Saturday, July 14, 2012

Former Brookhaven Pizza Joint Becoming New Eatery

Who
Atlanta-based Willy's Mexicana Grill is on a growth spurt.  After adding a location  in the Petit Science Center at GSU last year and another in Midtown Place on Ponce earlier this year, Willy's willnow open in Brookaven.

Willy's will open in the former Elwood's Pizza, which despite a cult following of sorts, closed this past May.

Where
The area around Cherokee Plaza has seen its fair share of local headlines lately.  The former Keller Willams at the corner of Colonial Drive and Peachtree Road was slated to be a new Walgreens but that seems in doubt at this point.  Keller Williams relocated to TOWN Brookhaven last year, leaving its prime corner location on the market.  Given Brookhaven's new building requirments with limited upfront parking and size limitations, Walgreens future on the site is in doubt. 

Chase Bank and Chick-fil-A both expressed  interest in opening new locations on the former Hastings parcel across the street from the shopping center. The two businesses were to be located side by side, but from what I understand, Chase has since withdrawn from the picture, having been denied a variance to the area's special (shallow) 20' setback requirement.  Chick-fil-A may still be interested, but its unclear what effect, if any, Chase's difficulties will have on them.

Competitors
Athens-based Barberitos is finally entering the metro area with a restaurant expected to open in The Peach Shopping Center on Peachtree Road next week.  The restaurant will be located on the south end of the center, near Party City.  Another location is in development at The Prado on Roswell Road, scheduled to open by year end.  I spoke with a Barberitos employee recently who expressed their desire to get a location in Brookhaven, likely made more difficult by Willy's opening.

With new chains like Lime Fresh coming to town and older, more establsihed chains like Baja Fresh coming back to town, where does your burrito allegiance lie?  Do you prefer local joints like Bell Street Burritos or national burrito brands like Chipotle or Atlanta-born Moe's?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.  


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5 comments:

SB said...

Willy's!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have been patiently waiting for a Willy's to open in Brookhaven for years! Moe's having been the only choice (yuck), I was getting tired of making the seemingly long drive down Windsor Pkwy to get to the Willy's on Roswell Rd. So excited about this.

Anonymous said...

Awesome-tastic news !

Elwoods was kinda wearing thin. This is a much better lunch/dinner option for that spot.

Great news. Thx.

G.G. said...

I do prefer Barberito's to Willy's, but I'd rather have Bell Street than either of them!

Anonymous said...

Moe's Rules

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