Late-night snackers rejoice! Time-Out Restaurant on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, dates back to May of 1978 and is a staple of the community. It’s the masterpiece of the founder and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill third-generation alumnus Eddie Williams.
He was inspired by his wife, Val, to name the restaurant “Time-Out” due to his lifelong connection to the sports family of UNC-Chapel Hill (he’s the son of Jack Williams, who served as the Sports Information Director of UNC-Chapel Hill from 1966 to 1975). Williams spent many hours of his childhood in the press box with his father, and pays homage to his time in the action by adding a touch of UNC sports to the walls of Time-Out through one-of-a-kind photos.
Time-out is open 24 hours a day because Eddie believes Chapel Hill is a town that never sleeps.
After noticing how few “late-night” options there were in town, Williams decided to dedicate his restaurant to serving a 24-hour spot for a tasty, home-cooked meal. Third shift cook and legend starting in the mid-1980s, Billy Ray Penny, a “chef with an attitude,” made legendary savory chicken-and-cheese biscuits. This transformed Time Out into an institution with lines out the door to satisfy late-night appetites.
Whether it’s for the all-day breakfast items, pulled BBQ, or southern-style fried chicken and home-cooked vegetables, every bite is an explosion of flavor. Visitors are known to tell Williams that visiting Time-Out is like “coming home.” It reminds them of meals made by their own mother or grandmother, and is known as a safe place where they can get a tasty meal, regardless of what time it is.
Today, Time Out is known as a staple of the community and a beloved, longstanding element of the UNC college experience
You can’t go wrong no matter what you order at Time Out. But fan-favorite food items include the Chicken ‘n Cheddar biscuits, as well as southern cooking staples such as fried chicken, BIG square once rolled biscuits, and sides like fried okra, collard greens, green beans, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes. Meals are affordable, too—the “Roast Turkey” (when available, for lunch only) meal rings in at just $11.99 for a sliced roast turkey, two sides and a biscuit or cornbread…