Where once there was Applebee's, there now will be wings and a hookah lounge

A sports and hookah bar is taking over the former Hillsborough Street Applebee's across the street from Meredith College.

TLC Wings and Grill, formerly on West Peace Street, is making the cross-town move. Owners say they want the bigger space and higher traffic spot of the former Applebee's, at the corner of Hillsborough and Gorman streets.

In shooting for a May 15 opening, the new TLC is in the midst of a renovation, planning room for around 200 in the dining room, a dozen TVs, plus a patio for smoking hookah. For bar seating, there will be couches.

"We're trying for kind of a lounge vibe," said Cecilia Harris, a partner in the new TLC Wings who will serve as its general manager.

On the menu, it's wings, of course, and burgers and other bar snacks, but also fried fish and steaks.

Hookah — water pipes to smoke flavored tobacco — is the main difference between the old TLC and the new. The owner, Abdulnasser Shamma, also owns the Sahara Hookah Bar on Peace Street, practically across the street from the original spot for TLC. That restaurant was sold earlier this year and is now San Marcos Wings, Grill and Pizza.

Down the street from TLC is Shahrazad Hookah Lounge and Coffee.

Several underperforming Applebee's have closed in the past year around the country as its parent company DineEquity Inc. worked to regain its footing.

TLC will be at 3625 Hillsborough St., Raleigh.

This story was originally published May 4, 2018 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Where once there was Applebee's, there now will be wings and a hookah lounge."