The Root Trackside, a fixture of downtown Elon's dining scene since 2011, will close its doors on October 30. Owners Lynn Terrell and Chris Brumbaugh announced the news in a social media post, calling the decision bittersweet after 15 years in business.
The couple, both 1997 Elon graduates, opened The Root in the space at 110 West Lebanon Avenue that once housed Sidetrack Grill, the iconic student hangout where they both worked as undergraduates in the 1990s, according to Elon University. Before returning to North Carolina to launch the restaurant in July 2011, Terrell and Brumbaugh had been living in Denver, Colorado, working as an interior designer and an event planner, the university's account notes, having left those careers behind to come back to their alma mater's downtown corridor. When they took over the old Sidetrack space, they deliberately kept some of that restaurant's most beloved dishes on the new menu, including its signature island chicken wrap, a move detailed by RoamRecs as a way to preserve culinary continuity for longtime college patrons.
As reported by Elon News Network, the closing announcement racked up more than 200 likes and 90 comments within an hour of posting on Tuesday. In that post, Terrell and Brumbaugh described the restaurant industry and broader economy as having been “putting up a fight,” and they asked customers to come by and order their favorite dish one more time before the end of October. The two encouraged regulars to visit during the coming weeks, and the restaurant plans to hold a grand closing before it shuts for good.
A Second Downtown Spot Stays Open
While The Root Trackside is closing, Terrell and Brumbaugh aren't leaving West Lebanon Avenue. The pair also own Tangent Eat + Bar, a fast-casual spot specializing in Southwestern and Asian-fusion tacos that they opened at 116 West Lebanon Avenue in the summer of 2015, according to the report from Elon News Network's coverage of the area's dining scene. That restaurant sits just doors down from The Root's location and will remain in operation after The Root closes.
West Lebanon Avenue functions as a key commercial strip directly adjacent to Elon University's campus, and it's also home to neighboring establishments like MaGerk's Pub & Grill at 138 West Lebanon Avenue, per Elon University. The Town of Elon earned official North Carolina Main Street Community status in July 2018, a designation meant to support small business retention and commercial revitalization across its eight-block downtown district, according to the Town of Elon.
A Town Shaped by Its University
Elon's roughly 6,000 permanent residents share their small town with about 6,000 Elon University students each academic year, a seasonal swing that heavily influences foot traffic for local restaurants, Elon News Network has reported. That dynamic isn't new to The Root Trackside. During North Carolina's Phase 2 COVID-19 reopening in July 2020, the town converted parking spots along the train tracks into temporary outdoor picnic seating so restaurants like The Root could keep serving customers under capacity restrictions at the time.
The closure also lands amid broader financial strain across North Carolina's restaurant industry. Foodservice and drinking establishments statewide employed 432,400 workers as of July 2026 and generated $2.39 billion in taxable monthly restaurant sales in May 2026, according to the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. Despite that scale, the association's 2026 economic reporting points to persistent pressure from rising labor costs, inflation, insurance premiums, utility increases, and supply chain expenses — the same kinds of headwinds Terrell and Brumbaugh referenced when describing the fight facing restaurants and the economy at large.
For now, the countdown is on. The Root Trackside plans to stay open through late October, giving loyal customers roughly two months to return for one more order of the dishes that have defined the corner of downtown Elon for 15 years.
