Saturday, December 30, 2017

The Bell Tolls For Tin Drum as NaanStop Plans Debut at Atlantic Station

Tin Drum Asian Kitchen will close its location at Atlantic Station Sunday night, December 31.  The Atlanta-based chain opened in the roughly 2,000 square foot space in late 2008, replacing what had originally been an Au Bon Pain cafe bakery.  Sources say that the Tin Drum's owners and Atlantic Station management came to the mutual decision to close the restaurant.  
Following the closure, the Asian chain will operate nine locations in Georgia with a tenth coming soon to The Plaza at City Springs in Sandy Springs early next year.  

In place of Tin Drum, Atlantic Station has secured a lease with local upstart NaanStop.  The quick serve Indian eatery transitioned from successful Los Angeles food truck to brick and mortar restaurant when they opened on Broad Street in downtown Atlanta in 2012.  In late 2014, owners and brothers Neal & Samir Idnani branched out to Buckhead with a second outpost on Piedmont Road across from Atlanta Tech Village.  

NaanStop, which is considered by some to be the Chipotle Mexican Grill of Indian food,  features meal options such as the Naanwich and assorted rice bowls, samosa and salads as well as Mango Lassi, a mango and yogurt smoothie with a hint of cardamom and cinnamon.  

Sources say that NaanStop at Atlantic Station is expected to open in "Spring 2018" following limited renovations to the second generation restaurant space.  A spokesperson for Atlantic Station indicated that the lease with NaanStop was a direct result of securing leases with more "ethnic" restaurants, something office workers and visitors have reportedly requested.  

Tin Drum is the second restaurant in the past seven days to close at Atlantic Station, following the Christmas closure of Rosa Mexicano.  Sources say that while the Rosa Mexicano closure was sudden, Atlantic Station has already received "strong interest" from restaurant operators looking to open in the vacant restaurant space. 

As ToNeTo Atlanta has previously reported, Gyu-Kaku a Japanese barbecue, is also expected to open later this spring in a large portion of the former Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro, also at Atlantic Station.  

Are you excited for the addition of NaanStop to Atlantic Station?  Do you think NaanStop is a good replacement for Tin Drum?  Where would you like to see NaanStop open next?

Please share your thoughts below.  

6 comments:

katfrogg said...

NaanStop will be a fabulous addition to Atlantic Station! Their food is really yummy and family friendly.

Anonymous said...

I stopped going to Tin Drum a long time ago when they revamped the menu and went with the simpler noodle house menu. I thought the fusion menu was more interesting. Now I've got no reason to really seek it out.

Steve M said...

Finally! The service at Tin Drum has been terrible in the past couple months

Anonymous said...

Yuck! I got sick the last time I ate at Naanstop! It was painful! I will no longer go.

Neal Idnani said...

Hey "anonymous" I'm so sorry to hear about that! Can you email me at info@naanstop.com? I want to find out what happened.

Neal,
Owner, NaanStop

saneman said...

The NaanStop at buckhead is pretty mediocre. Good concept, bad customer service. The meat is overcooked and looks all mashed up and unappetizing in the bins. They have run out of Naans TWICE in the four times I went there. So I gave up on the spot. Another thing. They actually were rolling the dough after each order. Why not have prep the Naan dough in advance, instead of taking a ball of dough and flattening it each time? That wastes time. And when you have a crowd waiting, the wait is ridiculous. Also, how about anticipating crowds and start putting naans in the grill when you know that is all you sell?

As far as Tin Drum, I still like it though it has been on a decline citywide in terms of quality and service. They may not have the best Thai but it is acceptable quality and much cheaper than a thai restaurant. I would mix in visits to places like Thai Emerald for high quality thai with some visits to Tin Drum for something quick and convenient and cheap.

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