Visitors may see an empty Cold Stone Creamery on Franklin Street since the outside has been unchanged after the franchise closed last year, but the ice cream shop is coming back.
“Officially, it will be the first week of November,” said operation manager Emad Ali.
The location closed suddenly and with no explanation in the winter of 2015.
Ali said when the franchise closed, it was not because the business was struggling, but because the previous owner was having personal issues and decided he could no longer operate the store.
“We decided to reopen because there is a lot of potential in Chapel Hill,” Ali said.
He said the franchise is excited to come back to Franklin Street and be close to the University again.
He added they are rebuilding the entire inside of the store and adding a new coffee element to the traditional ice cream shop. Ali said they are also adding espresso drinks and pastries.
Sawasdee Thai restaurant improves
Sawasdee Thai Restaurant opened a new location in Chapel Hill, and manager Sam Nantafitikorn said he wants to be the problem-solver.
Nantafitikorn said he is new to Sawasdee, but looks at its other existing locations to learn about the restaurant.
“When I got here, we were not quite ready to open yet,” Nantafitikorn said. “Now I’m working with the owner to fix our problems.”
He said the issues surround the speed that food is made and served to customers.
“My job right now is trying to solve the problems,” Nantafitikorn said. “Our problems will be going away soon.”
The manager said they have put out special deals to attract new customers and have sent out many flyers to the local community.
Nantafitikorn said the flyers have already started to bring in new customers and servers have already improved.
He said they have already started using their hibachi grill. Nantafitikorn also said he wants to teach more people about Thai food.
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LocoDisco helps users find local discounts in 27 cities across the country.
One of the founders and creators, Matt Kirby, is a UNC graduate and the company has hired several interns from the University.
Paige Schafer, a senior at UNC, said she found the position on Careerolina. The company wanted a student to work on brand marketing. She said they are working to grow their social media following, however the business is still fairly new.
They are in active user growth mode right now, but Schafer has big plans to expand to other locations.
“Now it is completely free,” Schafer said. “Interns who find the deals log it on the site for free for the restaurant.”
She said they plan to eventually charge restaurants for their services, but right now they are trying to expand their user base.
“Pay could equal more exposure,” Schafer said.
The company is also working on developing an app, but it is not ready for users yet.
