Bits & Bites

Duluth Trading Co. this past Friday opened its first ever Atlanta area store in Kennesaw.  The new store, which ToNeTo Atlanta first reported was opening this past April, is the chain's 55th location in the nation, and is located at 860 Cobb Place Boulevard, just off Barrett Parkway.

Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub on Dresden Drive in Brookhaven closed this past Monday July 1, and will remain closed through Monday July 8th "for some rest, relaxation and maintenance."  The restaurant will reopen Tuesday the 9th.

Local Three on Northside Parkway in Buckhead also closed as of Monday and will remain closed through Sunday July 7th to complete a renovation of their kitchen.  "After 20 years of service, we are looking forward to replacing the old Joel kitchen, with new, state-of-the-art equipment to help us cook even better food for you all."

Krystal last week abruptly closed its nearly 50 year old location on Canton Road near Piedmont Road in East Cobb.  The restaurant at 2929 Canton Road will reportedly not remodel/rebuild and reopen as other older units around Atlanta have in recent years.  

A new location of Banfield Pet Hospital is coming soon to 2630 Cobb Parkway in Smyrna.  The freestanding building was most recently a location of apartment locator service Promove, but was many years ago a Danver's restaurant and later a Burger King, among other former tenants.   Banfield (like M&M's, Orbit, Pedigree, Whiskas, Uncle Ben's Rice and Skittles among others) is owned by Mars, Inc.  The new Banfield, which could open by the end of the year, is reportedly opening in addition to the existing location within the PetSmart in nearby Heritage Pavilion.  

A new eatery and market called The Savory Gourmet Market opened late last month in Alpharetta.  Located at 50 Canton Street at Teasley Place, the business offers assorted baked goods, retail products like gourmet honey, and assorted salads and sandwiches, among other offerings.  

Twisted Taco at 3433 Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Suwanee has closed.  The restaurant, which opened in 2012, closed for "renovations" and has not reopened, with sources telling ToNeTo Atlanta that a new restaurant may open in its place in the coming months.   The restaurant was located in freestanding, roughly 6,000 square foot building originally occupied by Chili's Grill & Bar.  Twisted Taco remains open elsewhere in metro Atlanta in Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Fayetteville.  The Atlanta based chain also operates more than a dozen "university" locations including outposts at Georgia Tech, Emory University, Auburn University and Clemson University, among others.  
Dogtopia is coming soon to Connexion Holcomb Bridge in Roswell.  The new location is at least the second one planned for Atlanta, joining another previously announced location planned for Halcyon in Forsyth.  The Phoenix, Arizona-based franchise with nearly 100 locations nationwide offers pet daycare, boarding and spa services.  The Roswell location will be about 5,500 square feet. 

A new Chase Bank branch is coming soon to downtown Atlanta.  The new branch, which will occupy a portion of the old Jalapeno Charlie's (Planet Hollywood) at 218 Peachtree Street, will share space at the address with Atlanta's second Wahlburgers restaurant, which has been under construction for months.  Chase joins SunTrust, Bank of America, Fidelity Bank and Fifth Third Bank, among others, as financial institutions with branches along Peachtree downtown. 

Katana Teppanyaki & Sushi, located at 3345 Lenox Road in Buckhead, closed its doors after dinner service on Saturday, June 29, following more than four and a half years in business.  The restaurant, which replaced Truffles Cafe, which itself replaced Ruby Tuesday, had been listed for sale months ago, but there is no indication that a new restaurant is opening in its place.  The neighboring Houston's restaurant closed last summer, at which point real estate sources indicated that a relocated The Ritz-Carlton was being proposed for the site.   Katana's owners have turned their focus to their other concept Monkey 68 in Roswell, and the forthcoming Monkey 68 Kitchen & Bar coming to Alpharetta later this summer.  

Gables Residential has taken over management of both 05 Buckhead, a highrise apartment building near Piedmont & Peachtree Roads, and Berkeley Heights, a midrise apartment community just off Northside Drive near I-75.  Both projects are owned by Atlanta-based Coro Realty Advisors.  Gables already owns and manages a number of properties around metro Atlanta including the newly opened The Ashley Gables Buckhead, a new highrise at the corner of Maple Drive and East Paces Ferry Road and Gables Brookhaven, a midrise adjacent to Oglethorpe University.