Homegrown downtown Raleigh eatery serves its last lunch, but it may be back
Downtown Raleigh’s Happy+Hale, located on Fayetteville Street in One City Plaza, is closing Thursday. But the health food restaurant hopes to bounce back in a bigger spot downtown soon.
“As our lease comes to an end, we have decided to move forward from Fayetteville Street in hopes of finding a larger Downtown space at some point in the future. Today, February 29th, will be our last lunch service,” a post on Happy+Hale’s Instagram account reads.
The One City Plaza location was the eatery’s first brick and mortar storefront, which opened in 2014. There are four other locations in Raleigh and Durham.
Happy+Hale was started by two NC State graduates, Matt Whitley and Tyler Helikson, who wanted to sell healthy, grab-and-go food options, the eatery’s website says.
They started by selling fresh juices and salads from a tricycle on a street corner in downtown Raleigh in 2013. Since then, they’ve collaborated with James Beard Award-winning Triangle chef Ashley Christensen and made Indy Week’s “Best of the Triangle” lists.
“Happy and Hale has been a cherished part of downtown Raleigh, deeply invested in the community and the city. They remain committed to finding a new location that better meets their needs in the downtown area, including the needs for ample dining space and the full range of offerings they have in other locations,” wrote Lesley Guin, assistant property manager at Highwoods Properties (which owns One City Plaza), in an email to adjacent businesses.
Happy+Hale owners could not be immediately reached for comment.
Raleigh One City Plaza’s opening, closing restaurants
Happy+Hale’s exit is one of a few at One City Plaza this year. Sir Walter Coffee will be opening a second location in the former B. Good space in Highwoods Properties’ Charter Square.
The location is expected to have coffee and espresso drinks, along with a full bar and kitchen. They expect to open this summer.
It is unclear if a new tenant is lined up to fill Happy+Hale’s soon-to-be vacant space in the immediate future.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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