Custom Merch for Restaurants and Bars in Durham, NC
Merch Mob makes kitchen shirts, front-of-house uniforms, and staff hats for restaurants and bars in Durham, NC, at its shop in Montclair, CA, and ships them to Durham. Durham has more young adults than North Carolina as a whole, with 30% of residents aged 18 to 34 against 23% statewide and 23% nationally (Census ACS, 2020-2024), so a retail tee with a bold design should find buyers among regulars.
Durham by the numbers
Durham has grown to 305,561 residents, up 7.6% since 2020 (Census estimates).
Durham County has 269 full-service restaurants with paid employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). That is 7.7 for every 10,000 residents, slightly above the national figure of 7.6. 43% of them employ fewer than 10 people; the rest are larger operations. The count is up 8% from 248 in 2018.
It also has 45 bars and other drinking places with paid employees. That is 1.3 for every 10,000 residents, slightly above the national figure of 1.2. 47% of them employ fewer than 10 people; the rest are larger operations. The count is up 22% from 37 in 2018.
Durham spans 3 counties. The business figures are for Durham County, home to nearly all of its residents.
Durham County as a whole has 347,240 residents, up 6.9% since 2020. Durham County has one full-service restaurant for every 1,290 residents.
- Population, 2025
- 305,561
- Since 2020
- +7.6%
- Main county
- Durham County
- Full-service restaurants in Durham County, 2023
- 269
- Per 10,000 county residents
- 7.7 (US 7.6)
- Bars and other drinking places in Durham County, 2023
- 45
- Per 10,000 county residents
- 1.3 (US 1.2)
- Time zone
- Eastern
- Median age
- 35.1 (US 38.9)
- Residents aged 18 to 34
- 30% (US 23%)
- Warmest month, average high
- July, 87°F
- Coldest month, average low
- January, 28°F
- Days at 90°F or hotter, a year
- 40
- Nights at 32°F or colder, a year
- 84
- Rain, a year
- 49 in
- USPS zone from the shop
- 8
Weather: Durham station, 6 mi from Durham's center (NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals). People: Census ACS 2020-2024. Counts: CBP 2023, by county, paid-employee establishments. Population: Census, July 2025.
What Durham's weather means for restaurants and bars
July is the warmest month, and about 40 days a year reach 90°F or more, so summer patio staff need a breathable tee or polo, and the cooks need the lightest durable blend. Patio heaters and staff layers come out from November to March, when average highs fall under 65°F; that is also the season for a retail hoodie at the register. The switch is abrupt here: every month's average high is either 70°F or more or under 65°F, so plan the staff kit and the retail shelf around two seasons, not four. Closing staff step into freezing air on about 84 nights a year, so a lined hoodie or jacket with the logo makes a practical staff gift for the holidays. June is the rainy peak, around 5.2 inches, so give patio and delivery staff a dark layer that hides splashes and dries fast.
| Month in Durham | Average high | Average low | Rain (in) | What staff and regulars wear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 28°F | 4 | Staff hoodies and retail fleece |
| February | 53°F | 30°F | 2.9 | Staff hoodies and retail fleece |
| March | 61°F | 37°F | 4.5 | Staff hoodies and retail fleece |
| April | 70°F | 46°F | 3.7 | Staff tees and retail tees |
| May | 77°F | 55°F | 3.8 | Staff tees and retail tees |
| June | 83°F | 64°F | 5.2 | Staff tees and retail tees |
| July | 87°F | 69°F | 4.2 | Light blended staff tees and caps |
| August | 85°F | 67°F | 5.2 | Light blended staff tees and caps |
| September | 79°F | 61°F | 4.7 | Staff tees and retail tees |
| October | 70°F | 48°F | 3.4 | Staff tees and retail tees |
| November | 60°F | 37°F | 3.7 | Staff hoodies and retail fleece |
| December | 52°F | 32°F | 3.3 | Staff hoodies and retail fleece |
Made in So Cal, shipped to Durham.
Orders ship to Durham from the shop; there is no office or pickup point in North Carolina.
Durham is about 2,185 miles from Merch Mob's shop in Montclair, CA, a straight-line distance. From the shop's ZIP code, Durham is USPS zone 8. Durham is on Eastern time, 3 hours ahead of the shop's Pacific time.
Nearby cities with their own pages: Raleigh (18 mi).
From the production floor
Merch Mob production in Southern California.
Ordering from Durham
When do patio staff in Durham need a warmer layer?
Whenever highs fall below 65°F, which here means from November to March; January nights average at or below freezing, so the layer for late patio shifts should be a real hoodie or jacket, not a long-sleeve tee.
More for Durham
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