SALISBURY — Go Burrito is hiring.
The much-anticipated new downtown restaurant, which will have the first rooftop bar in Salisbury, received the prized Certificate of Occupancy from Rowan County on Thursday. Owner Mikey Wetzel said he still has some loose ends to tie up, but the restaurant is 99 percent complete.
The county’s nod means Go Burrito, a two-story restaurant that occupies the former Carousel Cafe at 115 W. Fisher St., can start hiring, training and cooking.
Wetzel said he still needs to install the salsa bar, tabletops and some minor equipment, then will pursue final health and ABC permits. He is shooting for a mid-February opening.
When the weather warms, Go Burrito will offer the rooftop bar, as well as an outside patio.
Wetzel has struggled to open the restaurant for more than a year and was vocal about the difficulty he encountered with the construction permitting process. Go Burrito became a prime example of the frustration of developers who want to reuse old buildings in downtown Salisbury.
Since Wetzel started his project, Rowan County has revamped its building code enforcement department to be more business-friendly and help developers find safe but creative ways to rehabilitate vacant buildings.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.