Emily Cruse
Franklin Street
It’s seventy degrees and the sun is shining bright. A young woman is walking down a street by the name of Franklin, in Chapel Hill North Carolina, obverse to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As she passes a restaurant, she is suddenly startled by a loud raucous coming from inside.
“What’s going on?” She asks out of curiosity, after she enters said establishment and walks up to the bar.
“Carolina is playing Duke, we just made a basket.” The bartender answers. She looks at him curiously wondering why this would cause such a commotion. As if reading her mind he continues, “Everybody on this street is excited about this game; people come from all over just to watch, not just this game, but many other games played by our Tarheels. You’re lucky you could even get through the door.”
Franklin Street has many buildings important to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as buildings important to parents, fans, and supporters of the university. As you walk down Franklin Street, in almost every window there is UNC Chapel Hill memorabilia, sports calendars, and team pictures. If you take the time to step inside, do not be surprised to find pictures of famous UNC alumni, coveted UNC players, Carolina Blue galore, and photos of memorials and buildings that are on campus. It is so easy to see the importance of the university to the businesses on Franklin Street and I hope to show in this photo essay just how important it is, and more specifically how important it is on game days.
If you take the time to observe Franklin Street on a random day and then on a day when there is some sort of sporting event or another occasion that’s important to the university, you can easily see the difference in the crowd. On a random sunny day, you are likely to see a few people, most likely students, walking around stopping by a few stores, sitting down to eat some lunch and then going about their merry way. However, if you were to sit and observe on a day when there is a basketball game, football game, or rather just any important event, just as I did when I observed when the university was playing in the NCAA tournament, you would see families, students, couples, and people of all ages, sporting the well-known “Carolina Blue” and Carolina shirts, hats, and jackets, going to watch the game with fans just as dedicated as themselves in places like Four Corners, Top of the Hill, or Spanky’s. You would see signs up and down the street enticing people to come watch the game in their establishment while having a drink and scarfing down some wings.
Every restaurant on Franklin has its own quirk, its own “something” to attract patrons. Top of the Hill has its own brewery inside its establishment. They have a menu catered to the Carolina demographic, with beers that have names such as “Old Well White” and “Ram’s Head IPA” and dishes by the name of “Franklin Street Nachos”. Their décor is that of an avid fan with walls covered in pictures of famous Carolina players and the Carolina ram perched on of top the outside eating area, holding the American flag. Even there name is centered around The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As I entered Top of the Hill on the day of the NCAA tournament my olfactory senses were assaulted with the smell of ribs, burgers, shrimp and so much more. As I looked around I noticed almost every table had someone seated at it, whether it was a couple, a family, or a student. As I looked at the bar I saw people nursing glasses filled with all the different types of beers the have to offer. When I walked outside I noticed it was just as crowded and the people were just as rowdy. I walked up to a young couple named Kelly and Sam, when I asked them what brought them here, Kelly responded “I wouldn’t go anywhere else on a game day. The atmosphere is so relaxing and they serve the best jambalaya.” I asked her “If the food wasn’t so enticing would you still choose to come here?” she responded “Probably not. What’s the point of sitting down and watching the game if you can’t enjoy a good beer and some great food?” I assumed her question was rhetorical, but it still made me think: What if sports bars didn’t offer food? What if they only offered a place to sit your rump and watch a few people throw a ball into a basket? Would they still attract so many sports fans, not just on Franklin Street, but anywhere? The answers I got from other patrons at Top of the Hill and other establishments, like Four Corners, make me think not.
Four Corners is much the same as Top of the Hill, centered specifically around the university. The name, Four Corners, holds significance to the university as well as the whole institution of basketball. On their website they explain how they came into their name:
“Dean Smith is most associated with his implementation of the “Four Corners” offense, a strategy for stalling with a lead near the end of the game. Smith’s teams executed the Four Corners set so effectively that in 1985, the NCAA instituted a shot clock to speed up play and minimize ball-control offense.
At Four Corners Grille, we tip our hat to Smith and serve as Franklin Street's premier destination for fine dining and the Carolina sports experience. (Four Corners Grille)”
As soon as you step foot inside, if you look at the floor you will encounter a picture of the shape of North Carolina in Carolina blue with the university logo in it. When you look up at the wall you will see a ram with Carolina blue horns, and if you look around you will find fans such as yourself out the wazoo eagerly awaiting a game to start. Four Corners has specials every game day. They have “Game day Saturdays” and offer three dollar select ales and other discounts on alcohols. So from simply observing both Top of the Hill, with their uniquely brewed beverages, to Four Corners, with their daily discounts, I came to the conclusion that while people love to enjoy a good meal while they’re watching the game, they enjoy a good drink even more.
As I went and photographed a few of these establishments I asked a few people why they chose to travel all the way to Franklin street to watch a game they could have seen as easily from their couch at home and a lot of people gave the same answer. One man, Cameron Burke, I think worded it the best. He said “It’s a sense of camaraderie and togetherness you get from coming here and watching a game with people that you know are just as excited about the outcome as you are. Plus you can always find some damn good food no matter where you go.” From the few people I spoke with and from what I observed it is the friendly atmosphere, the team spirit and good food that attracts people to the restaurants on Franklin Street.
http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/chapelhilleats/Game%20Days%20on%20Franklin/?albumview=slideshowWorks Cited
Four Corners Grille. The Grille at Four Corners. Web. 10 Apr. 2011
Cameron Burke. Personal Interview. 25 March. 2011
Kelly Pierce. Personal Interview. 25 March. 2011
http://fourcornersgrille.com/?page_id=782http://topofthehillrestaurant.com/restaurant
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