Mickey Ewell
Mickey Ewell started a string of successful eateries and launched the careers of several other restaurateurs. Along the way he engendered a corporate philosophy of philanthropy. After graduating with a business degree from Old Dominion University, Ewell started out in the clothing business, yet he was always open to new opportunities.
In 1974, he opened Harrison’s, a Georgetown-themed restaurant on Franklin Street, followed by the now iconic Spanky’s at Franklin and Columbia, which featured a D.C.-inspired menu. The restaurant did $10 million in sales in its first decade. Ewell then led the charge for liquor-by-the drink, helping Chapel Hill become only the second municipality in the state to allow it. This achievement forever changed the landscape for bars and restaurants in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Three of Ewell’s most valuable employees were considering leaving the company to open a seafood restaurant. Not wanting to lose the talent, Ewell offered to secure the financing and make the trio partners.
The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group – Ewell, Greg Overbeck, Kenny Carlson and Peter Dorrance – opened Squid’s, a raw bar and seafood restaurant. Recognizing the growing influence of California’s cuisine, Ewell opened 411 West, serving thin-crusted pizzas made in an authentic Italian wood-burning pizza oven and fresh pastas made in house. Its opening in 1990 sparked the revival of Franklin Street’s west end. He repeated the feat in Raleigh in 1996, when 518 West helped revitalize Glenwood South. Ewell’s next move was his boldest: a finedining restaurant in the RTP, which no one had attempted before. Mez, a contemporary Mexican restaurant, opened in 2008, followed
by Page Road Grill, which launched in 2013. Today the company employs more than 400 people.
In 2006 and 2012, the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group was named Business of the Year by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. In 2007, it was awarded the Sustainable Business of the Year Award by the Foundation for a Sustainable Community. Ewell was named the 2009 Restaurateur of the Year by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group is a generous
supporter of local organizations such as the Public School Foundation, SECU Family House and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, among many others.
For his innovative restaurant concepts and leadership in re-energizing downtown business districts, we proudly induct Mickey Ewell
into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
In 1974, he opened Harrison’s, a Georgetown-themed restaurant on Franklin Street, followed by the now iconic Spanky’s at Franklin and Columbia, which featured a D.C.-inspired menu. The restaurant did $10 million in sales in its first decade. Ewell then led the charge for liquor-by-the drink, helping Chapel Hill become only the second municipality in the state to allow it. This achievement forever changed the landscape for bars and restaurants in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Three of Ewell’s most valuable employees were considering leaving the company to open a seafood restaurant. Not wanting to lose the talent, Ewell offered to secure the financing and make the trio partners.
The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group – Ewell, Greg Overbeck, Kenny Carlson and Peter Dorrance – opened Squid’s, a raw bar and seafood restaurant. Recognizing the growing influence of California’s cuisine, Ewell opened 411 West, serving thin-crusted pizzas made in an authentic Italian wood-burning pizza oven and fresh pastas made in house. Its opening in 1990 sparked the revival of Franklin Street’s west end. He repeated the feat in Raleigh in 1996, when 518 West helped revitalize Glenwood South. Ewell’s next move was his boldest: a finedining restaurant in the RTP, which no one had attempted before. Mez, a contemporary Mexican restaurant, opened in 2008, followed
by Page Road Grill, which launched in 2013. Today the company employs more than 400 people.
In 2006 and 2012, the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group was named Business of the Year by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. In 2007, it was awarded the Sustainable Business of the Year Award by the Foundation for a Sustainable Community. Ewell was named the 2009 Restaurateur of the Year by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group is a generous
supporter of local organizations such as the Public School Foundation, SECU Family House and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, among many others.
For his innovative restaurant concepts and leadership in re-energizing downtown business districts, we proudly induct Mickey Ewell
into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
