Menu
Merritt’s Store and Grill lies just south of UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus just before South Columbia Street becomes U.S. Highway 15-501. Best known for their BLTs brimming with crispy bacon, Merritt’s menu includes a variety of sandwiches and burgers. Other offerings include sodas in glass bottles, as well as dessert items like banana pudding. Some Yelp reviewers rave about their pimiento cheese sandwiches and burgers as well.
Robin Britt made the very first BLT for her husband’s lunch. Though Britt died in 2014, her recipe continues to evolve as the establishment creates new twists on an old classic. Their famous BLT now comes in three different sizes: single ($7.15), double ($9.35) and triple ($11.15). Each one corresponds to the number of layers of bacon, lettuce and tomato on the sandwich.
Past and present
The restaurant began life in 1929 as a service station and gradually replaced service bays with indoor and outdoor seating during the 1990s. Now, lines regularly spill out the door, especially during the summer and on game days for UNC-CH’s basketball and football teams. Since its inception as a service station, Merritt’s has been a meeting place for both members of the university community and Chapel Hill residents.
The store sells Chapel Hill- and UNC-CH-themed clothing, gifts and books. The establishment also hosts live music some evenings during the summer and fall, and holiday events in the winter. The restaurant opened kiosks in concourses at Kenan Stadium, where the Tar Heel football team plays, and Boshamer Stadium, where the Tar Heel baseball team plays.
Further information
Merritt’s was featured on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend” program in 2014 and in the magazine Our State in 2013.
Hours and location
Monday: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: - Closed -
For any updates from the store, check their Facebook page.
Address: 1009 S Columbia St, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
