Remembering Vick’s event to celebrate Fayetteville restaurant

A Saturday event in Fayetteville is slated to bring back former restaurant Vick’s Drive-In, an iconic spot that was more than just a place to get soul food favorites. 

Vick’s was a lively gathering place where people from all walks of life hung out, listened to music, showed off stylish cars and even bought and sold sneakers in the parking lot.  

When the restaurant opened on Rowan Street in the late ‘50s, it was one of the few in Fayetteville that served Black patrons despite Jim Crow laws that prohibited Black residents from patronizing white restaurants, author Connie Boykin told The Fayetteville Observer in 2022. 

Related:Remembering the Black-owned establishments that fed Fayetteville in the Jim Crow era

It was popular among students from Fayetteville State, a historically Black university a mile away on Murchison Road. The restaurant was especially busy when alumni visited for homecoming weekend, the Observer reported in 2014. Vietnam veterans often congregated under an oak tree behind the restaurant, the story said. 

“Black, white, whatever, everybody loved Vick’s,” Remembering Vick’s event organizer Rakeem Jones said. “Poor, rich, military, whether you’re from the Murch’ or Haymount Hill or Greystone, that’s one thing we can agree on.” 

Vick’s closed in December 2014, as the land it once stood on was acquired by the state Department of Transportation to rebuild the Rowan Street bridge.

In the decade since then, Fayetteville has dearly missed the local landmark — but people can get a taste of Vick’s on Saturday. 

Saturday event to bring back Vick’s vibe 

This weekend, the fourth annual Remembering Vick’s event aims to bring back some of the magic of the restaurant. 

Held with the Black Excellence Reunion at Festival Park, meals inspired by the former Vick’s menu will be served at $10 each. Each plate includes a choice of meat, two sides and a drink. 

Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, ribs, fried fish, chitlins, rice and gravy, greens, cabbage, yams, fries, rolls and white bread are on the menu. Extra servings of meat are $5 and extra sides are $3. 

The event is free to attend. Raeford’s DJ Yodo will be on the turntables and festivities include bounce houses, games and other vendors. 

“It’s a way to bring the city together,” Jones said. “Each year, it’s a vibe.” 

The details 

Date and time: 4-7 p.m. Saturday 

Address: 335 Ray Ave. 

On the web: Organizer Rakeem Jones’ Facebook page or search “Black Excellence Reunion” on Facebook 

Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.