After spending 18 years at 163 E. Franklin St. as a Chapel Hill staple, Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta will soon become Tomato Jake’s Pizzeria.
Franklin Street Pizza & Pasta owner Craig Samuels sold his store to Glen Gordon and Christopher Mann, who said they took over the store on Monday.
Gordon and Mann also own Tomato Jake’s near the Streets at Southpoint mall in Durham and plan to convert the restaurant into another Tomato Jake’s.
Gordon said they have been looking for a location on Franklin Street for a while.
“We’ve been looking at and had a little bit of an eye on Franklin Street,” he said.
And Samuels said he agreed to sell because although owning the restaurant has been an exciting experience, he is ready to cut his workload down.
Samuels also owns Village Pizza & Pasta off U.S. 15-501 in Chapel Hill.
“I’ve just been here for 18-and-a-half years and it just felt like I need a break,” Samuels said.
Gordon said they hope to complete renovations by August.