Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill up for sale; owners hope to relocate, franchise brand
A popular Chapel Hill restaurant with decades of feeding the UNC campus community is undergoing change.
WRAL News has learned the owners of Mama Dip's Kitchen are looking to sell the property.
In an interview with Spring Council, the co-owner said the challenges of the restaurant industry and all three owners being at retirement age caused them to reassess plans. The space is listed for sale for $3.6 million on a commercial real estate website. The current spot on Rosemary Street was built in 1998 and opened in 1999. Spring said the growing amount of redevelopment around the restaurant is not part of the decision.
"We said what’s the best thing for us to do?" said Spring. "It’s going to fast casual, so it will reduce the size of the restaurant and put it out there so other folks can come to Mama Dip’s. Not necessarily making it a destination spot, but a place where people can come from other areas and experience our food."
For now, they look to stay open until they sell the space. Spring said their goal is to reopen somewhere else in Chapel Hill as more of a fast casual or takeout restaurant and franchise the Mama Dips brand to open more locations.
Spring was honored by the good will Mama Dip's carried in town and how people visiting from other countries would come to the restaurant to get a taste of the south, often bringing coolers to get food to bring home.
Spring is the youngest of the owners at 66. She said they made the decision within the last two months. Spring said their biggest priority moving forward is preserving the Mama's Dip brand.
"It’s our history," Spring said. "We’ve been here for many years. Oh, goodness, I get emotional talking about that. We’ve been here for many years, and met a lot of great people."
Mama Dip was the nickname of Mildred Council, who passed away in 2018 at age 89. The Chatham County native opened the restaurant in November 1976 and gained a following, even selling cookbooks on QVC. Her three daughters, one of whom being Spring, also played a role in the restaurant's success.
Since opening, Mama Dip's has been named to numerous "best of" lists including The Daily Meal's "Best Fried Chicken Places in America" and The Culture Trip's list of "The Top 12 Places for Great Soul Food In The Southern States." The restaurant also served some famous faces including Michael Jordan, former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith and tennis star Venus Williams.
"The most important thing to us is Mama’s brand," Spring said. "As long as we have that out there and let people know who she is, the food she cooked, and create her energy within that space, then we’ll be a doing a good thing."
