All aboard for a smorgasbord
Meghan Cooke
Staff Writer
Children dart eagerly in and out of the railcars. Waiters maneuver between the cars, carefully balancing an array of prepared dishes. People gather in the bar while others sip on coffee and enjoy each other’s company.
It sounds like a scene aboard an early 1900s train, but it could be a familiar view for Carrboro residents in the coming months. Southern Rail, a new restaurant located in three railcars just off of Main Street in Carrboro near Weaver Street Market, is scheduled to open in late April or early May.
Chapel Hill native Mike Benson, owner of Southern Rail, is the conductor of the new eatery. He originally had plans to open in March, but delays have caused the restaurant’s opening to be pushed back.
But it will be worth the wait, Benson said. The delay was caused partly by the construction process of a steel awning over the three railcars, which would make it appear as if the railcars are in a vintage train station.
Cray Gunn, co-contractor of Custom Carpentry Group who has been working on the interior of Southern Rails, said the steel structure and the platform between the railcars will make a huge difference.
“I think it will just make the whole property,” Gunn said. “The feeling of walking up on a big, open platform is a really neat feature.”
“If we’re going to spend all this effort doing this, we’re going to make it big,” Benson said, who has plenty of experience with the start-up process.
Benson moved to Washington, D.C., with his wife several years ago and opened two restaurants that have been very successful. Café Saint-Ex has an aviation travel theme while Bar Pilar, named after Ernest Hemmingway’s boat, has a nautical theme.
It appears Benson has brought his fascination with the history of transportation back to North Carolina. Southern Rail would complete the collection, but Benson said he had not planned to own transportation-themed restaurants.
“I have no idea how this happens,” Benson said, laughing.
Gunn said that the railcars are simply a “neat space,” but the overall feel of the restaurant is basically up to Benson.
“The train is just a train. It’s shaped like a train. It looks like a train. The final look and the tone are going to depend on how he decorates,” Gunn said.
Benson said the decorations are the fun part. Benson is bringing two vintage, 1920s bars to the railcars. He has picked up a variety of railroad items at auctions. He even plans to install a fountain outside the railcars that people once used to water their horses in turn-of-the-century New York City.
The interior of the railcars is being completely renovated. The red caboose will become the dish and food preparation room. The station house will be transformed into a coffee house. The railcar next to the caboose will hold the kitchen and dining room, and the railcar across the platform will become the bar.
Because he is a die-hard UNC-Chapel Hill fan, Benson said there will be a plasma screen television in the bar, so he and the customers can tune in to the Tar Heels’ games.
“We’re covering a lot of bases with coffee, wine, a bar and a full service restaurant,” Benson said.
But construction is not limited to the interior of Southern Rail. Benson said there will be walls built between two of the railcars to create an enclosed, heated and cooled patio area. Outside of this space, there will be another seating area similar to the deck at Top of the Hill on Franklin Street where an insulating screen can be put up or removed, depending on the weather.
Although the menu hasn’t been pegged down, Benson said, he has an idea of what will be served. For lunch, Southern Rail will offer sandwiches, burgers and salads while dinner will offer several small plate items, steaks and sandwiches.
“There will be a pretty eclectic mix of available items,” Benson said.
Benson said that he hopes Southern Rail will be a fun place to relax and enjoy a good meal. He said it could also provide an alternative to the hustle and bustle of Franklin Street. He prefers the non-chain, homey feel of Carrboro.
“It’s great to be somewhere where people promote independent retailers and business,” he said.
looking forward to the southern rail opening. right across the street from my office, so coffee and lunch, in a train. i lived on a train for two years in the early ’80’s when i was a clown for ringling bros. circus. i bet this train will smell better!
good luck!!