The hottest topic in Raleigh right now? Downtown parking—and how much it’s going to cost you.
Last month, the City scaled back on its aggressive March-proposed rate increases thanks to community pushback, introducing a more modest proposal (see below) that preserves popular and impactful programs while still generating revenue for deck maintenance and upgrades.
“We advocated for changes to the original proposal because any adjustments to rates and hours must be carefully considered and studied for their potential effects on Downtown’s economy,” maintains DRA.
Following concerns from businesses, residents and other stakeholders about potential impacts, updated recommendations keep several key programs in place, including free two-hour weekday parking (which would become permanent in five city-owned decks), the free Small Business Downtown Parking Relief program, and nonevent deck and on-street enforcement hours—meaning free weekends and nights after 7pm.
“Parking is a service… and it’s crucial to supporting the vitality of Downtown,” said Transportation Assistant Director Kenneth Ritchie in an April virtual town hall meeting. “It’s one of the first things people experience when coming Downtown, and one of the last.”
In an effort to better the overall DTR experience, the City plans to reinvest parking revenue into replacing on-street meters, enhancing the ambassador program + pedestrian safety efforts, adding micromobility corrals, and deck maintenance.
Next up: a comprehensive parking study examining everything from how many assets the city should retain to strategies for phased rate increases, updated tech and future expansion of the on-street parking program—with results expected mid- to late-2027. The City is also gauging interest in selling the Wilmington Street deck.
The bottom line is “parking matters a lot to Downtown,” says DRA President & CEO Bill King. While DTR is reasonably transit-rich, walkable and bikeable, access to parking remains critical for businesses to thrive. “We appreciate the City listening and helping, and feel this has gotten to a much better place,” he adds.
The revised changes are scheduled for a vote in June as part of the FY27 City budget, with implementation targeted as early as Aug. 1. Until then, your voice still matters. Make yours heard by reaching out to City Council at [email protected].
New City-Recommended Parking Changes
Nonevent garages: $3/hour + $21/day max
Event garages (including Cabarrus Street deck): $4/hour + $24/day max
The sober-curious movement is growing—but in Raleigh, all-or-nothing just doesn’t sell.
By now you’ve seen the headlines—or are a part of the shift: Americans (and Raleighites) are drinking less, with only 54% reporting they consume alcohol per Gallup’s latest poll. But while sober-curious spaces and activities, mocktails, and alternative bevs are on the rise locally, Raleigh’s drinking habits aren’t so black-and-white. In fact, all-or-nothing hasn’t worked here.
And Meg Paradise and Charlie Blue Arm’s decision to open Songbird—a concept offering both spirited and nonspirited sips—makes that clear.
Perhaps it was before its time, but the duo’s Umbrella Dry Bar DTR brick-and-mortar—which closed in 2024 after four months in the space—did scratch an itch. Opening in line with Dry January, it provided a space for sober drinkers and those who were sober curious to socially imbibe in quality ’tails, wine and beer sans alcohol. Nevertheless, it was “niche of niche of niche,” reflects Paradise. “Our original intention was to have it be very inclusive by having NA cocktails, but it ended up actually being exclusive.”
Translation: Umbrella didn’t just close—it clarified the market. Curiosity was there, but appetite consistency wasn’t. While there are a host of strictly NA bars around the country that have seen success, “I’m not sure Raleigh is 100% ready for it,” muses Paradise.
Money, naturally, plays a part in it as well. When opening Killjoy in 2020, owner/operator Josh Gagne says with the cost of goods, labor and rent, he didn’t think an NA-only space would be successful. “The profit margin for bars and restaurants is already so minimal,” he stresses. “The problem with NA spirits is they’re still $35 a bottle. The markup is the same as a cocktail, but there’s no way I can charge $13, $14 for a NA drink—that’s a little crazy.”
Raleigh isn’t alone in the experiment—or the outcome. Other cities have seen the rise and fall of spirit-free establishments as well: Dry Spokes in Omaha, Nebraska, closed up shop in March; Racine, Wisconsin’s Inmoxicated shuttered July 2024; and SLC’s first sober bar Curiosity lasted just over a year before closing in July 2023.
That said, some are still going strong. Binge Bar in DC has been serving up award-winning craft mocktails since early 2023, and its success can be attributed not only to its elevated bevs, but constant changes and an innovative approach that keeps the community engaged, says founder/owner Vergie “Gigi” Arandid. Not to mention it hosts sober comedy, drag bingo, speed dating and other mingling events that set the tone for the bar’s mission statement of “come as you are.”
“My personal development as a sober woman and entrepreneur can certainly attest to the business’ many success stories and also failures,” she adds. “The DC Metropolitan area is now home to so many sober creatives, social NA hubs and growing communities that drive the movement forward—both physically and virtually.”
