Out and About

Why Char-Grill on Hillsborough Street is selling its land

The burgers, menu and service has stayed the same at Char-Grill over the past 47 years. But that doesn't mean that business partners Mahlon Aycock and Ryon Wilder don't understand the changing landscape of the city they've spent most of their life in.

Posted Updated
CharGrill in 1963. Photo taken by the News and Observer.
By
Maggie Brown
, WRAL multiplatform producer
RALEIGH, N.C. — The burgers, menu and service have stayed the same at Char-Grill over the past 47 years. But that doesn't mean that business partners Mahlon Aycock and Ryon Wilder don't understand the changing landscape of the city they've spent most of their life in.

The site of the first Char-Grill sits on a prime spot of land in downtown Raleigh that developers have been after for years, Wilder said.

"There's always been interest, but the last four or five years, there's been [more] people getting in touch with us and whatever. And we would always politely say, 'No, we're not really interested at this time,'" Wilder said.

The business partners said they even had foreign buyers offering them large sums for their property, but they wouldn't budge. Everyone they talked to wanted to kick their restaurant out of downtown Raleigh, which is something they knew they didn't want to give up.

Photo provided by CharGrill

"We're interested in being there for a very, very long time," Wilder said.

The burger staple will be in the bottom floor of a 20-story mixed-use development that will take up a large plot of land on the corner of North Boylan Avenue, Hillsborough Street and Willard Place.

Hillsborough Street development

"The lights will be out for a couple years while they build the building. But we will be in business for probably a couple of more years before anything happens," Wilder said.

The historic Char-Grill sign will likely be incorporated into the new restaurant, the two business partners said. It won't be on the side of the road anymore due to regulations from the city of Raleigh.

"It has classic sign ordinance designation by the city of Raleigh, but eventually that will be removed," Wilder said. "Once it's removed, it would have to go inside a building, it wouldn't be allowed back out on the street."

The new Char-Grill restaurant will have indoor seating while still keeping its classic design and charm, Wilder said. That way the restaurant will be able to serve more residents.

The key to running a long-lasting business? The Char-Grill menu

The city of Raleigh's population was a mere 136,000 people in 1975, when Aycock and Wilder went into business together and purchased – what was at the time – a failing hamburger joint. Since then, the city's population has increased by 244%.

Aycock and Wilder attribute Char-Grill's success to two things: the Hamburger steak and the work environment.

When the two first purchased Char-Grill from its previous owners in the 70s, the menu was limited to a cheeseburger, hot dog and a barbecue sandwich.

It was both Aycock and Wilder's idea to add a bigger burger to the menu, which they believe helped bring Char-Grill back.

Photo of CharGrill 1986

They also maintain it was the "quality of food and the quality of service" that revitalized the failing business.

Char-Grill's consistency is what continues to keep it in business, Aycock said.

"I think the key is to that we've always tried to serve the best quality products. And we've been very consistent, and that consistency pays off in business," Aycock said. "We use the same recipe now that we have for years and years."

That "quality service" comes from the top down, according to Aycock.

"We care about our employees. And they know it," Aycock said.

One of their store managers has been working for Char-Grill since he was 14. Now he's in his 40s, Aycock said.

The store manager's story isn't unique. Many of Char-Grill's employees decide to stay around and become managers.

Mourning the iconic Hillsborough Street location

For many Raleigh locals, the location of the original Char-Grill is special to them.

Jane Chiles said that Char-Grill was the place she and her high school friends would go late at night.

"It was the best thing after a night of partying," she said. "The one on Hillsborough Street is the one we'd go to the most. I don't know, over all the years of cooking burgers on that grill, it's just the burgers there are the best."

Chiles said she and her high school friends are all still in touch and take an annual girls' trip each year to Atlantic Beach. On their way to the beach, they always make a stop at Char-Grill on their way out of town -- for old time's sake.

"It's just a tradition that we love. And of course the food is wonderful ... but it's also the memories they bring," she said.

Kathy Herrod said that every time she passes by Char-Grill on Hillsborough Street she remembers what it's like to be young and in love.

Kathy Herrod and her husband Bruce on their wedding day in 1966

Kathy Harrod said she remembers when her now-husband Bruce would share a Coke and hamburger on Sunday afternoon dates at Char-Grill.

"Out of the blue, he asked me to marry him," Harrod said.

They had only been dating a couple months, but the two just couldn't wait to tie the knot.

"I said 'yes' so fast that he was startled," she said.

"Char-Grill on Hillsborough Street is the background of our 6 month dating, engaged and married life. A time of absolute magic for me," Harrod said. "I can't imagine Hillsborough Street without the iconic Char-Grill."

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.