Summer Brings Smashburgers to Savor

Denver-based Smashburger will have three metro Atlanta locations open by mid August and plans call for plenty more. Over a year ago, Smashburger announced plans for 50 locations in Atlanta over a multi-year plan: that plan has since been scaled back to 28. Then, the locations were going to be corporate, now they will be franchised. The first location will open July 7th on Sidney Marcus Boulevard, in Buckhead Crossing shopping center. The center is

The Local at Collier Opening in RiDQulously Good Location

After multiple questions and plenty of research, I have the answer to the question so many have asked.

"The Local at Collier" will soon open in what was most recently "Hong Li" on Collier Road. You may be asking yourself, as I did, why such a simple name, a name so similar to other businesses? I have no good answer. The new restaurant is owned by Mark Tew, who also owns nearby eatery De Palma's Italian Cafe. For the record,

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Local Chefs Opening New Restaurants...

I've been meaning to publish this story for a few days now, and the news that Richard Blais will be opening in Midtown makes this post even more relevant.

Richard Blais, through his business Trail Blais, will partner with Atlanta-based Concentrics Restaurants in opening an as-yet-unnamed eatery at 75 Fifth Street in Midtown. Interestingly, Blais previously operated his own restaurant, BLAIS, on East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead in 2004, but it closed after less than a year. (Preceded by, and followed by, a number of failures, the space has been Buckhead Bottle Bar for about a year now.) Blais's failure was, of course, before he became a household name, as a result of his his multiple appearances on Top Chef. This new concept comes on the heels of his Top Chef All-Stars win earlier this year, and word that his new

Johnny's Pizza Goes Ballistic in Decatur

Johnny's Pizza in Decatur has closed and will soon reopen as "Rocket 88." I'm told the restaurant will be run by Johnny's owner's wife and that it will feature a variety of sandwiches in a casual cafe atmosphere. Johnny's just closed but I'm told that minimal work will be done inside the restaurant and it's likely they will re-open under the new concept in a few weeks. I hope the awesome artwork on the exterior wall is saved but since it relates to Johnny's, who

IHOP Opening in Chamblee's Old Hardee's

While I first heard talk of IHOP's intentions to open in Chamblee last year, only recently have they been able to move forward with their plans. Opening on an out-parcel of Chamblee Plaza on Peachtree Boulevard, IHOP's contractors have stripped a former Hardee's of all but its shell and foundation and will rebuild from there. (Note: the accompanying photo was taken last year before any work had been done) Its neighboring Chick-Fil-A went through an extensive remodel last year, but other than that, the shopping

Tartufo Pizzeria Opening Soon in Buckhead

Tartufo Italian Pizzeria will soon open adjacent to La Fourchette in Buckhead: the same owners will operate both. Tartufo, or truffle, in Italian, was first mentioned by my friend Foodie Buddha last month, but only recently has work begun. When La Fourchette opened last year, I was told they might expand to the neighboring space should business take off, and that is in essence what's happening. With La Fourchette doing well, the ownership group is opening a pizzeria in the old Edward's Pipe & Cigar shop rather than expanding the original business. I'm told the pizzeria will feature a variety of Italian style pizzas, salads, gelato and espresso.

Given the size of the space, the pizzeria should be cozy and may be the perfect size for the area. Parking is a bit of a challenge, but La Fourchette has managed well, and hopefully parking will continue to run smoothly with the addition of the second concept.

With all the great pizza shops in town, the heart of

It's a Wrap! Pizza Hut's Downsizing Opens Door for Chipotle at Briarcliff Village

YUM Brands Pizza Hut at Briarcliff Village will soon leave their iconic hut. Moving not far away to a far smaller location, Pizza Hut's Northlake location will now focus more on carry-out and delivery and no longer have a dine-in area. Their new 1400 s/f space in will be located just around the corner on Briarcliff Road, across from Sears. Pizza Hut will occupy a portion of the former Verizon Wireless which relocated to a larger space in an out-parcel of Northlake Festival.

