TV Restaurants

What Happened to University Grill? (Burlington, NC)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, University Grill has closed — confirmed via restaurantnews.com, June 11, 2013.

Primary source
restaurantnews.com ·
Secondary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: RestaurantNews.com reported that University Grill's owners sold the Burlington restaurant on June 10, 2013 so they could spend more time with family, ending its run under that name.

  • Season / episode Season 3, Episode 11
  • Original air date
  • Address 2437 W Webb Ave, Burlington, NC 27217

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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

University Grill, a five-year-old restaurant at 2437 West Webb Avenue in Burlington, North Carolina, appeared on Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) in an episode that aired May 23, 2012. As shown in the episode, the restaurant was owned and run by siblings Eleni Fotiou-Madren, George Fotiou, and Manny Fotiou, and family conflict among the three owners was undercutting the day-to-day running of the business alongside a tired menu and interior that no longer reflected what customers expected.

Chef Robert Irvine and his team spent two days and about ten thousand dollars reworking the dining room and menu, and pressed the siblings to sort out the roles and decision-making that had been causing friction between them, hoping a clearer structure and better communication between the three owners would let the improvements stick rather than fade once the cameras left.

The renovation brought a real bump in business: RestaurantNews.com reported that customer traffic increased after the Food Network makeover aired. But by June 2013, RestaurantNews.com and the Times-News reported that the Fotiou family had sold University Grill. Eleni Fotiou-Madren, who held a chemistry degree and had come to run the restaurant full time after being laid off from an earlier job, told the paper she was spending too much time at the restaurant and had decided that time with family mattered more than continuing to run it. The outlet reported the sale closed on Monday, June 10, 2013, with the outlet reporting the new buyers planned to open an Italian restaurant in the space.

No dated source was found confirming what business, if any, currently operates at 2437 West Webb Avenue. A Yelp listing for University Grill at that address is marked permanently closed, with an update dated May 2026, consistent with the 2013 reporting that the Fotiou family's University Grill did not continue under that name after the sale.

Featured on Restaurant: Impossible

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 11
Original air date
Episode title
University Grill
What was featured
renovation of a sibling-owned restaurant strained by family conflict
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
University Grill

Frequently asked questions

Is University Grill still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, University Grill has closed — confirmed via restaurantnews.com, June 11, 2013.

What happened to University Grill after Restaurant: Impossible?

University Grill, a five-year-old restaurant at 2437 West Webb Avenue in Burlington, North Carolina, appeared on Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) in an episode that aired May 23, 2012. As of September 2026, University Grill has closed — confirmed via restaurantnews.com, June 11, 2013.

Is University Grill permanently closed?

As of September 2026, University Grill has closed — confirmed via restaurantnews.com, June 11, 2013. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is University Grill located?

2437 W Webb Ave, Burlington, NC 27217. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured University Grill?

Season 3, Episode 11 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired May 23, 2012. The episode is titled “University Grill”.

Did the makeover last at University Grill?

The episode first aired May 23, 2012. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 14 years later —: As of September 2026, University Grill has closed — confirmed via restaurantnews.com, June 11, 2013.

Is University Grill still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?

As shown in the episode, the restaurant was owned and run by siblings Eleni Fotiou-Madren, George Fotiou, and Manny Fotiou, and family conflict among the three owners was undercutting the day-to-day running of the business alongside a tired menu and interior that no longer reflected what customers expected. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
2437 W Webb Ave, Burlington, NC 27217
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • restaurantnews.com — https://www.restaurantnews.com/after-restaurant-impossible-makeover-university-grill-sold/
  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/university-grill-burlington

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