Locally, Raleigh didn’t go dry—it recalibrated. A sole NA bar might not have been successful with locals, but the industry has embraced the normalcy of providing NA bevs alongside everything else.
“People appreciate having the option at a standard bar rather than having a sole NA bar,” maintains Gagne. “It’s disappointing if a place doesn’t have NA offerings. Things are changing for the better overall, and more of the community itself has accepted that and found a need to continue to offer those types of drinks.”
The sentiment also rings true for Blue Arm and Paradise. The pair stresses that Songbird is not Umbrella 2.0—but it is shaped by what Umbrella revealed. With transparent NA, low-ABV and full-strength options, they’re giving patrons the power of choice—and building a model that can actually scale.
“If you’re doing NA you have to go above and beyond,” emphasizes Blue Arm, who notes Songbird’s spirit-free options will be just as good—if not better—as their alcoholic counterparts. “We’re hoping to bring that high-end bar standard to Raleigh without breaking the bank.”
Ultimately, Raleigh’s evolving drinking culture isn’t about choosing between alcohol and abstinence—it’s about what actually works. The city may not be going dry anytime soon, but it is smarter about how it drinks, settling into a middle ground where inclusivity and flexibility—not restriction—drives the experience.
A fresh dose of flavor is coming to DTR’s Person Street District. Taking over Hibernian Hospitality Group’s former The Station—which slung its last burger in March after more than a decade—is new all-day eatery Cora.
With eyes on a late-May opening, Cora (“heart” in Spanish) marks a new chapter for the space—and the district—bringing a fresh wave of energy to a strip largely defined by longtime favorites, especially in the wake of (ish) delicatessen’s recent closure.
Behind the concept is a familiar face. Sarah Frey—the brains behind local breakfast + coffee truck Mr. Burro—has been feeding Raleighites for the past ~five years. A former bartender, Frey originally wanted to open her own bar, but after getting pregnant, she shifted to the food truck—inspired by a cafe she visited in Miami boasting quick scratchmade breakfast items.
“It actually wasn’t burrito related,” she recalls. “But it had a cool, chill cafe vibe—everything was made from scratch and really delicious. I said to my partner, I think we should do something like this.”
Fast-forward to now, and after connecting with Hibernian’s Niall Hanley through a mutual friend, she saw both The Station location’s potential—and the breakfast-size hole in the neighborhood—and jumped at the opportunity to breathe new life into the space.
“We’re delighted to have Sarah opening Cora in The Station space,” says Hanley. “It’ll be a great addition to the neighborhood, bringing in a great new option for what is becoming an amazing foodie district.”
Adds Frey: “The neighborhood needs some kind of Latino cuisine and vibe”—in addition to William & Company’s Latin leanings, she notes. “But other than that, why not?”
Angel Diosdado
At Cora, Frey will pay homage to her Honduran and Thai roots through heavily influenced breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner selects, layered with global influences from her travels—especially Spain. Think chilaquiles, chicken tortilla soup, sandwiches, croquetas, ceviche, mussels, tostadas and other tapas-style small plates. And while Cora isn’t simply Mr. Burro in brick-and-mortar form, those cult-fave breakfast burritos will be on deck daily.
“I love traveling—and I love research and development,” she says. “I’m half-Asian and half-Latina, so a lot of the dishes will incorporate Thai spices and flavors, combining my parents’ background and all the places I’ve been to.”
On the sips side, expect “unique but not crazy” infused cocktails, fun mocktails, a well-curated wine selection and fresh juices—with a potential coffee and espresso program in the works to round out the daytime lineup.
The space itself will also get the Latin treatment, leaning warm and transportive—earthy elements, stone, natural rustic hues reminiscent of where Frey grew up—while the patio will undergo a tropical refresh dotted with plants, dim lighting and salsa music. “Being Latina we do a lot of things outside—we love being outside,” emphasizes Frey. “I thought I could do something nice that gives that Latino vibe.”
As she pictures it: “Just somewhere where you can really chill and maybe have a girls night—and actually talk and hear each other—but also have that really good music and food.”
More than a backfill, Cora isn’t just filling a vacant space, it taps into what the district didn’t have yet—an all-day, globally influenced spot that moves as easily from coffee to cocktails as the neighborhood itself.
St. Baldrick’s + Hibernian help fund pediatric cancer research one bald head at a time.
Less than a year after her daughter, Macie, passed away from pediatric cancer, UNC Health Director of Corporate Communications Sharon Delaney McCloud got a random call from local Jane Hoppen saying she and her husband were going to shave their heads in honor of her late 6-month-old. Come March 4, 2006, hundreds of others would join Hoppen in shaving their own.
