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Char-Grill in Cary?

By Laurie on March 9, 2007

Char-grill which is a Raleigh original (they even say so on their site) is bringing their char-burgers to Cary.   Details don’t seem to be available on the Char-grill site, but I have seen a sign by the new Fresh Market on Cary Parkway announcing Char-grill is opening soon. Although I do admit that I’m thrilled at the thought of a 1/4lb Hamburger Steak Jr. within 5 minutes of my office, I am a bit perplexed at this new direction Char-grill is taking. 

By all appearances this Cary branch will be in a sort of strip mall location and not a freestanding building like all the other Char-grills.  Also, this seems to indicate that there will be indoor seating.  Indoor seating?  At Char-grill? A place that by its own description evokes the “glory days of drive-ins.”  It just doesn’t seem right.  It’s one thing to take a Raleigh icon to Cary but quite another to also make changes to the tried and true format.  Maybe I’m wrong about this — certainly I don’t have any substantiating facts – but from the location of the Coming Soon signage I just can’t see this as the same sort of establishment as the Raleigh Char-grills. Changing the format of Char-grill seems a bit like sacrilege. Will this Cary location make it or will it meet the same fate as the Cary Krispy Kreme?  Only time will tell, but a part of me hates to see this “Raleigh” place make the move to suburbia.

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Posted in , | 30 Responses

  • jason

    i love char-grill, and i would love to see it in cary, but not in an altered form. part of what makes char-grill so great is going up to the glass box, slipping your order through a slot in the window and waiting patiently for your number to be called. if i have to walk up to a counter and talk to a person, like some fast food place, i guess i’ll still have to drive to raleigh. bring char-grill to cary, in its original, un-altered, un-caryfied state.

  • jason

    i love char-grill, and i would love to see it in cary, but not in an altered form. part of what makes char-grill so great is going up to the glass box, slipping your order through a slot in the window and waiting patiently for your number to be called. if i have to walk up to a counter and talk to a person, like some fast food place, i guess i’ll still have to drive to raleigh. bring char-grill to cary, in its original, un-altered, un-caryfied state.

  • Eleanor

    Isn’t there already indoor seating at the one on Strickland? It, at least, is still a stand alone building.

  • Eleanor

    Isn’t there already indoor seating at the one on Strickland? It, at least, is still a stand alone building.

  • Dana

    It sounds like they are following the Five Guys model. This is good news, though. They tried in the late 80′s with expansion to Greenville and, I think, Wilmington. I hope this go ’round will be a hit.

  • Dana

    It sounds like they are following the Five Guys model. This is good news, though. They tried in the late 80′s with expansion to Greenville and, I think, Wilmington. I hope this go ’round will be a hit.

  • http://formandfunction.wordpress.com/ allison

    The Char-Grill on Six Forks and Strickland has indoor seating, it has been open for about 5 years. As far as I know, the last one they opened. Personally, I am surprised it has taken Char-grill this long to make its way to Cary. There is plenty of population for and the closest one is Hillsborough St.
    The sign on the Cary location has been there since at least November when the Fresh Market opened over there.

  • http://formandfunction.wordpress.com allison

    The Char-Grill on Six Forks and Strickland has indoor seating, it has been open for about 5 years. As far as I know, the last one they opened. Personally, I am surprised it has taken Char-grill this long to make its way to Cary. There is plenty of population for and the closest one is Hillsborough St.
    The sign on the Cary location has been there since at least November when the Fresh Market opened over there.

  • Meghan

    The Char-Grill on Strickland has been there for AT LEAST 10 years. I remember taking lots of trips there as a teenager in the mid-90′s.

  • Meghan

    The Char-Grill on Strickland has been there for AT LEAST 10 years. I remember taking lots of trips there as a teenager in the mid-90′s.

  • Q

    I agree that a Char Burger tastes best late at night on a brick wall, tailgate of a truck or hood of a car, however, it is wise of them to expand the appeal to the Caryites, or Carytonians, or what ever they are.

  • Q

    I agree that a Char Burger tastes best late at night on a brick wall, tailgate of a truck or hood of a car, however, it is wise of them to expand the appeal to the Caryites, or Carytonians, or what ever they are.

