919-416-3823
OPEN DAILY 6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Open for DINE IN (mask required), TO-GO and CARSIDE. Current Hours: Sun & Mon 7:30am-2:30pm, Tues-Sat 7:30am-8:30pm
776 9th StreetDurham NC 27705
Open for DINE IN (mask required), TO-GO and CARSIDE. Current Hours: Sun & Mon 7:30am-2:30pm, Tues-Sat 7:30am-8:30pm
776 9th StreetWe’re all aware of the COVID-19 concerns we’re facing as a community, and we want you to know the precautions we’re taking to ensure the safety of our customers and staff.
Restaurants are already very closely monitored for health and cleanliness by the Durham Department of Health, and we are working closely with them to stay up to date with any new developments and/or procedures we need to implement. Just like the rest of Durham, we are wearing masks and gloves, and will be making every effort to stay at least six feet away from customers and from each other. CUSTOMERS visiting Elmo’s for Dine-in ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS. Of course you get to take it off to eat at your table, but while moving through the restaurant including visiting the restrooms, you need to have your mask on. We would appreciate it greatly if you would wear your mask at all times when a staff member might be at your table (like taking your order, delivering your beverage or food). These are the times when we have to come closer than 6 feet). We have spread out our tables and are operating at 50% capacity, but there are still spots and times where you could end up less that 6 feet from another customer or staff member. REMEMBER: Masks are worn to prevent spread of Covid to other people, so when you don’t wear a mask, you may unknowingly put staff members at risk.
We have deep cleaned the dining room and the kitchen, and are following strict cleaning and sanitizing procedures throughout preparation and service–for example, we will sanitize anything a customer touches, like a pen or credit card machine, before another customer touches it.
We have never allowed employees to work if sick, but we are especially vigilant about this now. We will be checking employee wellness at the beginning of each day, including taking their temperatures and checking for visual signs of illness. No one will be permitted to work sick.
We are currently offering Dine-in and Carside service. You are also welcome to just place a regular to-go order and come inside to pick it up. The difference between Carside and To-go being just whether we bring it out to your car or not. Please be respectful of the Carside only spaces marked in our parking lot beyond the handicap ramp. We need to reserve those for Carside so our staff isn’t crossing the lot looking for cars–which both slows us down and puts them at greater risk.
We still need to limit our menu to our most popular items in order to keep inventory low and products fresh at our reduced volume. Our modified menu is available online here and you can expect it to change and be updated as customer volume and inventory supply improves. Let us know if you’re really missing something that we’re not currently making ! We will also be paying attention to what folks are ordering–keep coming by to order your favorites so they stick around!
New expanded hours beginning Aug 3 are: Mon 7:30am-2:30pm, Tues-Sat 7:30am-8:30pm and Sun 7:30am-2:30pm. Our most up-to-date hours are generally posted to our Facebook page first, but we will also try to keep things updated here.
We are excited about the opportunity to serve you some of your favorite comfort foods again! Thank you for all your continued support, words of encouragement and patience as we made adjustments to help serve you more safely.
Elmo’s Diner has been a local Durham favorite for more than twenty years, with the vast majority of our business being repeat customers. You are our friends and our neighbors, and we want you to feel good about eating at Elmo’s. We pride ourselves on giving friendly, efficient service and on serving fresh, delicious food – like you would make at home if you had the time! We don’t use mixes or “instant” meals. Desserts and soups are made from scratch too–some folks even call on a regular basis to find out if their favorite cobbler is the special that day!
Like a true family diner, we have comfy booths, but also tables and lots of boosters and high chairs for your little ones. We have raised a lot of our young regular customers (and even some employees) from scratch too! When your family comes to town, we want you to be excited to bring them to YOUR local diner. You don’t have to be “a regular” to eat at Elmo’s, but we will try hard to make you one!