Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Boneheads to Sleep With the Fishes in Brookhaven

Boneheads stops the bleeding with planned closure in Brookhaven.

A franchised location of Atlanta-based Boneheads in Brookhaven is set to close in the coming days.  

Franchisees Ron and Nancy Moore, who both came from pharmaceutical sales after being laid off in 2009 and 2011 opened the Brookhaven location in late 2012.  Even before the restaurant opened, I questioned its opening as the brand has been in decline for many years and the food is just not all that good.  

Raving Brands (now known as Big Game Brands), the restaurant's original owner, started Boneheads in 2005 and sold the concept to Ron Barber's BH Acquisition, LLC in late 2009.  At the time of the sale, the chain consisted of eight locations with the new owners expecting the concept would take off in "multiple markets in the second half of [2010]"

25-year restaurant & hospitality industry veteran Sheri Miksa was named CEO of Boneheads in January 2013 but just four months later had stepped down.   The official reason provided at the time of her departure was Miksa left for  “new opportunities where her experience would better serve a larger food-service company.” 

Today the Boneheads restaurant network consists of nine locations in four states (including Brookhaven) with an additional three listed as "coming soon." One of the newest Boneheads to have opened is in Buckhead at the Eclipse condo building on Pharr Road.  Boneheads opened what it calls its "flagship" restaurant in Buckhead this past April. The restaurant replaced Aqua Bistro and includes both a typical Boneheads eatery as well as a partially hidden speakeasy bar in the rear of the restaurant.  

Tom Catherall and his Here To Serve restaurant group who have been building a small empire at TOWN Brookhaven, could have interest in taking over the space.  Catherall opened a sister location of his popular Noche Tequila & Tapas bar at TOWN Brookhaven in early 2011.  Since then, Noche has proven to be the most popular eatery in the center. Stir Crazy closed its location at TOWN Brookhaven in August 2012.  Tom opened Smash Kitchen & Bar in its place this past September. T he Cup, a cupcake and coffee shop, closed at TOWN Brookhaven in April 2013 and reopened as Shucks Oyster & Wine Bar, another Here to Serve concept, shortly after Smash.  

While Tom has let the shuttered Treza pizza eatery sit idle and seemingly did not pursue the former Slack's where Lucky's Burger recently opened, the Boneheads location, towards the front of the complex, could be appealing.  As opposed to the large potential restaurant spaces opposite Smash and opposite Cinebistro, the Boneheads space is built and could be virtually "turn-key" for the right concept. 

What would you like to see open in place of Boneheads? Why do you think only certain restaurants seem to thrive in TOWN Brookhaven?  What is your favorite TOWN Brookhaven eatery?  

Please share your thoughts below. 

13 comments:

Conor said...

Brookhaven continues to be the most underserved high income market in metro Atlanta. We still don't have a non-Starbucks coffee shop.

It's not hard to figure out what should work in Brookhaven: local, community-oriented restaurants like Avellino's are doing very well. It's just that for whatever reason we continue to get generic, chainy concepts pushed in. Since there still aren't many other options nearby, and getting elsewhere at rush hour is tough, some will do okay, but people buying $600k+ new construction houses aren't looking to dine at Boneheads.

Anonymous said...

I don't think this particular location lends itself to a restaurant. The issue with Town Brookhaven is the way they built the thing, which is still very car-centric, as opposed to ditching the car and walking around. The long corridors they built do not create an inviting environment for walking and since parking up in this stretch is sparse it would take a lot, like a Starbucks, for a restaurant to be successful in this particular location.

Frank L. said...

Conor, Sugar Shack is in Brookhaven. It's a cute coffee shop and bakery. We love it!

Anonymous said...

Seems like Tom Catherall is a man with a thing for ampersands. Guess we should be grateful he's not using a + sign like every engineering and design firm in the country.

Anonymous said...

TOWN Brookhaven really needs to be overhauled. So congested, little parking, lots of empty storefronts still and they put the movie theater in the back. I can't imagine seeing a movie there, parking in that garage in the very back and then having to fight through traffic to leave after a movie.

Anonymous said...

Town Brookhaven desperately needs a non-starbucks coffee shop. Sugar Shack is just down the road, they have great baked goods but their coffee just isn't good.

The close proximity to parking would work in the current boneheads location.

Anonymous said...

That makes the sixth closure in TB, parking is the devil, no one wants to park in the decks under the apartments. Most mornings all spaces are gone by 11am with office employees, KW agents, renters, etc. Customers who want to get in/out will not put up with walking a few more spaces (even on a nice day). Only guys making it are the ones with alcohol.

Kevin said...

NEWK'S Eatery is always slammed! Awesome food, we stop there for dinner after LA Fit regularly.

Anonymous said...

Nuevo Laredo, Antico Pizza or Amazza Pizza...

Anonymous said...

When are they "planning" to close? Alive and well this weekend?

Atlantan99 said...

@Anon RE: closure,

According to my source, the restaurant is slated for closure by Thursday, 7/31.

Thanks for your comments and readership!

Anonymous said...

Boarded up today, Tuesday.

Disneypal said...

Too bad it is closing. I like Boneheads. I think having restaurants here is a great idea but the problem is the parking issue. We went on a Friday night and had to park almost by Costco's front door. It was a decent night but if it had been raining, we would have gone elsewhere.

My favorite eatery in TB is Olde Blind Dog Pub. I usually only go at lunch because it is almost impossible to find parking at night.

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