An old Cary auto shop will be revived as a new restaurant hot spot. Peek inside
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- Lloyd’s Full Service will open in Downtown Cary in August after nearly two years.
- The restaurant repurposed the 1951 K.M. Lloyd service station and expanded its footprint.
- Lloyd’s hired Dennis Bernard as executive chef and David Clore as GM.
For decades a historic service station has been a centerpiece of downtown Cary. This summer, it will be revived as the buzzy town’s latest dining hot spot.
After nearly two years of anticipation, Lloyd’s Full Service will open in Downtown Cary in August, the restaurant announced this week.
Lloyd’s Full Service has taken over the former service station opened by K.M. Lloyd in 1951 and was most recently Gurken’s Downtown Auto Repair until 2021.
Lloyd’s Full Service comes from the Early Bird Night Owl hospitality group, which also owns The Durham and The Mayton boutique hotels.
“Our vision for Lloyd’s is to be a beacon in downtown Cary,” said Craig Spitzer, CEO of Early Bird Night Owl, in a press release. “With the Downtown Cary Park and the evolution of Chatham Street, Cary has become a destination in its own right. We’re thrilled to transform this historic building and continues its legacy as ‘the cheerful looking place on the corner.’”
Lloyd’s is notable as the hospitality group’s first stand-alone restaurant in the Triangle. The restaurant was first announced in late 2024. Since then the property has undergone an extensive transformation, keeping most of the original 1,280 square foot service station, while adding another 2,300 square foot kitchen and dining room expansion and a 1,200 square foot covered patio.
That patio will be fueled by a separate retro-style van serving bites and drinks directly to diners.
Where generations of cars saw oil changes and tune ups, Lloyd’s now plans plates of linguine with clams, steak or fish with seasonal sides, breakfast for dinner and The Corner Dog, honoring the hot dogs at the former Ashworth Drugs situated across the Chatham Street intersection.
As it nears opening, Lloyd’s has hired Dennis Bernard as executive chef, bringing in years of experience at acclaimed Chicago restaurants like Blackbird and The Publican. As general manager, Lloyd’s hired former M Restaurants director of operations David Clore.
Lloyd’s Full Service is located at 107 E. Chatham Street in Cary.
