July 30th, 2026

 

Greetings from Carrboro,

We start with the basics. Restaurant 101, day one: hellos and goodbyes. Rules like “greet people with your eyes at ten feet and your voice at five.” Or “make sure to thank each guest when they leave and invite them to return.” Because you gotta start somewhere.

Obviously, there are places that take that training to the extreme. There is the wildly aggressive welcome chant that accompanies anyone entering a Moe’s. Can we all agree that it’s too much? I can’t be the only person who would pay extra not to be yelled at by a jaded high school kid. My last straw was sitting with my daughter while an entire youth baseball team entered one at a time, each with the requisite fanfare. Only the fraudulently peppy manager was still greeting with gusto by the time the last kid made his entrance.

I’d also like to submit that the Walmart greeter can be a little creepy. There are several people in my immediate orbit who have very specific strategies for avoiding the often gratuitous verbal hug they’re forced to endure during an otherwise simple quest for toilet paper. There does seem to be some shared method to their madness. Generally, each recommends staying to the left as you enter. Better still, position yourself about five feet behind someone with a cart or a baby.

So, you’d think that after a veritable lifetime in the hospitality business, I’d have the hellos and goodbyes down to a science. Admittedly, my hello game is pretty damn good. But I’m still not terribly good at goodbyes.

That’s why I’m asking for your help.

Saturday is Addie Campbell’s last night bartending at Atlas. If you don’t know her name, she’s the woman with green hair, stellar drinks, and an even better smile. Her professionalism and talent over the past several years have been instrumental in making Atlas the welcoming watering hole it has become for so many of you. I have nothing but immense gratitude for all she’s done—and equal certainty that Addie will find success in whatever she chooses to do next.

Saratoga, New York, is getting an absolute rock star. Damn them.

Addie is working the next three nights for anyone who wants a chance to say goodbye. I’m sure you’ll be better at that than I am.

This weekend at Acme: Bluefin tuna. Cornmeal-dusted red drum. Acme tomato plate. Watermelon margaritas. Cast-iron skillet duck breast. Dayboat scallops. Cajun ribeye steaks. Martha’s chile rellenos. Pecan-crusted fried chicken. Acme smashburgers. Peach and blueberry cobbler. Southern tomato pie. Flash-fried shishito peppers. Strawberry and basil gimlet. Carolina pork skirt steak. Shooting Point oysters on the half shell. Acme calamari salad. Deviled eggs. Shrimp étouffée. Wedge salad. BLT bento box. Cold beer. Acme cornbread and angel biscuits.

Hello, delicious.

Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.

Cheers,
The Staff at Acme