Good afternoon, Raleigh. A slice of apple pie is $2.50 in Jamaica and $3.00 in the Bahamas.

These are the pie rates of the Caribbean. 🏴‍☠️

In today’s Raleigh Rundown:

Let’s get to it. 🏃‍♂️

After 15 years in business, Chow Pizza Bar in north Raleigh has closed its doors for good. Owners Kevin and Stacey Jennings of Urban Food Group said business never fully recovered after Covid, and the restaurant saw significant revenue losses over the past year.

Their lease at 8311 Creedmoor Road was ending soon, and negotiations with the landlord failed as rent was set to increase by 10% with no tenant improvements offered. Despite years of profitability and strong support from the neighborhood, rising costs and reduced sales made continuing unsustainable. Urban Food Group will now focus on its other Raleigh restaurants and is exploring future expansion along the North Carolina coast.

The Michelin Guide has recognized several Triangle restaurants in its new American South edition, but none received a Michelin star. Three restaurants earned Bib Gourmand awards for quality food at reasonable prices: Mala Pata in Raleigh, Prime Barbecue in Knightdale and Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh.

Other local spots including Brewery Bhavana, Crawford and Son, Poole’s, Herons and Little Bull were listed as Michelin Recommended restaurants. Elsewhere in North Carolina, Counter in Charlotte earned a Michelin Star and Green Star, and Luminosa in Asheville received a Green Star and Bib Gourmand. Tourism groups invested heavily to bring Michelin to the state, with Visit North Carolina paying $170,000 per year and local agencies contributing $45,000 annually.

Eyewear brand Warby Parker has opened a new location in Raleigh’s Village District, marking its second store in the city. The shop, located at 437 Daniels Street, offers the brand’s full selection of eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and accessories, with in-store eye exams coming soon.

The 1,935-square-foot space replaces C.T. Weekends, a women’s clothing boutique that closed last fall after 26 years. Warby Parker also has a Raleigh store in North Hills and additional Triangle locations at Fenton in Cary and The Streets at Southpoint in Durham. The company said it chose the Village District for its strong foot traffic and community feel.

Steve Malik, owner of North Carolina FC and the Carolina Courage, wants his soccer clubs to compete at the top level — but that requires a new, larger stadium. He has applied for North Carolina FC to join the United Soccer League’s new Division One league launching in 2028, which would rival Major League Soccer.

The challenge is that the league requires a 15,000-seat stadium, while their current home at WakeMed Soccer Park seats only 10,000. Malik says he’s in talks with local officials about possible stadium sites and insists he won’t keep the men’s team in lower-division soccer. With the Courage drawing record crowds and strong local support, Malik believes the Triangle is ready for top-tier professional soccer.

The City of Raleigh is reallocating $3.5 million once intended for the canceled Six Forks Road widening project to help jumpstart a proposed multimodal bridge over I-440 in Midtown. The bridge would connect Wake Towne Drive to Quail Hollow Drive, linking development on both sides of the Beltline and accommodating cars, bikes, and pedestrians.

While the full cost and timeline remain unknown, officials say the project is a crucial part of the city’s Walkable Midtown Plan to improve connectivity. Raleigh Midtown Alliance director Emile Hartman says the bridge will help tie together major growth around North Hills and future developments. City leaders believe investing now will pay off as Midtown continues to grow over the next decade.

Five Points, 1952.

Friday

72 🌡️ 56 | 🌤️ | 0%

Saturday

77 🌡️ 57 | 🌤️ | 20%

Sunday

75 🌡️ 39 | 🌦️ | 50%

P.S. Alien sightings are definitely real…

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