Beloved Glenwood South restaurant has closed

The Rockford opened in 1994 in Glenwood South in downtown Raleigh.

Posted 4:15 p.m. Jan 20, 2023 — Updated 4:34 p.m. Jan 20, 2023

Kathy Hanrahan

, WRAL lifestyle editor

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Glenwood South staple has closed its doors.

Triangle Downtowner Magazine was the first to report the news of The Rockford's closure. The announcement was made via a press release Friday morning.

The Rockford was the first restaurant and bar to open in Glenwood South. It opened at 320-1/2 Glenwood Ave. in 1994. It became known for its sandwiches. For 20 years, the restaurant was known as a hidden gem with only signage on its door.

In 2014, a large iconic large painted sign added to its exterior was an issue with the City of Raleigh, which claimed the owners didn't get a permit for the paintings. As of January 2023, the signage remains on the building.

The Rockford fights to keep its signs

The restaurant changed ownership in 2019.

The press release hinted that "options to properly preserve and honor The Rockford’s memory are being explored."

"The owners have been exploring options for the future, and as of yet are still developing any concepts that they hope to share in the upcoming months," Meg Alexios, who is representing the owners, told WRAL. "Anything they've committed to has been in the interest of honoring and immortalizing The Rockford. In immediacy, that looks like coordinating donations of non-perishables with soup kitchens and food banks. There are certainly other measures to appropriately commemorating such an iconic place being explored."

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