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Workers are renovating the former Bill’s Anchor Grill on Hwy. 115. (David Boraks photo)

Bill’s Anchor Grill, a popular hangout on Highway 115 just north of the Iredell County line, is being revived by a new owner who says he wants to bring back the grill’s tradition of a basic meal at a modest price.

John Regan Jr., of Cornelius, bought the building in December 2006 and is adding a second story and basement, rebuilding the kitchen and expanding the dining room. He’ll call the new restaurant The Old Grill. The renovations are about half finished, though Mr. Regan is not certain when he’ll be ready to open the doors.

Mr. Regan was an occasional customer at the old Anchor Grill, which served breakfast, lunch and more than a few beers before closing more than two years ago. He said in an interview he hopes to serve the same clientele, as well as a new generation of customers. His wife, Lillian, will be general manager.

The Old Grill plans to serve breakfast and lunch, just as its predecessor did, and Mr. Regan plans to add dinner as well. “We’re basically going to do the same kind of restaurant that existed before, with a slight expansion of the menu, an expansion of the hours and expansion of the facility,” he said.

“We’re trying to appeal to a broad range of customers and we’re trying to keep our prices reasonable and quality high,” Mr. Regan said. “It’ll be a place where people can go for a modestly priced meal. Our goal is to get people in and out for 3 to 7 dollars for breakfast, 5 to 10 for lunch and 8 to 20 for dinner.”

BUILDING ON TRADITION

The original Bill’s Anchor Grill had about 1,500 square feet of space. The new site will have about double the size, excluding the second floor, Mr. Regan said. For now, the business will occupy the ground floor, which will have a new kitchen and an expanded dining area, and the new basement, which will house games.

Eventually, Mr. Regan hopes to finish the second floor as well, for use as a private function room.

He thinks the combination of menu and location will spell success. “It’s a terrific location, as you can see,” Mr. Regan said. “At the end of the day, the old adage about location is very accurate.”

Bill’s Anchor grill was owned by the late Billy Carter and his wife, Becky, who ran the place. They served inexpensive breakfasts and lunches, and attracted a crowd that included working people, families and Davidson College students.

Davidson College alumni gathered at the Anchor during 2004 Reunion Weekend along with former Davidson soccer coach Charlie Slagle (right). (Bill Giduz photo)

Davidsonians remember the place as a true local hangout, where town and gown mixed. Many folks met there weekly.

“The Anchor was a very popular breakfast/lunch spot for hard working men - dogs and burgers,” recalls Bill Giduz, who lives on Hillside Drive and works at Davidson College. “But, truth be told, they served a lot of beer throughout the day. Becky (Carter) was great - kind and efficient and hard working. I took my daughter there for breakfast several times when she was small and Becky was always very kind and doting on her.”

For 25 years, Harriet Kessler met at the Anchor for breakfast every Wednesday with a group of five friends – Tish Kimbrough, Beverly McRee, Margaret Stauffer, Kim Beard and Ann Holland. “Many days we were having breakfast and others were drinking beer,” Ms. Kessler recalled.

She spoke fondly of owner Becky Carter, whom she called “a wonderful woman, who took care of lots of people in this community. When somebody was down and out, she took care of them.”

The Anchor was a draw, even to those who had moved away. Ms. Holland, wife of former Davidson College athletic director Terry Holland, eventually left town when he was hired at the University of Virginia. But she would occasionally sneak back from Charlottesville to meet the group at the Anchor for one of their weekly breakfasts, Ms. Kessler said.

COLLEGE TIES

Generations of Davidson students frequented the Anchor, especially in the hours after lunch plates were cleared away. And many a college reunion also included a social hour at The Anchor.

Mr. Giduz, a 1974 Davidson graduate, was in a group that called themselves the Friday Afternoon Club. “Students would gather there Friday afternoons to socialize and drink beer. Attendance was mandatory for the core group, but you could get credit if you phoned in from wherever you were - and we took calls from all over the USA,” he said.

Mike Goode of Concord Road, a 1983 Davidson graduate, remembers weekly breakfasts with classmates during his senior year.

“I used to go to Bill’s for breakfast on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 a.m. A group of about eight of us, who had been friends since freshman year, would all meet there and have a nice southern breakfast: grits, scrambled or fried eggs, and bacon,” Mr. Goode said.

“The place seemed a bit run down and always smelled of cigarette smoke. The iron bars on the door and windows always seemed a bit uninviting. But we were always welcomed there by the cook and breakfast was always made to order and good to eat. On the last Wednesday before graduation we all decided that, as the cook did each time we had eaten there, each of us would drink a Budweiser with breakfast. So, in addition to the normal breakfast fare, we each ordered a Bud in a can.”

When the Carters closed the restaurant in 2006 after Mr. Carter became ill, that sent the groups of regulars scouting for someplace else to meet.

“When the Anchor closed, we kind of had a hard time finding another place,” Ms. Kessler said.

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