Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Dantanna's Hopes to Score in Sandy Springs

Dantanna's goes for three in Sandy Springs.


Atlanta-based Dantanna's will open their third restaurant, this one in Sandy Springs. Billed as an "upscale sports restaurant," Dantanna's new location will open at the corner of Roswell and Abernathy Roads in Abernathy Square shopping center. The center is anchored by a Publix Supermarket and is also home to a Plato's Closet and the original Yogli Mogli.

(Abernathy Square is also home to a Dickey's Barbecue Pit that multiple local sources say could be on the verge of closing.)

Dantanna's will open in place of an Applebee's (Neighborhood Grill & Bar) that is slated to close by year end, likely in early November. Applebee's started in Decatur, Georgia in 1980, and is now a 2000+ unit restaurant chain, with revenue in excess of $1 billion, currently owned by DineEquity (parent of IHOP.)

It's unknown when exactly the Dantanna's will open, but I'm told the 5900 square foot Applebee's will be remodeled rather than torn down, making the conversion a lot quicker and less expensive. I'd speculate that Dantanna's will plan to open by February 2nd, in time for Super Bowl XLVIII.

Interestingly, DDR, Abernathy Square's owner, already lists Dantanna's in the Applebee's location on its internet site plan despite Applebee's still being open and there having been no public announcement made by Dantanna's about their opening.

Dantanna's  has two other existing locations, in Buckhead at The Shops Around Lenox, and downtown at CNN Center.  The Buckhead location measures 8300 square feet and opened in October, 2003.  The CNN Center location opened in March 2009, and replaced what had been for nearly two decades a Jocks & Jills restaurant measuring 14,000 square feet.

Dantanna's founder David Clapp reportedly said in 2009 that he hoped to a have a third location open by the end of 2010 and a total of "10 sports bars within the next seven years."  These plans have clearly changed.  According to Clapp's LinkedIn, he is a "Managing Partner" in Cafe Tu Tu Tango as well as "Partner" in Millstone Pizza & Taphouse.  Cafe Tu Tu Tango was a popular establishment in Buckhead's old village for many years but has since closed.  Their lone remaining location is in Orlando, Florida.  Millstone is a single unit concept with one location in Rock Hill, South Carolina but seems to be made for multiple locations.

To me, Dantanna's represents poor service and mediocre food, so it will be interesting to see how they fare in Sandy Springs with Taco Mac, Hudson Grille and a number of other restaurants competing for diners' sports bar dollars.

Atlanta-based Metrotainment Cafes opened one of their Hudson Grille sports bars just south of Abernathy at Marshall's Plaza in late 2011.  Metrotainment operates a total of five Hudson Grilles in Alpharetta, Brookhaven, Midtown, Downtown and Sandy Springs.

Atlanta-based Tappan Street Restaurant Group operates a total of 25 Taco Mac Sports Grills in Atlanta including locations at Perimeter Place in Dunwoody and The Prado in Sandy Springs.  Taco Mac started with one location in Virginia-Highland in 1979, and today, in addition to its Atlanta locations, has branched out into both Tennessee and North Carolina.

What is your favorite sports bar in Atlanta?  
Do you think Dantanna's will thrive in their new location?
Will the Braves go all the way this year?
Please share your thoughts and comments below. 

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dantannas appeals to a lot of people, so I think they will do just fine in SS.

SB said...

Great location for them close to the northern Sandy Springs nice houses, close enough to pull lunch traffic from the 400/Abernathy crowd, etc. Could see meeting friends deep in East Cobb there for dinner as a meeting point.

Anonymous said...

I'd go to Taco Mac more often except for their ridiculous beer prices. They need to check themselves as they are pricing themselves right out of their own market. I'll take the Hudson Grill in SS any day.

Anonymous said...

Seems like an odd location given the other tenants in that strip center and the quality of the center compared to their Buckhead location.

Anonymous said...

I think the location is definitely a plus. They should do fine. What do people like about Hudson Grille? Bad food bad service. Wish something better would replace the Hudson Grille in Brookhaven.

Amy said...

not in a million years will they be open by February...probably April at best as that space needs to be completely gutted and with the holidays, everything slows down considerably.

Anonymous said...

Dantana's will be a welcome addition to the area. Applebee's is past its prime and needed a complete renovation, I think this is a win win for all parties.

Anonymous said...

Has it closed yet?

Atlantan99 said...

@Anon,

Yes, Applebee's has closed.

Thanks for the question and for reading the site.

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