A similar move took place near

Wal-Mart Plans Store For, Where Else? SUBURBAN Plaza

Wal-Mart is coming to Suburban Plaza in Decatur. In a move many months, if not years, in the making, Selig Enterprises will finally re-develop Suburban Plaza and Wal-Mart will be the biggest addition. Pep Boys, Eckerd and Winn-Dixie/Save Rite have all closed at the center over the years and few tenants other than Suburban Lanes, Suburban Custom Awards & Framing and Big Lots have remained open. Last Chance Thrift shop, once located in a nearby former Kroger, opened in 2009 in the former Pep Boys in the center. From sketches I've seen, their space, as well as the neighboring shuttered Eckerd will both be demolished to make way for the coming Wal-Mart.

While nothing is confirmed, sources indicate that Suburban Lanes, located below the current center and possibly the oldest tenant, dating back to 1954, will remain open although its configuration may change

Local Coffeehouse Goes Dark After Nine Months

Java Blues on LaVista Road has closed. Taking space in what had been the third location of Atlanta indie coffeehouse ChocoLaté Cafe, Java Blues opened August 17, 2010 and closed May 11, 2011, after about 9 months in business. I said it then, and I'll say it again now, it was foolish to attempt to open a similar concept in that space. There is simply not enough foot traffic or residents in the complex to support the business. It was a decent size and Java Blues added a

Kroger Calls it Quits in South Buckhead

Kroger will close their bi-level store at The Brookwood in south Buckhead July 8th. The store was originally scheduled to be a Harris Teeter, but when the grocer exited the Atlanta market, they left a number of stores undeveloped. Another store was set to open in Midtown Place across from the former City Hall East but was opened as a Whole Foods instead. The Brookwood location opened in 2003 and has never connected well with their higher end customer base. The store was 2 levels, but was still quite small, and may have

Gregory's Will Soon Open in Lenox Square's Luxury Wing

Dallas, Texas based Gregory's Shoes will soon open a large boutique in Lenox Square's Luxury Wing. Taking multiple spaces adjacent to Neiman-Marcus, this will be Gregory's fourth location. The first Gregory's opened in the early 90s in Dallas and was soon followed by a store in Houston, and most recently, in the Grand Canal Shops in Las Vegas (between the Venetian and Palazzo Hotels.) Interestingly, their  location in Dallas is also near Neiman-Marcus. The store carries luxury men's and women's clothing, shoes, and accessories by a variety of high end designers.

Gregory's caters to the affluent consumer who appreciates

Original Penguin Flies South For New Locations

Later this July, Original Penguin will open their first Atlanta area store in Lenox Square in Buckhead. Having recently visited their location in Chicago,I’d say that they have picked probably the best available location in Atlanta. They will occupy the recently shuttered Metropark, across from Urban Outfitters, next to Adidas Originals and not far from Bloomingdale's. Above them an XXI Forever will open later this fall making the area even more of a destination for trendy young consumers.

With roots dating back to the 1950s, the brand was introduced by Minneapolis-based Munsingwear,

Cami Cakes Coming to Cobb County

The recent closure of locally owned Sweet Pockets in Vinings created an opportunity for another cupcake shop. Jacksonville Florida-based Cami Cakes has leased the space in front of Vinings Jubilee and will open their second Atlanta location (fourth overall) there. With minimal renovation necessary, I'm told they will open towards the middle of July. Sweet Pockets had been there for about three years and was

BirthWatch Progress Report Q2 2011

Atlanta's first Smashburger on Sidney Marcus Boulevard near Piedmont Road

It's only June, and we have already witnessed dozens of restaurant, retail and hotel openings and closings in the Atlanta area, and not all of it has been good. There has been some promising news and the list that follows is my now quarterly segment on ToNeTo Atlanta: BirthWatch, meant to catch you up on the progress of new developments...