Justin's Restaurant Closed ( Permanently ) in Buckhead

Justin's Restaurant, located on Peachtree Road in South Buckhead has closed.  Justin's opened in 1998 and was owned by entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.  At the time, the restaurant was the second location of Justin's, the first, in New York opened in 1997 but closed in 2007.  Rumors earlier in the week indicated the restaurant would close, then word surfaced that the restaurant would
instead close for a renovation.  Official word today confirms Combs has opted to close the restaurant and focus on other projects. 

Combs has plenty of other business ventures to occupy his time with including being a brand ambassador for Cîroc vodka, producing music for his Bad Boy record label, designing clothing for his Sean John clothing line and a host of other ventures. 

Atlanta based entertainers Usher, Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris have also closed their restaurants in the area.  Record producer Jermaine Dupri closed his Buckhead eatery, Cafe Dupri in 2008 about three years after he opened it.  The space is now home to La Fourchette.  Usher opened a franchised unit of the wine bar and bistro The Grape in Inman Park in late 2006.  The restaurant closed in early 2009 for what at the time was called "renovations."  The Grape never reopened and is now PURE Taqueria.  Ludacris opened Straits in midtown 2008 with the restaurant's founder Chris Yeo as a partner.  This past January Ludacris closed the restaurant and announced  he had won a contract to open Chicken N Beer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Not far from Justin's, Frank Ski of the top rated Frank Ski & Wanda Morning Show opened Frank Ski's Restaurant on Bennett Street.  The restaurant space has a played host to a number of concepts over the years but it seems Ski has found success with the space thus far.  I'm told Ski does very well hosting private parties but it will be interesting to see how he does with Justin's gone.  My guess prior to opening was that Ski's restaurant would feed off of Justin's and the two would complement each other. 

What are your thoughts on this closure?  Will you go to Frank Ski's more or less as a result?  What would be a good fit for the space?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

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