out in Napa (Ca.) and we'd have big parties out there in the vineyards and I'd always find myself out at the grill."

McDermott said there are no definite plans to expand the business in the future, but he has considered extending business hours to serve dinner. Coaching his son’s baseball and football teams take up a lot of his time.

So does running one of Durham’s oldest restaurants.

"Hopefully, some of these places stay and we still get a taste of old Durham,” McDermott said. “That’s what King’s is all about.”

King's is open for lunch Monday through Saturday.