Local Chapel Hill restaurants partner with athletes to build community

UNC fans will find a few familiar faces while scanning the menus of local restaurants in Chapel Hill. 

Establishments like Al’s Burger Shack and The Town Hall Grill commemorate Tar Heels by memorializing their names in unique products. 

The Town Hall Grill menu looks similar to the 2024-25 UNC men’s basketball roster, with RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, Drake Powell and Seth Trimble all having name-brand dishes via Name, Image and Likeness collaborations. On-campus NIL collectives like Old Well Management bridge the gap between restaurants and athletes to ensure both parties understand the mutual benefits, Account Executive & Operations Coordinator Carson Lopez said.

Outside of NIL, local restaurants don't work with athletes for the monetary benefits — the partnerships work to build community as well. 

“That business is able to create emotional experiences for their customers that come into the store,” Lopez said. “Think about it, a little kid goes and gets a jersey signed by RJ at Town Hall [Grill]. That kid's gonna remember that for the rest of their life. It just automatically puts the business in good association with a consumer.”

But the signature partnerships began at The Town Hall Grill with former UNC center Armando Bacot. Owner David Sadeghi has a long history with the North Carolina basketball star.

When NIL first started four years ago, Sadeghi said the two discussed a potential affiliation. Over Bacot’s career, the pair worked side-by-side to craft the “The Mondo Burger” — the first of its kind for the UNC men’s basketball NIL profile — which remains on the menu today. 

“We wanted to take their name and make it fit into what we do,” Sadeghi said. “We can't sell a shirt, we can't sell a hat, even though we do, but people come to our facilities, to our restaurant, to dine with us.”

From “RJ Davis’s Spicy Chili Honey Wings” to “Elliot’s Chicken & Waffles Sandwich," each menu item was crafted in sit-down discussions with the athletes and their families. Davis mentioned that he wanted chicken wings, while Cadeau enjoys a sweet and sour sauce to elevate his dish. Sadeghi breaks down each athlete's favorite food and flavor profile to create the meals.

Although players and restaurants look at the business side of the collaborations, both parties also take time to build long-lasting relationships through deals. Restaurants like The Town Hall Grill foster connections with the athlete's family members or even incoming recruits. Sadeghi recalled meeting with Powell’s sister to receive a ball signed by the UNC men’s basketball team for an event, and hosting two potential UNC women's basketball recruits earlier this month. 

When Al's Burger Shack owner Charlie Farris took over in 2022, the restaurant already offered burgers named after three UNC athletes: "The Puff" for former UNC men's basketball guard Puff Johnson, "The Big Ced" for former linebacker Cedric Gray and "The OC" for former volleyball player Carly Peck. The burgers were designed as a branding symbol, according to Farris.

With the departures of those athletes, the burgers have since been renamed. But under Farris' leadership, Al's has expanded its NIL network beyond menu items to partner with UNC athletes for social media posts and coupons. 

Farris developed his NIL partnerships after interacting with athletes and seeing they met his shared values.

“It can be the superstar," Farris said. "It could be the worst player on the team. That's less important than whether they're a good person, they're involved on campus, and more than just their sport, they're involved in other organizations. They're leaders. You want to make sure you partner with the right people.”

With these relationships, UNC athletes have a place they can also treat their friends and families. Sadeghi and Farris said fans love seeing their favorite athletes and coaches at a restaurant, which provides opportunities for business growth by word of mouth. The relationship benefits everyone involved.

“We're not [a] Chevrolet dealership or a BMW dealership or a hotel,” Sadeghi said. “We're just a little group of people that [love the] Tar Heels and we want to be part of the community. And if they're here for a year, for two, for three, we want them to be part of our community.” 

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@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com