Thirsty Dog Tavern Runs Dry in South Buckhead

The Thirsty Dog Tavern at Bennett Street and Peachtree Road in south Buckhead closed earlier this week. The restaurant's Facebook page had not been updated since late October and phone goes unanswered but no official statement had been made on the part of the restaurant that I'm aware of.

The restaurant opened last March and was owned by a group of investors including Tony LaRocco, who previously operated Fratelli di Napoli not far away. Prior to the restaurants opening as the Thirsty Dog Tavern, the same investors operated an Italian restaurant called VITA in the same space and before that it was one of the original Mick's restaurants in town.

I would say it's surprising the restaurant closed, but it's really not. An ideal location, good amount of parking but a mediocre concept and hit or miss food will not keep a place in business. While I was told a business license snafu may have lead to the closure, I gotta think the restaurant's poor performance was at least a contributing factor to its closure. While I've heard talk of reopening the space as VITA, perhaps something other than a restaurant in best for that space now. A great patio would be wasted but given the glut of restaurants in the area, perhaps its time for something new.

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