Lee Robinson
To commemorate its golden anniversary serving the Raleigh community, the Irregardless Through the Decades dinner series will bring recipes from the beloved restaurant’s past and reimagine them with a modern twist.
The first of the throwback dinners presents a three-course prix-fixe menu of ’70s classics from shrimp cocktail and chicken à la king to pineapple upside-down cake. Reserve your spot to share in the celebration March 26 at 6:30 p.m. The celebration will spread through the whole year, with one throwback dinner each quarter.
We caught up with the owner of Irregardless, Lee Robinson, for his thoughts on the significant milestone.
Introduce yourself!
Lee Robinson, restaurant guy. I have worked at every position a restaurant has to offer in my 30-plus years in the business. Restaurants are how I paid for my tuition at NC State University. I got a degree in English, which screams restaurant career.
What has changed at Irregardless over the past five decades? What has stayed the same?
We are now an omnivorous restaurant as opposed to 100 percent vegetarian. We still go to the farmers market every week. Really the beginning and the end of our menu are the vegetables. Everything else is just a complement. Even if there’s meat on the plate, it’s there in service of the vegetables.
We also are committed to buying from other local businesses. We buy coffee roasted down the street and we serve beer brewed down the street.
We still serve the best brunch in Raleigh and offer live music in our dining room every night.
Any memorable stories that stand out from over the years?
I’ve owned the restaurant since January 2020. I knew that I had always loved Irregardless before I bought the place, but I don’t think I realized just how special it was to the community until the pandemic happened. The outpouring of support from diners, neighbors, and small-business owners was how we survived. The family that owns Logan’s Garden Center bought $1,000 in gift cards to give to their staff. One of the higher-ups in Bojangles came three nights a week for takeout and would drop off Bojangles for my staff.
During covid when we were all trying to figure out how to take care of each other, I did a “Wake County Teachers Eat for Free” night. We posted it on social media. There was a line of teachers picking up the food. The line was down to the traffic circle for an hour and a half.
The restaurant has won a number of awards. What are you most proud of?
We’ve been named best brunch, best salad, best place for vegetarians. I love that my team gets recognized for their hard work. These folks are in here day in and day out working their butts off. It’s great when the community recognizes it.
Have you really had live music EVERY night?
Yes, except for during the pandemic when the dining room was closed. We estimate that Irregardless has paid $3.5 million to local musicians over those five decades.
50 years in the restaurant industry is quite an impressive feat. What do you think helped Irregardless get there?
Irregardless has always being willing to try something new and listen to the community. If Arthur had kept the menu strictly vegetarian, I don’t know if it would still be here. He listened to the diners and created a restaurant where everyone can find something to eat on the menu. If he hadn’t had leftover seafood one Saturday night, he would’ve never done brunch. He did brunch on a lark, and next thing you know Irregardless was a brunch restaurant. Since I bought the place, we had to quickly figure out how to do takeout for a place that — until that point — had never done takeout.
How are you celebrating the 50th anniversary?
We’re going to host a private party on February 24 to celebrate. We’re inviting a lot of former and current employees, a lot of familiar faces as far as regulars and just customers who’ve been coming here for years. Of course, Arthur and Anya Gordon are coming. We’ve got the governor and the mayor coming. We’ll have a little live music, a little food, a little drink. We’ll hang out to celebrate 50 years.
What’s next for Irregardless?
We’re working toward becoming a communal, third place-type dining room. We’re looking to restart catering this year. We’re looking to become a neighborhood spot as opposed to a vegetarian destination.
