Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Salt Factory Pub Bringing Local Flavor to Alpharetta

F&H Food Trading Group plans to open their second Salt Factory Pub.  

The first Salt Factory Pub opened in downtown Roswell in fall 2008.  Owners Fikret Kovac & Hicham Azhari, the "F" and "H" of the group's name, are also the duo behind Roswell's INC. Street Food and more recently, Little Alley Steak.

Salt Factory features great drink options complemented by a contemporary American menu with an international twist.  

The new Salt Factory Pub will open on Main Street in downtown Alpharetta in a space once home to a KFC and more recently, Tifosi Gastropub.  Tifosi added a roughly 500 square foot patio which the Salt Factory team are excited about enhancing with a planned bocce ball court and outdoor dining.

The Salt Factory team hopes to open in February.  I inquired about the possibility of a second Little Alley Steak and was basically told not at this time but not out of the question... eventually.  

Given the success and popularity of the Roswell concepts, Hicham was nominated for the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce 2012 Business Persons of Excellence Award.  In a brief announcing all finalists, a line about Hicham stood out to me. "The secret to Hicham’s success is that he designs and creates unique restaurant concepts by focusing on understanding the community and what guests expect from their dining experience."  This desire to create and provide a dining experience that matches the wants and expectations of the community might seem simple, but is clearly paying dividends.  I've known numerous friends and customers from Buckhead and elsewhere who trek to Roswell to experience Little Alley, among others.  Not long ago, this notion of driving OTP for gourmet food would have been a joke.  

I'd hate for any expansion to occur ITP, as I feel F&H have carved out a great niche in the Roswell community.  I think it would behoove the group's partners to continue to expand to communities like Alpharetta or perhaps Smyrna or Norcross.  For the most part, these communities are underserved in terms of local restaurants and easily sustain a few non-Darden or Brinker establishments.  

Are you an Alpharetta resident excited about this restaurant opening?  Are you an ITP resident who has already traveled to Roswell to experience one of the group's restaurants?  What neighborhood do you think would make the most sense for any future F&H expansion?  Please share your thoughts below.  

4 comments:

Billy said...

It's great to see more local restaurants opening in these outer areas instead of just big chains. Honestly, local restaurants in Downtown Roswell and places like Seed in East Cobb stay packed. I'm surprised more chefs don't open restaurants outside the perimeter. There is so much competition ITP and even some of the best restaurants ITP are dead from Sunday through Wednesday and we all see how many close down on a regular basis even with big named chefs. I know that ITP folks will not drive OTP but it doesn't matter. There is more than enough people OTP that will support these restaurants.

Kate said...

Yay! There is indeed a huge market for this kind of place in the northern suburbs. Just about every well run, chef-driven restaurant out here ends up packed and even expanding due to demand. There are plenty of sophisticated diners living north of Atlanta, most with a decent income and just waiting for the next interesting, nearby dining option to open. Not to mention a thriving office market. I can't imagine why more entrepreneurs haven't taken advantage of that yet.

Anonymous said...

That is a tough location. The building still looks very much like a fast food restaurant and the traffic of HWY9 is real heavy. Hope it works!

Lee said...

Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! I loved Tifosi, but it was by accident I heard about them. Your menu looks great! Please let the world of Alpharetta know. Look forward to dining with you!

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