Lime Fresh Mexican Grill stops serving
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, formerly located on Franklin Street, has closed after a corporate-wide agreement with Rubio’s Restaurants Inc.
The Chapel Hill location is one of 11 corporate-owned restaurants that have been or will be closed down.
The transaction is set to be complete by January, but Ruby Tuesday will operate the locations during the transition period.
JJ Buettgen, CEO of Ruby Tuesday, said franchise locations will remain open under the same name.
“We value our relationships with our Lime Fresh franchisees, and while we are maintaining our franchise model, we will continue to evaluate strategic alternatives for the brand,” Buettgen said in a statement.
The Franklin Street location opened in April 2013, offering organic Mexican options.
“We sincerely thank our Lime Fresh employees for their hard work and commitment as we work through this transition,” Buettgen said in a statement.
Hummus Cafe closes on Franklin Street
“It was tough for me to close it because of my beloved customers,” Abbes Khelfa, owner of Hummus Cafe, said.
The restaurant closed its doors to the public after two and a half years of business.
Khelfa said that there is too much competition on Franklin Street, and that he is sad about having to close down his restaurant.
With the Morrisville location still open, Khelfa said he is now focusing his efforts on that single location.
“I’m focusing (on) only one location and working less hours,” Khelfa said.
Since opening Hummus Cafe in July 2013, Khelfa said he was working at both locations. Both offered a wide variety of Mediterranean food and homemade frozen yogurt.
It was difficult for Khelfa to find good employees to help keep the Chapel Hill location afloat.
Hummus Cafe is looking to reopen a second restaurant elsewhere, but the location is still unknown.
Foam couches start-up launches
Nugget Comfort, a business that began as a Kickstarter project, will begin taking preorders for their Nuggets to be shipped out before the holiday season.
The Nugget is a four-piece couch made completely of foam for easy mobility geared toward families and college students.
Upon the launch of the website, each Nugget will be sold for $249, but the price will eventually jump to $279.
Ryan Cocca, creative director of Nugget Comfort and former UNC student, said that, although there will not be a physical store selling the Nuggets, there are plans to increase their sales.
“We are partnering with Rooms To Go starting in 2016 to have Nuggets on some of their showroom floors in North Carolina and selling some through their online store as well,” Cocca said.
The four-piece couches come in eight different colors.
Cocca said Nugget Comfort has had so much success that he has taken the project on as his full-time job.
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