  • Cham

    Cary may get a Char-Grill, but they’ll never get it.
    For my money, the best milkshakes in the union.

  • Cham

    Cary may get a Char-Grill, but they’ll never get it.
    For my money, the best milkshakes in the union.

  • SHADOW

    I LOVE HAMBUGERS EXTRA PICKLES MR. PICKLE’S

  • SHADOW

    I LOVE HAMBUGERS EXTRA PICKLES MR. PICKLE’S

  • laura

    I live in Cary and I’m actually not living in a tract house, am a pretty interesting person with varied interests and love and respect Raleigh. Wish I could say the same for the folks who live ITB. Oh well. Welcome, Char-Grill. We’re happy to have you.

  • laura

    I live in Cary and I’m actually not living in a tract house, am a pretty interesting person with varied interests and love and respect Raleigh. Wish I could say the same for the folks who live ITB. Oh well. Welcome, Char-Grill. We’re happy to have you.

  • Jeff S

    The burger market has changed a lot in the last ten years or so. When Char-Grill established themselves in the area it was them against the mass-market chains, such as McDonalds and Hardees.
    Today things like Backyard, Five Guys, Cook Out, Cheeburger Cheeburger, etc. have moved into the market. I wonder if they’ve waited too long to start building again.

  • Jeff S

    The burger market has changed a lot in the last ten years or so. When Char-Grill established themselves in the area it was them against the mass-market chains, such as McDonalds and Hardees.
    Today things like Backyard, Five Guys, Cook Out, Cheeburger Cheeburger, etc. have moved into the market. I wonder if they’ve waited too long to start building again.

  • sandwalker

    “Today things like Backyard, Five Guys, Cook Out, Cheeburger Cheeburger, etc. have moved into the market. I wonder if they’ve waited too long to start building again.”
    Out of that bunch only Five Guys and possibly Cook Out seem to be restaurants to worry about. Cheeburger is already gone and Backyard has never been one to worry about. Five Guys has good burgers (and that’s about it) for sure but is a little overpriced. Cook Out has come and gone and shown little interest in expanding any more.

  • sandwalker

    “Today things like Backyard, Five Guys, Cook Out, Cheeburger Cheeburger, etc. have moved into the market. I wonder if they’ve waited too long to start building again.”
    Out of that bunch only Five Guys and possibly Cook Out seem to be restaurants to worry about. Cheeburger is already gone and Backyard has never been one to worry about. Five Guys has good burgers (and that’s about it) for sure but is a little overpriced. Cook Out has come and gone and shown little interest in expanding any more.

  • jason

    its been so long since i’ve had a char-grill burger that i can’t make a good comparison between them and five guys. char-grill has great shakes, five guys has awesome burgers and fries. guess i might have to drive to one, then the other. might make the perfect meal.

  • jason

    its been so long since i’ve had a char-grill burger that i can’t make a good comparison between them and five guys. char-grill has great shakes, five guys has awesome burgers and fries. guess i might have to drive to one, then the other. might make the perfect meal.

  • TSnow

    Laura! Get out of there before it’s too late!

  • TSnow

    Laura! Get out of there before it’s too late!

  • Beth Y

    Cary let the Goodberrys on Kildaire be a walk-up, no inside seating place. Is the thought that Cary won’t allow it, or the location is not suited for it?

  • Beth Y

    Cary let the Goodberrys on Kildaire be a walk-up, no inside seating place. Is the thought that Cary won’t allow it, or the location is not suited for it?

  • kyle

    The Cary arrangement is, in my opinion, superior to any other Char-Grill. While I love eating a burger out-of-doors, the practicality of indoor seating is a major plus. Best of all they maintained the specialness of the ordering process and there are still areas to sit outside if you want. The Cary Char-Grill is the bomb.

  • kyle

    The Cary arrangement is, in my opinion, superior to any other Char-Grill. While I love eating a burger out-of-doors, the practicality of indoor seating is a major plus. Best of all they maintained the specialness of the ordering process and there are still areas to sit outside if you want. The Cary Char-Grill is the bomb.