Fayetteville's Black Spaces: Good food, better vibes at now-shuttered Vick's Drive-In

A decade ago, Fayetteville lost an iconic restaurant and the city's Black residents lost an important Murchison Road gathering space when the beloved Vick's Drive-In closed in 2014.

Vick's, like many Greek-owned restaurants at the time, was one of the few white-owned restaurants in the city that allowed Black patrons when it first opened in 1957. Since its closure in 2014, no other Black community gathering spot has been able to fill the hole left by Vick's.

Fayetteville's historically Black Murchison Road

Murchison Road, a historically Black area in Fayetteville, stretches south from Fort Liberty to downtown Fayetteville. Lately, there has been a lot of discussion among city leaders and residents about the future of Murchison and the relocation of E.E. Smith High School.

Many of the area’s residents want to retain the heritage and legacy of the corridor, while others look forward to expansion projects like the Murchison Choice Neighborhood Plan. Most recently, construction began on a new Chick-fil-A location in Bronco Midtown across from Fayetteville State University.

Just a mile down the road, at the intersection of Murchison Road and West Rowan Street, is where Vick’s Drive-In, once sat.

Good food, great service

In February 1957, Victor Parrous and George Skenteris, Greek immigrants, opened the restaurant with the notion of good food and great service. The menu featured notable dishes such as fried pork chop sandwiches, sausage dogs, collard greens and hamburger steak. However, the most renowned dish on the menu was the chitterlings, or “chitlins.” The dish could be ordered separately, with side dishes, or on bread (named a Wrinkle Sandwich).

Customers traveled from all over to pack into the small carry-out establishment. When Vick’s closed in 2014, loyal customers stopped by for a plate and to see people like William “B.B.” Brown and faces like Pamela Freeman behind the counter taking their orders.

Freeman worked at Vick’s for 30 years and was there on the last day taking orders.

“The food and the people,” Freeman recalled when asked what made Vick’s special to the Black community, “It was always a good vibe."

The owners and the manager, Bill Thigpen, are held in high regard among employees and community members.

In the early days, Vick’s was a hangout for Fayetteville State University and E.E. Smith High School students. Soldiers from then-Fort Bragg would crowd the indoor space during lunchtime. Some nights, DJs like Bill Bowser would be in a booth on top of Vick’s playing the latest music while people ate and socialized in the parking lot.

Fayetteville State homecoming was always a busy time for the restaurant. Students and residents crowded the parking lot and indoor space. Alumni ensured that Vick’s was a scheduled stop during their visit.

However, the N.C. Department of Transportation acquired the property and demolished the restaurant, along with other nearby properties, to make way for a rerouting of the Rowan Street bridge.

At the time of its closing, 87-year-old Virginia Parrous, wife of the late Victor Parrous, contemplated finding a new location but was unsuccessful. Virginia died in 2020.

Legacy of Vick's

The old Vick’s location is a now grassy field that sits in the shadow of the bridge and Segra Stadium. Many residents agree there will never be another Vick’s Drive-In.

Longtime resident Jimmy Harvey, 74, said that at Vick's, Black people were welcomed unlike many other places in the South in the years before the Civil Rights movement.

“Well, we really didn't have another place to go," Harvey said. "There were places like Steve’s Tower down on Gillespie, but we really weren't accepted down there. There were a few other places, too, but this was still a time when segregation was the rule of the land."

Harvey remembered Vick's as a place where with good food and where people could show off their cars.

“Won’t be another Vick’s; times have changed," Harvey said. The culture is not the same. Got to remember this was an area where in certain places, (Black people) weren’t welcome. There are places to go eat and sit down. But, you have to remember there was only one major place where the soldiers felt comfortable to go, college students feltcomfortable to go, the high school students felt comfortable to go ... you can go anywhere now. People have more choices, (and) everyone won’t be hanging around only one place like Vick’s."

They didn't just come for the food, they came for the camaraderie. Plus, Vick's was the only place where you could buy a pair of shoes from James “Shoe Man” Monroe, CDs and DVDs, and cologne and perfume, while your food was being prepared.

Remembering Vick's

There is a free annual event in Fayetteville held to honor the legacy of Vick’s Drive-In, organized by this author. Each year, in July, people gather for Remembering Vick’s, featuring Vick’s dishes along with art, entertainment and vendors.

Victor and Virginia Parrous' daughter, Fay Parrous Angelo, expressed her appreciation for the Remembering Vick’s event.

“I’m sure my dad and mom will be there in spirit. Vick’s Drive-In was my dad’s pride and joy and he would be so honored that this is happening. We were all saddened when Vick’s was torn down," she said in an email when she heard about the event.

Salute to Mr. Vick, Mrs. Vick and every activist getting active. Peace.

Rakeem “Keem” Jones is a community advocate and father of three from the Shaw Road/Bonnie Doone area of Fayetteville. He can be reached at keemj45@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Vick's Drive-In was important to Black community in Fayetteville, NC