4 Triangle restaurants & breweries are closing. Here’s why & what to know

Two restaurants and two breweries across Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill have closed in recent weeks.

While one of the restaurants lasted for decades, one served customers for only a year.

Here are some changes to the Triangle’s dining scene to know about.

2 Triangle taprooms close

Two local breweries recently announced closures of their taprooms.

• Proximity Brewing, Durham’s only Black-owned brewery, had shut its taproom as of Thursday, March 26. The decision to close was made amid “ongoing challenges and the realities of high operating costs,” Proximity Brewing said in a social media post. The brewery will still continue to operate, brewing beers for its wholesale partners, and hinted that a taproom may be established in a different location in the future.
• Funguys Brewing, once voted the Triangle’s best brewery by readers of The News & Observer, closed its Raleigh taproom after seven years. Owners Carly and Nick Brango said Funguys Brewing beer would still be available in bottle shops, bars and restaurants.

Durham, Chapel Hill restaurants close

• The popular fried chicken chain Zaxbys closed its only Chapel Hill restaurant, effective Sunday, March 22 — about a year after doors opened. Located on Franklin Street just steps from Raising Cane’s, the restaurant still operates many other Triangle locations.
• The University Club of Durham, a members-only dining club founded in 1987, closed Wednesday, March 25. It was located in the 17th floor of University Tower. Owners Kelly Santel and Jessica Lee cited economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the closure.

The News & Observer’s Drew Jackson contributed reporting.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 10:17 AM.

Renee Umsted

The News & Observer

202-383-6008

Renee Umsted is The News & Observer’s Affordability Reporter. She writes about what it costs to live in the Triangle, with a consumer-focused approach. She has a degree in journalism from TCU.