Now That His Burgers Are Nationally Famous, Al Bowers Looks Back on the Shack That Almost Wasn’t

Posted Jul 3, 2019
With lines that regularly stretch out the front door, down the two-step staircase, and along the West Franklin Street sidewalk in Chapel Hill, students, locals, and visitors have known for years what review aggregator TripAdvisor announced: Al's Burger Shack slings the best burger in America, specifically its sloppy, delicious Bobo Chili Cheeseburger. (Indy Week)

Related: Campus Connections

UNC move-in photo from the past stirs up big emotions, especially for parents
August brings the annual ritual of college freshmen leaving home to move into college dorms. Digging through the archives, I was struck by this 1997...
Tue Aug 25, 2026

To UNC's Freshmen — Trust Your Gut
You may or may not know your major. You may or may not stick with your original choice of study. A freshman at Stanford joined...
Sun Aug 23, 2026

These UNC summer camps bring the wow
Oooohs from kids crouching eye-to-eye with a praying mantis or studying salamanders in a creek. Aaaahs of children holding a space rock or trying to...
Sat Aug 22, 2026

Tar Heels in the know give Dublin tips
Dr. Sinéad Loughran spent four years away from her native Dublin to attend UNC and play field hockey. Senior Wilson Weingast spent a semester studying...
Fri Aug 21, 2026