A treasured member of the Triangle food truck scene is getting a brick-and-mortar spot
The most famous chicken tenders in the Triangle will soon have a restaurant of their very own.
The Dankery in Durham, a late-night food truck with legions of fans, has plans to open its first brick-and-mortar spot.
Owner Ian Burris announced on the Dankery’s Instagram page that his first permanent restaurant is in the works.
“First Brick and Mortar location is loading. The Dank will be open very soon in the Historic Hayti Community (a former mecca for Black Business in Durham ... and will be soon again),” the Instagram post said.
The Dankery began about four years ago, where Burris would take orders through Instagram messages and fry them up in his parents’ garage, to be delivered to people’s houses or picked up in parking lots. The following grew quickly.
Over the years, the Dankery has had several parking lot residencies around Durham, where customers could line up and order trays of wings, tenders and a chicken sandwich that once went viral on social media.
The Dankery has built a loyal following in the Triangle and beyond and has been a frequent stop for Duke University athletes. Once in 2019, while in town for a Duke basketball game, former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade stopped by the Dankery for dinner, grabbing trays to go and posing with the food while sitting on a private jet.
In the comments of the brick-and-mortar announcement, Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith, NFL player and Durham native Kendall Hinton and chefs Andrea Reusing and Ricky Moore were among the well-wishers congratulating Burris on the upcoming restaurant.
For much of the summer, customers have found the Dankery at the Phoenix Shopping Center off of Fayetteville Street in Durham. Based on the Instagram announcement, that’s where the Dankery will make its home, with Burris posing in front of the former Webson’s Bar & Grill. The new Dankery looks to have a full bar and indoor seating for the first time.
The food truck will remain in service, The Dankery said, and is currently looking for its next bar or brewery residency.
“We are partnering with the Hayti Kitchen and Collective bringing y’all a Full Bar with Specialty Drinks and other concepts to come. After 3 years of wear and tear the Food Truck is currently getting a make over which should be complete in a couple weeks.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 9:00 AM with the headline "A treasured member of the Triangle food truck scene is getting a brick-and-mortar spot."
