Craig Spitzer and Craig Shipley want to invite you to their place for a cocktail and a cozy dinner.

The two men are co-founders of the hospitality company Early Bird Night Owl, and their place just happens to be downtown Cary’s only boutique hotel.

In June 2020, Early Bird Night Owl partnered with several local investors and developers to buy The Mayton Inn out of bankruptcy. Those partners include Bill Zahn of Triangle Real Estate and lead developer of The Walker project; George Jordan III of Northwoods Associates; and Jordan Gussenhoven of Chatham Street Commercial, developer of Chatham Walk.

Mayton guests will appreciate the bold colors in the rooms.

“Having partners who are deeply invested in the community really is tremendous to us and tremendous for the community,” Spitzer said.

The 45-room Cary hotel was soon rebranded as The Mayton, and Spitzer and Shipley got to work. As Early Bird Night Owl was already managing The Durham, a 53-room boutique hotel in Durham, the two men had experience creating a community gathering place.

“As we got to know Cary,” Spitzer said, “its downtown is less of an urban place of commerce and more of a bedroom community. We really felt like we could lean into this idea of it having a very residential feel, a sort of place where people feel at home.”

Hotel guests can borrow bikes and helmets.

Peck & Plume

That guiding principle of comfort and familiarity extended to their choice of executive chef for the hotel restaurant, now known as Peck & Plume. Steve Zanini worked at the Cary hotel from 2017 to 2019 and is happy to be back.

“I think with the changes that these guys have made, they’re trying to do the right things. That’s how it was before; we really saw a lot of opportunity here at the hotel,” Zanini said.

Shrimp and grits with mushrooms,
asparagus and smoked tomatoes

Peck & Plume has new tables, flooring, seating and lighting to create warm, inviting spaces — both inside and outside. In particular, the chef appreciates having the renovated patio as an extension of the dining room.

The menu was also tweaked, expanding beyond Southern cuisine to include international influences, which fit the Cary community. Menu highlights include: Indo chile shrimp with sambal, roasted cauliflower with harissa hummus, a grilled pork chop with tamarind and baked field peas, and chicken breast with black lentils and tomato tadka.

Inspired by Indian flavors, Zanini’s tadka includes tomatoes, lentils, onions, olives and capers. “I had a couple in the other night, an Indian couple, and they asked if the chef was Indian, because they really liked it that much,” he said.

Craig Spitzer, left, and Craig Shipley, are co-owners of The Mayton and founders of Early Bird Night Owl, a hospitality management company.

Zanini’s philosophy is always to get the best ingredients possible for the price, sourcing locally when he can. He aims for an “everyday kind of dining experience, so people feel comfortable coming here two to three times a week and not break your wallet.”

Comfort & Convenience

That theme of comfort also shows up in the aesthetic changes at The Mayton.

The patio was renovated, stabilizing the loose bricks and adding umbrellas and comfortable weatherproof furniture.

As an example, Spitzer says there used to be Adirondack chairs on the front porch. They were attractive, but uncomfortable to sit in and difficult to get out of. Now there are several full-sized white rocking chairs, still full of front-porch flair, but much more comfortable.

“From a design and an aesthetic standpoint, the personal and thoughtful touch points throughout your entire experience on the property, that’s something that we take a lot of time assessing and looking at,” Shipley said.

From the custom wallpaper, which features native bird species, to the light fixtures in the dining room, crafted to look like nests, many design details are inspired by the hotel’s proximity to the seven-acre Downtown Cary Park, due to be completed in 2023.

City Garden Design in downtown Cary maintains the many plants, which echo the nature motif in the custom wallpaper.

The two men say the park will be a regional, iconic destination that will bring people to downtown who might not have come before.

“I think it’s really going to be a draw, a really wide-reaching draw that will be to the betterment of the overall community by bringing other people in and opening their eyes to what Cary has to offer,” said Spitzer.

“You couldn’t ask for a better backyard,” he said. “it’s going to be beautiful and will definitely be bringing a lot more folks to our doorstep.”

Some of those people will likely be business travelers from Epic Games, Apple and other companies — folks who are looking for more than the airport hotel experience.

“To be able to come downtown, and have this very walkable tree-lined street and breweries and restaurants and shops, cafes, the park, at a unique curated hotel experience, we think it’s really going to help elevate business travel for downtown Cary,” Spitzer said.

He also sees The Mayton as an amenity for current downtown businesses, a beacon for businesses considering locating in downtown Cary, and a draw for people thinking about moving downtown.

Watered Garden Florists create the large entryway arrangements.

“To be able to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, meeting spaces, places for your out-of-town guests, all those things are enhancements to the various other things that are percolating around here,” Spitzer said.

“We think it’s going to be more about people looking to enjoy what is happening in downtown Cary.”

More From Our Nov-Dec 2021 Issue

• Nonprofit Spotlight: Cary Community Choir
• An Expectation of Excellence
• Small Business Spotlight: Cardiacs Sports & Memorabilia
• Holiday Traditions
• Things to Do: November/December 2021
• Heavenly Holiday Delights
• Make Some Merry
• Welcome Back to The Mayton
• Liquid Assets: Chemistree Wee Heavy from The Glass Jug Beer Lab
• Garden Adventurer: The Temptation of Tulips