Próximo
“What it Was, Was Ye Olde”
The booths were full before 9 a.m. Students nursed coffee, faculty read the paper, and locals shared pancakes and town gossip. For nearly fifty years, Ye Olde was where Chapel Hill gathered to start the day. Today, the griddle still hums, but the flavors have changed
Long before it became a local favorite for good food and familiar faces, the building at Ye Olde quietly played host to a patchwork of businesses, each one leaving behind traces of Chapel Hill’s changing heartbeat. In 1928, this building was Crabtree’s Soda Fountain.[1] However, by 1943 it had become a shoe fixery which shared its space with a yarn shop by 1958.[2]
By 1972 Jim Chris, then living in Atlanta, flew to Chapel Hill to check out the Tankersley building that had been owned by his family for three decades. By the time Jim arrived, the building was in disarray but after consulting with his wife, Linda, they both saw the potential and packed their bags for the Tar Heel State. By complete chance during renovation, the brick and wood came from the same church that Jim was baptized and where the Chrises were married in Winston-Salem.[3]
In the 1970s, there was a movement against development in Chapel Hill. Opening a new business, Jim and Linda wanted to be sensitive to these concerns. And so the name “Ye Olde”, a play on nostalgia and history, was born. For nearly fifty years, people stopped here for waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream, big Jim’s hash browns, and M&M pancakes. At Ye Olde, the possibilities were endless and it felt like home.
Linda recalled serving an “eclectic mix of people.” Its proximity to campus attracted faculty and students while church groups piled in after Sunday services. A popular destination, the restaurant was often recommended to out-of-town visitors or people passing through the Southern Part of Heaven.
Prominent figures in the community, like Howard Lee, the town’s first Black mayor, Bill Friday, former president of the multi-campus University of North Carolina, and Roy Williams, former UNC Basketball head coach, also frequented the restaurant. However, Linda wanted Ye Olde to be a place where they could be normal people. Thus, when they walked through the doors, it was a respite from the world.[4]
People also created special memories here. Linda fondly recalled a couple who had sat at a booth in front of the dishwasher who got engaged in that same spot years earlier. Family and friends of Eric Montross threw a surprise birthday party for the former UNC and NBA basketball star.
The relationship between Ye Olde and the Chapel Hill community was always mutual. The restaurant often had a line out the door. This was especially true in November 2012, when Ye Olde celebrated its 40th anniversary with 1972 prices.[5] The Chrises were deeply invested in their community. Often, when you walked past Ye Olde, you would see a chalkboard with writing about upcoming sporting events, UNC graduation, and major holidays.
Jim described himself as a “humble shopkeeper.” He was so committed to consistency in food and service that he worked 7 days a week. When he passed in 2012, his daughter, Melissa, and wife were determined to continue his legacy.
The COVID pandemic had devastating impacts on local communities worldwide and Chapel Hill was no different. A communal space centered on food and conversation was no match. Sunday, March 16, 2020 was the last day of dine in operation. In making the decision to close in December 2020, Linda and Melissa wanted the next business to uphold their same commitment to food and service as well as their dedication to the Chapel Hill community.
When they met Elizabeth and Brandon Sharp, everything clicked. In September 2024, This husband and wife duo opened Próximo, appropriately meaning “next,” in Spanish.[6] When you enter Proximo, you’ll see what Melissa Peng described at the “organs of Ye Olde.”[7] The Sharps use the same griddles and have kept some utensils from the waffle shop. Where you would once smell sweet and savory breakfast food, you’ll now find Spanish tapas.
The Sharps have a long history in the restaurant industry. Elizabeth went to culinary school and Brandon has been a chef for nearly thirty years. The Sharp family has a long history in Chapel Hill, too. Brandon is a graduate of UNC, his parents met at Chapel Hill High, and his grandfather was the chancellor of the university briefly in the 1960s. This ultimately contributed to their decision to open several restaurants in town.[8]
With Próximo as their newest venture, they offer a unique, high quality dining experience on Franklin. As a council member, business owner, and community member, Elizabeth is passionate about supporting small businesses and contributing to the vitality and identity of Chapel Hill. Acknowledging that the wellbeing of the university and the town is wholly dependent on the other, Próximo is geared toward students and townspeople alike.
[1]Bernard L. Bryant, Occupants and Structures of Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 5-year intervals, 1793-1998 (Chapel Hill: Chapel Hill Historical Society, 1999), 113
[2] Bryant, Occupants and Structures, 131 and 148
[3] Linda Chris and Melissa Peng in discussion with the author, March 2025.
[4] Linda Chris and Melissa Peng in discussion with the author, March 2025.
[5] “Chapel Hill eatery takes waffles back four decades” WRAL, November 26, 2012. https://www.wral.com/video/lifestyles/travel/video/11814641/
[6] Zachary Eanes, “First look at Próximo before it opens this week on Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street” Axios Raleigh, September 18, 2024. https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2024/09/18/first-look-proximo-spanish-restaurant-chapel-hill-franklin-street
[7] Linda Chris and Melissa Peng in discussion with the author, March 2025.
[8] Elizabeth Sharp in discussion with the author, March 2025.