For some Chapel Hill residents, seeing Tyler Hansborough’s face is their favorite part of eating at Spanky’s Restaurant and Bar on Franklin Street.
The restaurant is known for its popular wall of caricatures, which features head coaches at the University as well as famous former students.
Kassi McIntosh, floor manager at Spanky’s, said the restaurant opened in 1977, but she is unsure when the character wall started.
But she said the wall has been full of caricatures since she started working at the restaurant six years ago.
Drew Hansel, Spanky’s general manager, said there are 68 caricatures on the walls of Spanky’s.
And last week the restaurant added its newest caricature of Harlis Meaders, the new UNC track and field head coach.
The restaurant updates their wall whenever a new head coach is hired at the University.
Meaders’ caricature replaced Dennis Craddock, the recently retired coach of the UNC track and field team.
Hansel said Craddock’s caricature was given to Craddock to keep.
The mastermind behind the Spanky’s wall is Dave Washburn, a former employee of Spanky’s, and an Atlanta-based artist responsible for creating every caricature on the wall.
And some students have their own ideas for additions to the wall.
Madison Burke, a freshman at UNC and a Spanky’s regular, said she thinks Spanky’s should try to use more literary or artistic figures like Thomas Wolfe or James Taylor.
But McIntosh said Mia Hamm is one of the most popular caricatures at Spanky’s because of her professional soccer career.
She said people often notice the wall from the sidewalk and even come into the restaurant just to see the wall.
Because of the wall’s popularity, Spanky’s now provides a map so customers have an easier time figuring out where different characters are located.
“It just makes Spanky’s a really fun place to be,” she said.
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