**Editor’s Note: County Fare closed in 2019 and is now Honeysuckle at Lakewood.**
Soon enough, you won’t have to wait until the State Fair comes to town, or even the next food truck rodeo, when you can get a little bit of both worlds at County Fare in Lakewood.If you’re like me, you’ve been watching the big red barn structure go up in the Food Lion parking lot for a while. Owners, Steve Frasher, Peter Savarino, and Gil Scharf are getting ready to open the doors this week! Local cider expert and owner of Black Twig Cider House, Mattie Beason, was also originally part of the team, but has since moved off the project.
Inside, a walk-up bar features 30+ taps as well as cans, including local beer, draft wine and cider. (There’s no glass due to outdoor seating.) All food will be ordered outside at the take-out window or from a rotating list of food trucks parked on site.With a large communal table created by Bull City Designs, plenty of picnic tables in a fenced-in grassy area out front, tables and chairs both inside and on the covered porch slab (which will be weatherized during the colder months), there is room for well over 200 people.We got a glimpse of exactly what County Fare will be like during the friends and family preview on a gorgeous Durham day. It was laid back and casual: fun for families and a great place to gather. A fenced-in lawn with games like bocce and corn hole entertained both kids and adults. You could get up and grab food and beer as you please. There were large screen TVs inside where major sports games will be shown. As the sun set, the carnival string lights between the trees and the circular drive added to the ambiance.The owners’ vision translated well…with young children of their own, they understand some of the challenges of going out to eat in groups or going to crowded events for food. “So much of what we’re trying to do with this concept is to create more choices and amenities for groups of all ages as well as families,” Frasher explains. “This includes indoor bathrooms, plenty of seating, and easy parking. It will be very family- and group-friendly so people can casually meet up any time.”County Fare will also help speed up the food truck ordering process and mitigate wait times by providing patrons with buzzers to let them know when the food is ready. No more standing around by the truck when you can go grab a drink inside and know when your food is up.
Red, white and blue colors as well as the menu from the small on-site kitchen (think fried Twinkies) will reflect the County Fare theme. The kitchen will coordinate and rotate what’s on the menu depending on which food trucks are present and what they serve so as not to overlap.The space will also provide the food trucks a place to anchor so that people can find and enjoy them more often. With less places for food trucks to park on a regular basis in Durham, we likely miss out on some great new trucks, or we only get to see them a few times a year. Now, foodies will have the chance to enjoy them more consistency without trying to hunt them down.
County Fare, located at 1920 Chapel Hill Road in the Lakewood area, will officially open April 18, 2018. Check their calendar, to see the initial food truck line up.
Peter Gailitis says
What a great idea. Looking forward to checking it out.
SHARLENE M. SIMON says
I hope the grounds and paths are wheelchair and walker accessible and friendly. Are tables available that a manual or powered wheelchair can get under? Let’s hope our first visit is fun for my whole family.
Amanda says
We went to the opening party and it was fun, hip, full of energy and indeed family friendly. We will be back for sure.
Laura Hall says
Great idea! Best of luck to you! 🙂
Ayesha Mark says
This place is just awesome, their food trucks menu covers has some great dishes at such an affordable price that you can’t even imagine.