In 1939, Edward Gustav Danziger, an Austrian candy maker, arrived in Chapel Hill with his family and a dream. Danziger quickly began to shape the restaurant culture of Franklin Street. From handcrafted confections to full-course meals, from European candies to North Carolina firsts, 153 E Franklin Street became the birthplace of a restaurant dynasty and a symbol of resilience, flavor, and inclusivity.

153 E Franklin Street has been a restaurant hot spot since the building was constructed in 1927.  In 1933, Emmet Gooch’s cafe was the first notable occupant. Gooch’s Cafe originally opened in 1903 at 107 N Columbia Street. The cafe was Chapel Hill’s first example of student nightlife as the only location near Franklin Street open until 2:00 am.1

 Gooch moved his cafe to East Franklin Street in 1916 before relocating several doors down to 140 E Franklin Street. Gooch’s Cafe moved into 153 E Franklin Street in 1933, where it finished out the last six years of its 36 years of service.2  

In 1939,  Edward Gustav Danziger fled Nazi occupation in Austria and arrived in Chapel Hill with his wife and two sons. Danziger owned a candy factory in Vienna in addition to five stores throughout Europe, which he was forced to leave behind to avoid internment in a concentration camp. The Danziger family was sponsored by Chapel Hill’s local Quaker community and received a $500 grant to open the Old World Candy Shop.3

Danziger’s Viennese Candy Kitchen initially sold homemade confections, pastries, coffees, and sodas, but transitioned into a full-service restaurant in the 1950s with the new name Danziger’s Old World Restaurant. Edward Gustav Danziger quickly became known as Papa D in the Chapel Hill community.4 

The Danziger family was credited with redefining Franklin Street’s restaurant experience. Danziger’s sons were vital to the growth of Franklin’s food scene and the expansion of the “Danziger Dynasty.”5 In 1947, Ted Danziger opened The Rams Head Rathskeller (aka The Rat) in the basement of the Old World Candy Shop.  

 The restaurant was known for its creative menu descriptions and themed rooms — the Cave and the Circus Room became iconic fixtures of the restaurant.6  In addition to  allegedly being the first restaurant in North Carolina to serve pizza, The Rat was known for its lasagna and the “gambler” steak.7 The Danzigers rounded out their portfolio with the Zoom Zoom and the Villa Teo. Although the Old World Restaurant closed in 1982, The Rat remained a popular staple of Franklin Street until 2007.8

Not only were the Danzigers entrepreneurs of the restaurant world, but they were also strong advocates for social justice. The family staunchly opposed segregation, making an effort to hire Black workers for high-profile jobs. The Danzigers served any customer regardless of race as long as they were “neat and orderly.” 9

153 E Franklin Street was occupied by an assortment of shops and restaurants after Danziger's Old World Gift Shop closed in 1982. The cookie factory and 153 East Gift Shop occupied the space for approximately five years before Benetton Clothing Shop moved in in the mid-1980s.10 The shop was replaced by Yogurt Oasis Cafe in 1991, which rebranded numerous times before it closed in 2009. Artisan Pizza Kitchen held the space for the next nine years, closing in 2018 when Hibachi and Company obtained the space.