A Chapel Hill foodie icon has changed hands. But what about its famed BLTs?
There are no secrets to a BLT. The recipe is the name, the ingredients are simple and stark.
Yet, Merritt’s Grill in Chapel Hill has been known for BLT perfection for decades. The formula is a proprietary stacking of bacon, lettuce and vine-ripened tomatoes, smears of mayo on sourdough bread and a bit of salt and pepper.
The keys to that BLT kingdom have been passed, with Merritt’s changing ownership.
John and Paula Toogood, owners of The Bread Shop in Pittsboro, have taken over Merritt’s Grill, with the deal closing in September 2021.
Merritt’s began as a gas station in the 1920s and didn’t become famous for sandwiches until Robin and Bob Britt bought it in 1991 and started making BLTs a year later.
Those BLTs have been written up and featured in publications near and far, including being named top of the BLT genre by The News & Observer’s former restaurant critic, Greg Cox.
‘Important part of the Chapel Hill community’
Robin Britt passed away in 2014 and in recent years Merritt’s has been managed by Claudia Palacios, who helped negotiate the sale, Toogood said.
“I always thought it was kind of an iconic place,” Toogood said. “The clientele, the lines of people, the number of stories we hear from people who graduated 12 years ago and remember this from when they were here. It is a really important part of the Chapel Hill community. Everyone has a different story to tell.”
The Bread Shop has made the bread for Merritt’s for more than a decade, John Toogood said. And the bakery was looking to expand.
“We thought it would be great to find a partner and open a larger bakery,” Toogood said. “Claudia said Merritt’s was struggling a little and Mr. Britt was experiencing some health problems. So we said how can we help.”
For years Merritt’s has ascended to pilgrimage status for many people, the kind of place that’s essential to stop at maybe once a year, or whenever visiting from out of town, whenever there’s time to brave the hour-long wait for a famed BLT. But Toogood said he doesn’t want Merritt’s to be a once-in-a-while spot and has aimed on cutting the experience down to six or eight minutes.
“There was a lot on social media saying the wait is horrible, but it’s worth it,” Toogood said. “They’re saying they love the food and love the product, but not the service and the wait time. The service has to be fantastic.”
While the Toogoods have worked to streamline service, they say they haven’t messed with the recipes, though they’ve tried.
‘We didn’t change the BLT’
John Toogood wanted to cook the bacon in ovens, believing the passive baking would lead to just as crispy strips, without the work of conducting a flattop. But the texture was never quite right, and the flattop won out. Perfection can’t be messed with.
“I came in with all these ideas of things we could change,” Toogood said. “But we didn’t change the BLT.”
Down the road, Merritt’s outdoor patio may see the return of live music and the beverage options may include draft or bottled beer. A Merritt’s food truck could be in the future.
“We’ve run out of space in our kitchen, so we started looking at food trailers that could go to festivals or events,” Toogood said. “So we have considered a food truck.”
