Pete Ellis
The face of Hillsborough Street underwent a fresh change over Spring Break, after a new restaurant called Raleigh Joe’s popped up to replace the Q-Shack on the corner of Horne Street.
Tom Meyer, the owner of Q-Shack and now co-owner of Raleigh Joe’s, and Joe DiDomenico, co-owner and namesake of the new establishment, have created a restaurant combining the barbecue of Q-Shack with the Italian style of a pizzeria.
“We’ve taken the Q-Shack menu and space and we’ve expanded,” Meyer said. “There will still be barbecue, hushpuppies and all the old favorites, and now the menu includes pizzas, calzones, hot and cold subs, cheese steaks, hamburgers, lots of salads and more.”
“There are a ton more options,” he said.
DiDomenico, who came to Raleigh from the Philadelphia area, owns several other establishments across the country.
“I came down looking for a space to get into, my realtor found Tom’s realtor and we got together,” he said. “We’ve made it into a whole new idea, trying out barbeque and pizza together. We’re trying something new, to get more variety in one space.”
Meyer added that quality is still a priority in the new items, saying that they will offer “a different pizza than what’s on the block.”
In addition to the menu expansion, Raleigh Joe’s will have extended business hours to cater to the students, Meyer said. The restaurant will stay open until 10 p.m. weekdays, 3 a.m. on weekends and 9 p.m. Sundays.
Meyer said that he and DiDomenico are focusing on many college-friendly options.
Some of these include games, tournaments and sports packages on the TV, “tons of promotions, live music, dollar drafts and special deals,” he said.
Plus, an added bonus.
“We’ll deliver free anywhere within a five-mile radius, and we’ll deliver beer with a food order,” Meyer said.
The new options have had positive responses among some students.
“Improvements like this are always good, especially if it’s going to make things better for students,” Les Shelton, a sophomore in chemical engineering, said.
He said he really likes that the restaurant is attempting to cater specifically to students — especially with their business hours.
“Places definitely need to be open later — I hate that there’s no place open when I want to eat late,” he said. “All the places on Hillsborough Street need to think about that more because we are their livelihood.”
Cliff Toney, a sophomore in psychology, points out that any amount of improvements will still have to contend with the price of the food, especially when dealing with students.
“I never really saw a crowd in [Q-Shack]; it was high-priced but good barbecue,” he said. “You’ve got to ask, ‘for lunch, do I want a $10 plate of barbecue, or a $4 plate of Chinese?’ And you just can’t beat Cook Out trays for $3.99.”
The new co-owners of Raleigh Joe’s are confident that students will enjoy their new establishment, which opens today.
DiDomenico said that the big draw for students will be the “quality and quantity of food.”