A Carrboro staple is making a big move after nearly 30 years in business.
Carrburritos, a popular Carrboro burrito restaurant, will soon take over the Carr Mill Mall suite previously occupied by Grata Diner. The space is most famous for being the former home of Elmo’s Diner, which closed in 2020.
Rae Mosher, who has operated Carrburritos since 2017, made the announcement Tuesday on 97.9 The Hill’s “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on the anniversary of the restaurant’s opening.
“I’d been in Elmo’s a million times, but I had never seen the kitchen,” she told Keck. “And it turns out it’s just a lot bigger than what we have now. We have been trying to grow our catering wing of the business, and we are limited by our small space. So, this gives us an opportunity to really grow and expand our catering while still serving the same burritos and menu that everybody counts on.”
The restaurant is targeting an opening some time around “late summer, early August,” and the original location at 711 West Rosemary Street will remain open in the interim.
Carrburritos has operated out of its Rosemary Street location since it opened 29 years ago, on Apr. 2, 1997 — which is also National Burrito Day. It was first opened by Bill and Gail Fairbanks, Mosher’s parents. As well as giving the restaurant the opportunity to expand catering, the move will allow Carrburritos to add a full bar to its offerings. But according to Mosher, one of the biggest benefits will be allowing customers to have an easier time accessing the restaurant.
“One of the first things people have said when I’ve told them this little secret is, ‘Oh, the parking is gonna be so much easier,’” she said. “I’ve been so grateful that people have always made it work. You know, we have lots of people that come and get burritos on a Friday night and they get there somehow. But I think this is gonna be a little bit easier for everybody to find a parking spot.”
It’s not uncommon for Carrburritos’ West Rosemary Street location to fill up its seating. The restaurant should have more room for dine-in customers in its future corner space of the Carr Mill Mall. (Photo via Carrburritos.)
Gail and Bill Fairbanks on the opening day of Carrburritos in 1997. (Photo via Carrburritos.)
Mosher said she is conscious about how the move will be a big change for the restaurant’s regulars — but said she thinks it will be worth it to get more burritos to more hungry customers.
“I think that we will get more people who are visiting Carrboro,” she said. “We are just outside of the center core currently, and we thrive on our regular business…thank you so much to everybody who is part of that regular crowd. But I think we will get exposure to people who are not already familiar with what we are. We’ll become less of a destination and more of a part of the ‘core Carrboro.’”
As for the current location, Mosher said she hopes someone can turn it into something else that lasts.
“We hope somebody else who can add to the fabric of Carrboro moves in and takes advantage of the good energy and good space that it is,” she said. “So if anybody is curious, come to carrburritos.com for more information.”
TheB-12 suite in Carr Mill Mall was occupied by Grata Diner until Jan. 2026, when the restaurant wound down operations. It served Italian-inspired breakfast foods, hence the name “Grata,” which means “gratitude” in Italian. Owner Jay Radford said the motivation behind closing was so he could focus his attention on his non-profit Grata Connects. Prior to hosting Grata Diner, the property had been the longstanding home of Elmo’s Diner since 1991. The popular Carrboro restaurant known for its all-day breakfast and homemade menu announced its closure in 2020 due to financial strain from the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can learn more of the history of Carrburritos in a September edition of ‘Been There, Still There,’ a series by Chapelboro.com’s Jon Gregory about longstanding local businesses.
Featured image via Carrburritos
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Carrburritos Announces Move to Former Elmo’s Diner Location in Carr Mill Mall Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about carrburritos announces move to former elmo s diner location in carr mill mall was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Carrburritos Announces Move to Former Elmo’s Diner Location in Carr Mill Mall )
Also on site :
- BTS Dominates YouTube’s Global, U.S. Charts
- Quest Global est reconnue comme un leader dans le rapport ISG Provider Lens® 2025 Report for Manufacturing Industry Services and Solutions
- NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Thursday, April 2, 2026