{"id":3040,"date":"2026-06-23T04:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T04:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3040"},"modified":"2026-06-23T04:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T04:08:17","slug":"longtime-leader-of-raleighs-oldest-restaurant-dies-at-age-68","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3040","title":{"rendered":"Longtime leader of Raleigh\u2019s oldest restaurant dies at age 68"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"summary\">AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article280707640.html\">Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Paul Dombalis, the longtime leader and owner of Raleigh\u2019s oldest restaurant, died on Thursday, June 18. He was 68.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3039\">RHORI&#8217;s Rulla Pontarelli Shows Nose Job and Lip Lift Results During Reunion<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dombalis was the third-generation owner and operator of The Mecca, the diner-style restaurant that\u2019s been a staple in Raleigh since 1930. The restaurant was founded by his grandparents Nick and Helen Dombalis and then operated by his parents John and Floye.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Dombalis started working at The Mecca at 11 years old and eventually took it over in 1990, operating it until 2018 when it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/article212113984.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">sold to downtown Raleigh restaurateur Greg Hatem<\/a>. After selling the restaurant, Paul retired to Kure Beach, his family said.<\/p>\n<p>Dombalis\u2019 death was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dignitymemorial.com\/obituaries\/raleigh-nc\/paul-dombalis-12936171\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">announced in an obituary by his family<\/a>. No cause of death was shared.<\/p>\n<p>There is no more iconic Raleigh restaurant than The Mecca, which spent decades hosting and feeding the city\u2019s lawmakers, judges and downtown workers.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3037\">Orange County Commissioner Bedford dies at 67 from complications after surgery<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Paul Dombalis grew up in the restaurant, first operating the two-story dumbwaiter. At 20, he started working in his parents\u2019 restaurant full-time and a decade or so later took it over himself.<\/p>\n<p>As its steward, Paul Dombalis added beloved dishes like San Francisco Chicken, a baked broccoli dish, and lasagna.<\/p>\n<p>Since John Dombalis died in 2002, Paul worked alongside his mother Floye for years, crediting her with the restaurant\u2019s bookkeeping while he ran the kitchen. The pair were a popular fixture in the restaurant, greeting the steady flow of customers and regulars nestled in the booths and barstools. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/food-drink\/article274319780.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">Floye Dombalis died in 2023<\/a> at age 96.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPaul\u2019s legacy lives on in the countless meals shared at The Mecca, the genuine friendships formed across its lunch counter, and the enduring example he set through a lifetime of service and remarkable chapter in Raleigh\u2019s history,\u201d the Dombalis family said in an obituary. \u201cHis family is eternally grateful for his selflessness and devotion as he kept the restaurant running.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3036\">Where to watch UNC\u2019s College World Series winner-takes-all Game 3 in Chapel Hill<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"summary gray\">This story was originally published <span class=\"inline-block\">June 22, 2026 at 2:40 PM<span>.<\/span><\/span><!-- --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Dombalis, third-generation owner of The Mecca in Raleigh, died at 68. He ran the iconic diner for decades and retired to Kure Beach after selling it in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Longtime leader of Raleigh\u2019s oldest restaurant dies at age 68 - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3040\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Longtime leader of Raleigh\u2019s oldest restaurant dies at age 68 - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Paul Dombalis, third-generation owner of The Mecca in Raleigh, died at 68. 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