Home Care In Cary, NC

A new chicken and biscuits spot has come to Cary, and customers are in for a special treat on the grand opening day.

On Jan. 27, Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken will celebrate its recent opening in Waverly Place with a day full of donations to local schools and prize giveaways.

Co-owner Brian Wiles said the opening is not just about the food, but also about giving back to the community. Penny Road Elementary School in Cary and Peak Charter Academy in Apex will split 20% of the opening day proceeds in donations.

“That is something we typically try to do, depending on the location,” Wiles said. “For this one, we opened up during the holidays really quietly. Trying to do anything during the holidays on a big level just gets really lost, especially on a restaurant level.”

The first 200 customers will also get a free limited edition sticker with a purchase and all customers throughout the day can spin a prize wheel to win a free Rise food and merchandise.

Customers can also enter to win a Golden Ticket, which gets the winner free Rise food items for a year. If customers join the restaurant’s rewards program, they can win a free Rise biscuit on a future visit.

The grand opening takes place from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at 575 New Waverly Place next to Whole Foods.

Rise Southern Biscuits is known for its big, buttery, handmade biscuits, crispy chicken and pastries.

Popular menu items include a glazed blueberry biscuit, hot honey chicken, and the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich, which comes with Nashville hot sauce and is topped with pickles on a warm bun.

Wiles said the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit reigns supreme at Rise Southern Biscuits.

The restaurant also offers catering services to businesses and events.

The Durham-based Southern biscuit and doughnut first opened in 2012, and Cary marks its 10th location in the Triangle alongside Morrisville, Holly Springs, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham and Carrboro. In total, there are 19 locations around the country.

“With us being there in Waverly, there’s just so much opportunity. There are so many different stores,” Wiles said. “This store will actually be the closest to me and my family, so it’s really exciting to have that.”

Waverly Place is one of the many shopping centers around Cary and got new management last year. The Houston-based real estate firm, Hines, responsible for the development of Fenton, plans to give a portion of Waverly Place a new makeover.

Up to 750 apartments and an additional 30,000 square feet of commercial space with buildings up to seven stories are in the works.

This story was originally published January 19, 2024, 10:27 AM.

I’m Brian Gordon, tech reporter for The News & Observer, and this is Open Source, a weekly newsletter on business, labor and technology in North Carolina.

When the Supreme Court decided on Tuesday to not take on the antitrust case between Apple and Epic Games, it seemed the more than three-year dispute between the iPhone maker and the Cary-based creator of Fortnite had finally been put to rest.

Apple was mostly the victor; in 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers determined the tech giant doesn’t operate an illegal monopoly through its App Store and in-app payment system. But Epic, for all its time and money, had secured a win too.

Gonzalez Rogers ruled Apple could no longer prevent app developers from directing users to external (and presumably less expensive) payment platforms. Apple charges developers 15-30% fees for selling through the App Store. Apple’s anti-steering restriction went into effect this week when the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney immediately celebrated the removal of anti-steering, writing on X that “as of today, developers can begin exercising their court-established right to tell US customers about better prices on the web.”

But then Apple released its compliance plan Tuesday, and Sweeney’s frustration mounted.

Apple announced it will charge U.S. App Store developers a 27% commission on sales of digital goods and services made through external payment systems. Apple called it “a reasonable means to account for the substantial value Apple provides developers, including in facilitating linked transactions.”

Sweeney, and many developers, called it a travesty.

“Apple has never done this before, and it kills price competition,” Sweeney wrote.

Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite, the globally popular game that has been at the center of Sweeney’s antitrust battles with both Apple and Google. The developer wants to offer iPhone users the ability to pay for Fortnite’s in-game currency, called V-bucks, through its own payment platform.

Sweeney, who is North Carolina’s second-wealthiest person, had other issues with Apple’s plan, including so-called “scare screens” that warn iPhone users before they navigate to external payment systems. “Epic will contest Apple’s bad-faith compliance plan in District Court,” he wrote.

Some legal scholars agree with Sweeney’s “bad-faith” description.

“It nearly recreates the conduct — requiring all in-app purchases to go through Apple and taking a 30% cut,” said Rebecca Haw Allensworth, an antitrust professor at the Vanderbilt University Law School.

Spotify also lambasted Apple’s new App Store policy.

“Once again, Apple has demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to protect the profits they exact on the backs of developers and consumers under their app store monopoly,” Spotify told the N&O. The audio streaming service said Apple’s 27% charge “is outrageous and flies in the face of the court’s efforts to enable greater competition and user choice.”

So, are Epic and Apple destined to be back in court? Maybe.

