Mellow Mushroom to open on Franklin Street in 2013

When the Franklin Street Mellow Mushroom opens in early 2013, it will be decorated the old fashioned way — with newspaper.

Kent Hodges, co-owner of the restaurant, said the location will be The Daily Tar Heel-themed and will use pictures from the 1960s and 1970s that were printed in the paper.

The Mellow Mushroom will take over the old Ham’s location at 310 W. Franklin St.

“We’re going to make a three-story mural on the side of the building, which we think will add a really cool vibe to the street,” Hodges said.

The restaurant was originally scheduled to open in August, but construction stopped after a sewer pipe was found under the patio. The pipe is now being rerouted, and Hodges said he expects the restaurant to open in February.

“This has been a lot longer process than we had originally anticipated,” he said.

There were no records of the pipe because it was installed before Orange Water and Sewer Authority was formed in 1977, said Greg Feller, OWASA spokesman, in an email.

“Because of the need for access to the sewer for repairs, maintenance, etc., OWASA did not allow the structure to be built over the sewer,” Feller said.

After the pipe is rerouted, Hodges said the next step will be securing a building permit to remodel the bottom floor and cover the patio.

Hodges — who also owns Mellow Mushroom locations in Wake Forest, Durham and Raleigh — said he thinks the new restaurant will be a success, despite an earlier attempt to franchise here.

Hodges said they will begin hiring when students get back from winter break.

UNC sophomore Kathryn Greenwell said she’s excited about the restaurant opening.

“The whole pipe thing seems unnecessarily complicated, but I hope it opens soon because it’s one of my favorite pizza places, and I don’t want to have to drive to Durham to go there,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.