Durham is getting a burger with a fanatical following, plus a new soccer bar
One of the Triangle’s favorite burgers is making its way to Durham.
In a partnership with the Durham taproom, Beer Study, Al’s Burger Shack is opening a location in the Rockwood Shopping Center on University Drive, moving into the space formerly occupied by Italian restaurant The Boot, and across the street from NuvoTaco.
A new soccer-centric bar called The Boot Room is also in the works, to be located in the back of Al’s, catering to fans of European soccer and the men and women’s US National Teams.
Beer study co-owner AJ Ragosta said all three businesses will share walls and entrances, with a pass-through planned between the bottle shop and the new Al’s and another back in the Beer Study arcade.
“It’s one space where customers can move throughout,” Ragosta said.
Beer Study opened its first location in Chapel Hill in 2012, right around the corner from the original Al’s Burger Shack on Franklin Street. Ragosta said the initial plan was for Al’s to join Beer Study in Durham when it opened its Bull City location in 2017, but the shopping center configuration didn’t work out at the time. When The Boot space opened up, the bottle shop and burger shack gave it another go.
Al’s Burger Shack owner Al Bowers confirmed the Durham location in a brief phone call.
“The whole block (in Chapel Hill) has its own personality,” Ragosta said. “We’ve all been friends for a while. .... Part of the idea of finding a spot in Durham is to do it together.”
Ragosta said the new projects are scheduled to open in March, pending any construction delays.
“Most of what we’re doing is just knocking down walls,” Ragosta said.
Burgers and fries
Al’s will serve its familiar and popular menu of roadside-style burgers and crinkle cut fries. The new Durham location will be the fourth Al’s Burger Shack, following locations in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village and Governor’s Village.
The Boot Room will nod to a British-style pub, with a wooden bar and weekend brunch plans to pair with morning soccer matches. Ragosta said Starpoint Brewing, which makes its beer in the back of Beer Study, will be unaffected by the expansion plans.
“We see this as a great place for events,” Ragosta said. “It’s not just a pub that shows soccer, but a central location to promote the beautiful game. .... We love our little corner in Durham; we’ve always wanted to be a neighborhood bar for everyone.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 4:41 PM.