“I think given that (Apple’s) policy does almost nothing to address the competitive concerns in the courts’ decisions supports that idea that (Epic) will challenge it and have a good chance of succeeding,” Allensworth said.

Yet others who are critical of Apple’s new 27% fee are less confident Epic has the legal leverage to knock down Apple.

“It is outrageous, but it is not illegal under the federal antitrust laws to charge an exorbitant price,” said Elanor Fox, an antitrust professor at New York University who has previously done consulting work for Epic.

Epic v. Apple began in the summer of 2020. For a moment this week, it seemed to have concluded. It was a brief moment.

From the ground, there are signs the Vietnamese electric car company VinFast is progressing on its planned multibillion-dollar assembly plant in eastern Chatham County, about 30 miles southwest of downtown Raleigh. I drove by the 1,765-acre site one weekday last month and saw trailers, machines and construction workers gathered near the entrance.

VinFast broke ground there in July, and the Chicago-based developer Clayco is leading the project.

From above, it’s clear the automaker has a lot of work to do if it’s to meet its current commitment to open sometime in 2025. Aerial drone photos from N&O photographer Travis Long show wide swathes of reddish-brown dirt where the factory is expected to stand.

And around the site, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has started negotiating with property owners to acquire land needed to build a highway interchange and four-lane access road. At least one property owner is not pleased.

VinFast’s Chatham site was featured in the N&O’s annual 5 Places to Watch series, which looks at potential high-growth spots around the Triangle. Other locations this year included the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, Pittsboro and Chapel Hill’s University Place mall.

Local venture capital activity was quiet at the end of 2023, according to new data from the analysis firm PitchBook. In the final three months of the year, only 23 deals were completed across metro Raleigh and Durham, compared to 40 deals over the same period in 2022 and 58 deals over the same period in 2021.

Venture investing declines were seen nationwide which PitchBook attributed to foreign political risks.

North Carolina investors concur. “There was already a lot of concern in the venture world and the geopolitical events of (October) seem to have really tipped folks into pause everything mode,” said Triangle Tweener Fund founder Scot Wingo. “They do seem to be loosening now with the prospects of lower interest rates and inflation in 2024.”

“Our 4Q23 saw a jump in vehicle deliveries compared to prior quarters,” VinFast’s head of sales Tran Mai Hoa said in a statement Thursday. “However, amid economic headwinds, slow EV adoption rate in certain regions has adversely affected deliveries plan.”

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This story was originally published January 18, 2024, 9:53 AM.

At 8 o’clock, the lights go down and the music goes up at La Buena Vida in North Raleigh, one of the Triangle’s biggest restaurant parties.

The modern Mexican restaurant from Fonda Lupita owners, married couple Biridiana Frausto and Salvador Alvarez, will expand next month to Cary, taking over the former Totopos space.

Totopos closed in December after nine years in Cary’s Shannon Oaks shopping center. The restaurant was part of the empire of popular spots co-owned by Joel Ibarra, along with El Rodeo, Chido Taco and La Rancherita. Alvarez also recently opened Yatai, a fusion of Mexican and Japanese dishes, in Raleigh’s Transfer Co. Food Hall.

Frausto said the popular Mexican restaurant struggled through COVID and that it was time to take the restaurant in the more lively direction of La Buena Vida. But she said closing the Totopos chapter was difficult.

“Totopos has been amazing for us personally, I met my husband working there,” Frausto said. “After COVID hit it was really hard to get our regular clients back. After COVID we couldn’t get it back up to where it was before. It was just the time for Totopos to come to a good end and say goodbye to the memories.”

La Buena Vida opened in North Raleigh early in 2022, turning a former Tilted Kilt sports bar into one of the Triangle’s most raucous dining experiences.

Frausto said they’re eager to replicate the party in Cary.

From the beginning, Frausto said La Buena Vida set out to offer a distinctive dining experience in the Triangle. The restaurant aims to match the experience of a night out in Miami, Frausto said, but in North Raleigh.

“In this type of industry, everyone has to specialize and we asked ourselves, what do we like that Raleigh is lacking?” Frausto said. “Why do people go to Miami for bachelor parties? We wanted to build somewhere you want to go when you go out to celebrate.”

In its first year, La Buena Vida found a following with its nighttime switch from a traditional dinner to something closer to a meal and a nightclub. That following took a little time to build.

“It seemed a little risky at first, because nobody was doing it,” Frausto said. “It was a little slow when not a lot of people knew what we were doing. During the week it’s very chill very laid back, but on the weekends at 8, that’s the turning time.”

