DTH loves Linda’s Bar

When Chris Carini bought Linda’s Bar and Grill on Franklin Street in 2011, one of the first things he learned was the bar’s history with The Daily Tar Heel.

“Someone mentioned that The Daily Tar Heel is a loyal group so I just tried to foster that relationship,” Carini said.

For more than 20 years, DTH editors and staffers have made the pilgrimage to Linda’s on Thursday nights after putting the paper to bed, or sending it to the printer — in search of a place to relax and wolf down cheese fries.

Lisa Reichle, the DTH’s business manager who first joined the paper as a writer in 1988, said writers and editors have been frequenting Linda’s since about 1988.

Carini said he wanted to honor those many years of loyalty when he took over the bar by making sure Linda’s was still a go-to spot for editors and reporters.

“It’s loud enough to have fun and quiet enough to talk,” Carini said.

But Reichle said it’s always been the food that drew reporters out on late nights.

“Linda’s is kind of a dive bar, but it has really good cheese fries,” she said. “And that’s all you really need after you put the paper to bed.”

When Carini bought the bar, Reichle said many of the paper’s alumni worried the bar would change. But she said they had nothing to worry about.

“As long as the cheese fries were intact and Yuengling was on tap, people were happy,” Reichle said.

In 2010, The Daily Tar Heel moved out of its office in the Student Union to its current location at 151 E. Rosemary Street — and the new office’s proximity to Linda’s helped ease concerns about its distance from campus.

“Linda’s being closer was a huge selling point for when we were moving off campus,” Reichle said.
In honor of The Daily Tar Heel’s 120th anniversary, the paper will host its birthday party at Linda’s on Saturday.

“I was at the 100th, which we had at The Carolina Inn,” Reichle said. “I’m honestly more excited that we’re having it at Linda’s. It feels more appropriate.”

Kim Minugh, the 2002-03 DTH editor-in-chief, said heading to Linda’s after putting the paper to bed felt like being in a sitcom.

“It was pretty much like our Cheers,” she said. “We went there often, the bartenders knew our names, we knew theirs.”

For Nicole Norfleet, 2008-09 online editor, Linda’s was a crucial part of the DTH experience.

“The Daily Tar Heel was like a family,” Norfleet said. “And Linda’s was kind of just our living room.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.