Yesterday we featured a deal from the fine folks at Momydaddydeals.com. Today there is another head-turning local deal on the net, Hector’s . Located in the food court at Crabtree, Hector’s has some of the best Mediterranean food you’ll find. Their hummus and tabouli are the best in the Triangle (and it isn’t even close), and their chicken marinade is among the best. Also excellent is the Greek Salad which is generously covered in feta cheese.

Those who went to UNC might have had experience with Hector’s, but this is different. Hector’s began at the corner of Franklin and Henderson Streets in Chapel Hill by Zach Galifianakis’ uncle. One of his employees from the early days was a Lebanese student who worked his way through college at Hector’s. At that point Mr. Galifinakis had already expanded the concept to Georgetown, and was eager to grow the concept. So, for graduation, he gave Walid the rights to a Hector’s franchise in Raleigh. The first location for the store was in the lower level front entrance of Crabtree, just to the right of where the Kanki’s mall entrance is. In the early 1980’s Crabtree converted some meeting space and a few stores into the mall’s first food court. At that point Sadak moved the restaurant from its large, isolated space to the new court. This also was the time where Sadak sought a more formal Mediterranean dining experience, and opened Sadak’s on Hillsborough Street (in the location where the Q Shack was). This was a delicious restaurant where Sadak was able to expand his menu beyond the Hero, skewers, and burgers. After a year or so Sadak’s closed, and some of the menu items were incorporated into the Raleigh Hector’s experience. By that time the Chapel Hill Hector’s had really become a greasy dive, frequently getting sub-90 sanitation scores. Ever since that era the two experiences have been vastly different, with the Chapel Hill Hector’s being more of a late-night grub spot and the Raleigh restaurant being one of the best fast-casual dining experiences around.

Don’t be confused! This is one of the best dining bargains the Triangle has ever seen. Currently the deal offers a $14 gift certificate for $8. The deal doesn’t expire until Halloween, so load up. The deal is only offered today (6/15).