So goes the inspiring origin story of St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s annual head-shaving event at Hibernian, now in its 25th year, before heading to now-shuttered RiRa. Hoppen was then working for an insurance company who did philanthropic work with the nonprofit—the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants—and, thanks to McCloud’s close friendship with Hibernian’s Niall Hanley, was able to host the pub’s first shaving.
“At the time I still didn’t know the unbelievable shortcomings of funding for pediatric cancer,” says McCloud. “Cancer kills more kids in the U.S. than any other disease—but it’s not profitable for drug companies to invest in all that research.”
Going into the first Hibernian event, the trio expected to raise maybe $25K—but ended up with a whopping $77K+. McCloud recalls almost every single local media outlet was in attendance, alongside appearances from Carolina Hurricanes players (including Aaron Ward, who shaved his head), children in treatment balding their oncologist’s and other people’s heads—even Macie’s oncologist, who also buzzed his mane.
McCloud emphasizes that while people would think the event would be a sad occasion, “it’s actually very lively and lovely.” In addition to hundreds of people trimming their tresses, there’s live music, food and drink, and usually a speech from McCloud. So, really like a hair-raising festival (!).
“Community is at the heart of St. Baldrick’s Hibernian events,” maintains Hoppen, who’s now the director of family relations for the org. “My favorite thing is being surrounded by people from all walks of life who are there in support of a common goal—funding cures for kids with cancer. I am grateful that Niall and the Hibernian team are dedicated to this cause and truly supportive of the event. Kids with cancer are lucky to have them on their side.” April 11, stbaldricks.org
Raleigh hospitality is heading beyond city limits as growth pushes outward.
The suburbs are calling—and Raleigh’s hospitality elite are answering. While the local dining scene has long been anchored Downtown, a growing cast of restaurateurs are looking outward, opening new concepts in the burbs as booming growth and lower costs reshape where—and how—people eat.
It’s a sign of the times—and mirrored across the region, from the housing patterns to restaurant openings—as affordability and interest rates push more residents toward surrounding towns. And restaurateurs are following suit.
Raleigh hospitality maven Scott Crawford tested the suburban waters with Crawford Cookshop in Clayton (since closed), before planting a bigger flag in Cary’s Fenton development with Crawford Brothers Steakhouse in 2024. Restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias brought Naōs Hellenic Cuisine to the growing suburb, while Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana’s Lon Bounsanga also crossed lines to open SAAP in Cary.
“The reality is, for a lot of people, living in Raleigh isn’t financially smart,” says Chris Gass, who previously worked under Crawford before opening Bellow Butcher Co. last year in downtown Wendell with his wife, Lauren. The couple returned to their home state after leaving Nashville and found rent in Wendell to be more reasonable. “We didn’t have to pay anything until we opened,” he adds.
Gass saw the benefits of opening outside of the city from the jump, identifying that Wendell’s core demographic lined up with theirs—and the tight-knit community it offered. The eastern Wake County town is thriving, with new housing pursuits on deck and a planned $350 million work-stay-play project bringing apartments, retail, and industrial and flex space to the area—all just the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come.
But it’s that small-town feel that Gass credits most for Bellow’s early success. “The first month we had people coming in once, twice a week—people make it a point to work us into their rotation,” he says, noting Raleighites still make the trip out as well. “We’re able to cultivate relationships across the counter… and the community really lifts you up out here.”
Atlantic Prime Coastal Kitchen
Meanwhile, Nunzio Scordo, a fixture of the Raleigh restaurant scene (now-closed Driftwood Southern Kitchen and Driftwood Cantina, plus recently bowed Franko’s Prime) has long seen success on the outskirts of the city, having opened popular restaurants Atlantic Prime Coastal Kitchen and Franko’s Italian Steakhouse in Franklinton. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rolesville for Franko’s Trattoria, anticipated to open by the end of April.
“The cost of opening restaurants and doing business is less in these little towns,” he shares—plus “the need is there.” Rolesville is seeing similar momentum, with an up-and-coming mixed-use development serving up apartments; retail; and crowd-pleasing spots like Mezcalito, Lime & Lemon, and just-opened Jeff’s Bagel Run.
“Everyone is following this path because that’s where all the new building is, where all the new homes are going,” adds Scordo. To wit: “We’re doing the same amount of sales we’d be doing in the center of Raleigh.”
As Wake County’s population continues spreading outward, so too does its dining scene. Once considered an afterthought for ambitious up-and-comers, the burbs are quickly becoming Raleigh’s next restaurant frontier—proof that where people live, great food inevitably follows.
