Photo Courtesy of Al's Burger Shack
Al’s Burger Shack Opens in Leland
By: Jessica Maurer
Al’s Burger Shack, a popular Chapel Hill eatery, has opened a new location in Leland.
The location at 3556 Leland Town Center Drive is the restaurant’s first spot outside of Chapel Hill.
“We’re so excited with the amazing response we’ve gotten from the community in Leland,” said co-owner Jason Kesler. “It’s been so fun watching everyone fill up the dining room and enjoying the patio.”
Al’s is the second Chapel Hill-based restaurant concept to open a Wilmington location this year. Four Corners, a longtime staple on Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street dining scene, opened a location at 2025 Eastwood Road in April.
Al’s Burger Shack, which was founded on Franklin Street in 2013, quickly gained a loyal following, and a second location followed in 2017, owners said.
The restaurant has received “Best Burger” awards from TripAdvisor, Yelp and Garden & Gun and is a multi-time winner of the Triangle’s Indy Week’s Best Burger in the Triangle and Orange County.
The menu at the Leland location features Al’s staples, including house-made specialty toppings such as chili, bacon onion jam, sriracha aioli, Cheerwine BBQ sauce and its signature Sweet Winnie Sauce, among others.
In addition to the hand-pattied, 100% ground chuck beef burgers, Al’s serves turkey, black bean and Impossible burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and sides such as fries and tots along with a selection of beer, wine and hand-spun Maple View Farm milkshakes.
“I’ve been so impressed with our staff too,” Kesler said. “They are doing such a great job keeping up with the business and providing that Al’s Burger Shack experience to our guests.”
The Leland space offers indoor and outdoor dining with a pet-friendly, covered patio. Following its soft opening, Al’s Burger Shack Leland plans to host a grand opening fundraiser later this month or in early January.
“We had a whole kids baseball team out on the patio the other day playing and having fun, which was awesome,” Kesler said. “We want to be a part of the community and are always looking for ways to get involved. That could be with fundraisers, providing food for nonprofit events, sponsoring youth sports or any other way we can help.”
