With addition of burger restaurant, a unique gas station near RDU is now complete

The opening of a new burger restaurant on Friday marks the completion of one of the Triangle’s most unusual gas stations.

Wayback Burgers is the final restaurant to open in the food court of the RDU Galleria off Aviation Parkway near Raleigh-Durham International Airport. There’s also a Pizza Hut, Which Wich, a Mexican restaurant, a coffee bar serving Gloria Jean’s, a convenience store and another bar serving wine and beer from 24 taps.

Out front are 16 Shell gas pumps under a long, curving canopy, while upstairs are two floors of office space, almost all of which is now under lease, said Kishor Kaneria, whose family created the RDU Galleria. Kaneria says he knows of no place else in the country with a gas station, convenience store, food court and office building under one roof.

The food court includes seating for about 90 people inside and 60 outside and has digital screens that show the status of arriving and departing flights at RDU.

The galleria has been in the works since 2017 when the family bought the site. After designing the project and getting permits, construction began in March 2019 but was slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The gas station and convenience store opened late this spring, with the restaurants coming on line in stages since then.

The Wayback Burgers is the sixth in North Carolina for the Connecticut-based chain, with a seventh coming to Wake Forest.

The company refers to the restaurant as Wayback Burgers of Morrisville, because the RDU Galleria has a Morrisville mailing address. But the building is actually in Cary, which is why Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht is expected to take part in the grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday.

The RDU Galleria at 1550 Aviation Parkway opens as the nearby Sheetz gas station and convenience store is closed for a complete overhaul. The company demolished the 16-year-old building and expects to open a slightly larger, reconfigured one by the end of November.