A ‘Simple Twist’ Of Fate Coming To Dunn

By Robert Jordan
Dunn Daily Record

DUNN – “Brought on by a simple twist of fate,” Dunn’s newest restaurant announced customers should see meals being served by year’s end.

Simple Twist, a true mom and pop operation has piqued Johnston County food tastes since 2014, and now the family restaurant is coming to Dunn.

Simple Twist is owned and operated by Nathan and Colleen Roby. Nathan Roby is the chain’s executive chef. His wife, Colleen Roby, is in charge of administrative affairs. The chain is presently comprised of restaurant locations in Garner, Clayton and Smithfield.

Chef Nathan Roby, born in Ohio, was the executive chef for Bahama Breeze. He opened his first restaurant, TerraFin Station, with business partners in 2010.

Colleen Roby, originally from New York and a graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam, was a high school Spanish teacher before leaving that vocation to join her husband.

The Robys have been married for 15 years and have lived in North Carolina for more than 20 years. The couple has one daughter, who will attend Cleveland High School in the fall, and three dogs (“all rescue mutts”).

The “simple twist of fate” occurred when the Robys disagreed with their business partners at TerraFin Station, resulting in a separation from the business. Having a little girl at home, the Robys were anxious about what to do next.

With seed money from their family, the Robys ventured forward on their own.

Colleen Roby’s father came down from New York to take care of the renovations on their first location.

“The community was so supportive when we opened Simple Twist,” she said.

And with that “simple twist of fate” the down-and-out loss at TerraFin morphed into a successful venture with its fourth location coming soon.

The first location opened in June 2014 in the Forty-two Forty Plaza in Garner. It was followed by a restaurant in Smithfield which opened in May 2015. The third location opened in Clayton in December 2017. The Robys opened their new stand-alone location in Garner in July 2020.

Tilghman and Company, an organization with Dunn roots, built the current Garner location for Simple Twist. During a conversation with the Robys, Tilghman officials suggested building another stand-alone location for Dunn on property held by the Tilghman family located at the corner of Lehmon and Cumberland streets.

“We came to Dunn and looked at the site during different times of day,” said Colleen Roby. “We realized that this was a high traffic area and Dunn did not seem to have a restaurant similar to what we offer. So, we took the plunge and are very excited about this next step.”

Interesting facts about Simple Twist include fresh local foods. “We try to provide farm-to-table as much as possible,” she said.

The new Dunn location will look very similar to the restaurant’s current Garner site, with a private party room for up to 30 guests and full alcohol permits. The patio seating area will be dog friendly. Lunch and dinner menus will be available every day, including a Sunday brunch menu. Catering services will also be available.

With a fluctuating construction schedule, opening by year’s end is tentative; however, people interested in joining the Simple Twist team can already apply for employment online at simpletwistnc.com.