Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Ivy Owner Takes Over The Family Dog in Morningside


Morningside reportedly establishment sold. 

Benji Shirah, a minority owner of Buckhead's the IVY, has reportedly purchased the former The Family Dog space in Morningside. Previously owned and operated by Chef Ron Eyester, the restaurant along with sibling eatery Rosebud, closed last month.  Rosebud was sold to Tom Murphy of Murphy's who plans to open a new restaurant in the space early next year.  

It's unclear at this point what kind of business the IVY owners intend to open in the former restaurant but it will undoubtedly have to be different than the college oriented bar (and restaurant) in Buckhead. "Benjie's plans include keeping the current name, "The Family Dog," as the neighborhood bar has been a Morningside staple!  We are excited to come to the neighborhood and are working hard to have TFD open on or before December 31st of this year." 

The Family Dog transaction was advised by South Capital Partners, an asset management firm in which Shirah is principal.  

"South Capital Partners are creators of exhilirating, conceptually unique bar and restaurant concepts that join people together through unparalleled and emotionally inspiring guest experiences."


Shirah is a partner in a number of  restaurants around the south.  Among them are South in Nashville and The Southern Kitchen & Bar in Birmingham.  The IVY, located at 3717 Roswell Road in Buckhead, opened in 2010 in space once home to Carbo's Cafe and Piano Bar.  

***An earlier version of this post reflected that Daniel Simmons was a member of the ownership team at The Family Dog, he is not. I apologize for this inaccuracy.

What would you like to see the group open in The Family Dog space in Morningside? What are your thoughts on the IVY? Have you been to the group's other out-of-state restaurants? If so, how do they compare to the IVY?

Please share your thoughts below. 

6 comments:

SB said...

Excellent scoop Eli. I hope the rumors that it keeps the name are true and that they don't change the operations too much. It was great as-is for this community. The live music was an asset to the area and hopefully something they can incorporate still.

Anonymous said...

Honed their skills in Athens? Hardly! Their bar in Athens just made the news for having a n******ita shot on the menu: http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-10-30/recipe-racially-insensitive-drink-did-come-downtown-athens-bar-general-beauregards
That's certainly worth mentioning and reporting.

1venni said...

Definitively LIVE MUSIC! Weeknight live music is needed in the area! We have such great local artists and I don't always want to deal with Smith Olde Bar to hear a bad. I went to the town of Gainesville last week and there are so many bars/restaurants featuring musicians on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday... we do not have that variety here. Limerick tends to be more into the Irish music and then there are blues over at Blind Willies, but this strip of North Highland should have a little joint where we can unwind with good food and a local crooner (Davin McCoy, The Group Alchemy, etc)...

Anonymous said...

Of course a man named Benji would be interested in The Family Dog.

I wish the new owners all of the success that Ron Eyester had in the space. Any Ivy-style bar is not a good fit for Morningside.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering what would become of The Family Dog! I hope Mr. Shirah will keep the local craft brews coming!! Also, the Ivy scene wouldn't work in Morningside. I'm optimistic they understand what "conceptually unique" means to the local community here. -JD

Anonymous said...

my credit caRD was stolen- tried to caldl the ivy all night as it wAs being used there. the "mailbox was filled" sent an email- no response.

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