Historic filling station will be revived as a new downtown Cary restaurant
Situated at downtown Cary’s most prominent intersection, a longtime filling station and auto shop will become the town’s newest neighborhood restaurant.
Lloyd’s Full Service will open next year at 107 E. Chatham St., on a string of blocks that’s become one of Cary’s culinary hot spots. Built in a former 1950s garage and gas station, Lloyd’s will be operated by Early Bird Night Owl hospitality group, which manages the dining programs at boutique hotels The Durham and Cary’s Mayton Inn.
“We’re excited for Lloyd’s Full Service to add to the vibrancy of downtown Cary,” said Craig Spitzer, founder and chief executive officer of EBNO. “We love the fact that businesses on this corner have always prided themselves on their friendly service. We found archival documents that show the gas station before Mr. Lloyd opened his Amoco station touted itself as ‘the cheerful looking place on the corner.’ We aspire to honor that legacy with Lloyd’s Full Service.”
The refashioned filling station has been a popular design trend for restaurants in Durham and Raleigh, but this is a first for downtown Cary. Lloyd’s name nods to the building’s origins, when K.M. Lloyd first opened the auto shop in 1951.
The new restaurant aims to keep most of the original garage’s 1,280 square foot space, plus add a 2,300 square foot expansion and a 1,200 square foot patio. There will be space for 100 seats inside and nearly that on the outdoor patio. That patio looks to be a focal point for Lloyd’s, where there will be a fire pit, a small stage for live music and a kind of satellite food truck built out of a vintage delivery van.
Lloyd’s is owned by a partnership of downtown Cary developers and investors George Jordan, Jordan Gussenhoven of Chatham Street Commercial, Bill Zahn of Triangle Real Estate Company, Steve and Grant Knier of Monument Property Group and Cary investors Grant and Austin Yarber.
Zahn bought the former Gurken’s Downtown Auto Repair in 2021 for $900,000, according to Wake County real estate filings.
“George and I are thrilled with the opportunity to partner again with Bill Zahn, who was instrumental in acquiring the site, and the rest of the team,” said Gussenhoven. “We’re looking forward to bringing new life to this corner while partially restoring a classic building that speaks to an important chapter in Cary’s history.”
Lloyd’s plans to open by the end of 2025. There are no details yet on the restaurant’s concept or menu. To follow the progress at Lloyd’s at lloydsfullservice.com, where you can find its social media accounts.