At 8 p.m., Frausto said that’s the line between dinner and late night. The lights dim, a DJ starts playing music, servers don masks and shots of tequila are served in toy airplanes. Other flourishes include octopus and bone marrow set aflame tableside with tequila, and diners get a show as the $100 tomahawk ribeye is carved next to their seats.

“It’s pretty much like a whole party,” Frausto said.

The owners expect to open La Buena Vida Cary by mid-February and replicate the party in sleepy suburbia.

“We’re trying to keep the same vibes,” Frausto said. “We haven’t tested the waters; we know that Cary goes to sleep at 8:30, but there’s also that crowd that thinks, why should the party stop at 8:30?”

After 10 years, Cary’s top economic development official is moving on to a new role — but staying in Cary.

Ted Boyd, the town's director of economic development, will start in his new role as president of Lee & Associates Raleigh-Durham on Feb. 1. Moving into this new position at the commercial real estate brokerage firm means leaving his longtime post with the town. His last day will be Jan. 30.

Cary has seen incredible growth during Boyd's tenure. The downtown area has completely transformed to become a vibrant destination. And huge projects, such as Fenton and the Downtown Cary Park, have come to fruition while areas such as northwest Cary have filled in with new housing and retail developments.

Boyd said he took the role with Lee & Associates because it allows him to take the next step in his career without leaving Cary. Typically, in roles with towns, moving on means going to another town or city. But Boyd said he and his family have put down roots in Cary and can’t bring themselves to even consider leaving.

“I am just excited about a new opportunity that is an area that is similar to what I’ve been doing but still very different. The town of Cary is a phenomenal team and I’m excited to work with another phenomenal team knowing that we’re not a massive organization like the town but the ability to be nimble, be quick and be able to provide a phenomenal service,” Boyd said.

Before hiring Boyd, Lee & Associates Raleigh-Durham didn't have a president role. It’s a new position created to help the firm operate more efficiently given its growth in recent years, according to CEO and Principal Moss Withers. After talking with leaders at other offices with Lee & Associates, Withers decided the firm needed the role of president to take on administrative, leadership and back-office duties, especially because these were tasks Withers and his team were splitting among themselves.

Originally, Withers went to Boyd to receive a recommendation for who should fill the role as typically a broker who is near retirement takes the position. But after thinking on it a few days, Boyd came back and asked Withers to consider him for the position. Withers said he asked the firm’s top three revenue producing brokers for their opinion on Boyd as president and all three asked Withers to pursue hiring him.

“We’re going to be opening more offices in the state over the next little bit and his influence in those areas we’re looking to grow, he already has some roots, so I think he’ll be able to grow the brand of Lee in North Carolina,” Withers said.

While Boyd said it’ll be bittersweet to leave his role with the town, he said he knows it’s being left in good hands with Scot Berry, chief development officer, while the town plans its next steps.

Residents of a North Carolina town were recently reminded of a 50-year-old law. The law states that pet cats must be leashed when outdoors, unless they’re in their owner’s yard.

As reported by The Messenger, The Town of Cary’s Animal Services posted a notice on Facebook. The post cautioned residents that violations of this rule could result in fines of up to $250 — depending on the frequency of offenses. “Cats are independent and easy pets to keep, but did you know that there is a leash law for them in the Town of Cary?” posted town officials. They added, “That’s right, cats must be leashed when not on their owner’s property.”

There are plenty of reasons why this practice is recommended. According to the animal services department in a Raleigh suburb of roughly 176,000 inhabitants, roaming cats are a major concern as:

The department suggests teaching outdoor cats to live indoors. House cats usually enjoy longer lives and aren’t at risk of being hit by vehicles or harmed by other animals, they explained.

Stray cat concerns spark North Carolina ordinance

The News & Observer reports that a significant number of homes in the city own cats. Moreover, animal services’ annual calls suggest that roughly 20% are about stray or ferals, cat litters, or feline backyard bird hunts.

Chuck Haggist, the supervisor of Cary Animal Services, disclosed that they receive approximately 5,000 calls each year. He also clarified his department’s message to locals isn’t to apprehend unleashed cats, but to caution them about dangers cats face outside and the risks they could pose to people.

He states that for a variety of reasons, outdoor cats tend to have a different lifespan than indoor cats. This includes risks such as getting lost, being struck by cars, and suffering injuries or fatalities caused by other animals.

Other regions in Wake County, as well as various other cities statewide, have enacted similar regulations. In Cary, the law imposes a penalty of $20 for the first offense. This amount increases to $50 for the second offense, $75 for the third, and $100 for the fourth.

A fifth offense would cost the pet owner a fine of $250, and the possibility of the pet being seized. Additionally, owners would have to cover the animal services expenses to get their pets back.