Coffee to replace burgers in Decatur
Selig Enterprises is looking to add a Starbucks Coffee to Suburban Plaza. Sadly though, for some Decatur residents, the Starbucks will open on land currently occupied by Cozy Burger Town, a restaurant with a seemingly cult-like following. A second Cozy Burger Town opened last summer in Northlake Mall's food court, but clearly it would not be an alternative for most in Decatur.
Selig Enterprises is looking to add a Starbucks Coffee to Suburban Plaza. Sadly though, for some Decatur residents, the Starbucks will open on land currently occupied by Cozy Burger Town, a restaurant with a seemingly cult-like following. A second Cozy Burger Town opened last summer in Northlake Mall's food court, but clearly it would not be an alternative for most in Decatur.
A 1750 square foot Starbucks with a drive-thru has been proposed for the site in Suburban Plaza, but has not yet been approved by all involved. While it's doubtful the neighborhood will stand up and speak out so vocally about the demise of Cozy Burger Town as they did with Walmart, I have no doubt there will be at least some debate.
Signage posted on Cozy Burger Town indicates the restaurant will be closed today Monday August 25th through Monday September 1st, with plans to reopen for lunch on Tuesday the 2nd. One would-be customer I spoke with at the restaurant today was sad to see her go-to burger joint closed. I informed her it was to be replaced by a Starbucks and she was not thrilled. I also informed her (somehow ,this was still news) that a Walmart Supercenter was coming and that news was met with great excitement.
Cozy Burger Town opened in early 2010, replacing the short-lived One Love Diner, in a "hut" that originally housed Pizza Hut.
A Dunkin' Donuts (with drive-thru) was proposed across the street on Scott Boulevard in a former bank, but faced serious pushback and has been tabled indefinitely.
Former bank that Dunkin' Donuts expressed interested in redeveloping |
Starbucks has no presence in the immediate area and clearly sees the redevelopment of Suburban Plaza as a good time and place to enter the area. Interestingly, not far away, Starbucks has elected not to renew its lease at Emory Village and will close soon. Their location close to Emory Village within the Barnes & Noble on Emory's campus will remain open.
The proposed Starbucks at Suburban Plaza is the first tenant other than Walmart that I've heard mentioned by name this year. Given the amount of time that has passed since I first broke news to the city that Selig was planning to bring a Walmart to Suburban Plaza, many things have surely changed.
Demolished portion of Suburban Plaza that will soon be the home of a Walmart Supercenter |
One thing that hasn't changed is the Walmart Supercenter. It's still coming and it's still gonna be about 150,000 square feet.
LA Fitness has previously been mentioned as a "potential" tenant and if still coming would likely occupy the 35,000 suite "H," aka the former Winn-Dixie / Save Rite.
Former Winn-Dixie / Save Rite that may become an LA Fitness |
Ross Dress for Less, Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts and HomeGoods have also all been mentioned as "potential" tenants recently. With Hancock Fabrics and Big Lots leaving, four new suites will be created. The new suites, labeled on maps as Tenants C, D, D.1 and E are 25,344, 24,261, 7,012, and 20,035 square feet respectively.
Staples, previously listed as having "interest" in the project, has not been mentioned recently and has instead announced plans to reduce its overall North America store count by 140.
Dick's Sporting Goods, appliance retailer hhgregg, and arts & crafts retailer Michael's have all also previously been mentioned, but seem to have dropped off the radar.
Are you in favor of Starbucks at Suburban Plaza? Will you miss Cozy Burger Town? What would you like to see open in the redeveloped Suburban Plaza?
Please share your thoughts below.
16 comments:
I'm a Dunkin' Donuts fan and was probably the only person in the neighborhood who was FOR that old nothing-bank actually being developed into something that wasn't a total eyesore like it is now. Sad to have seen it taken down by NIMBYism. (Could that go into the Cozy Burger Town spot instead of Starbucks...? I guess I'm holding on to an entirely far too distant dream now. Sigh.)
Well, golly. I missed the news of SBUX 975 (the first in the region) closing. Ouch. Many don't realize the location on campus is a Fakebucks operated by a foodservice company, where loyal customers are treated like foreigners as there's no ability to redeem My Starbucks Rewards or certain promotions and discounts, and the menu offerings vary slightly. There's also basically no parking. You can park in the not-very-convenient deck, but the free allotment is very small (10-15 mins) before being charged. As for the new location, it potentially makes a lot of sense. The nearest company-owned location (8204, Decatur Square) just isn't very convenient for most morning commuters. The newest fake location (KBUX, if you will) is in Big Kroger (soon to be even bigger), where the customer is pretty much guaranteed a lackluster experience by design. After closing so many stores, it's good to see some slow growth again from SBUX.
Is the Hancock Fabrics relocating anywhere else nearby?
@Molly,'
Not that I know of but as discussed, Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts is "interested" in opening at the center.
Thanks for your comments and readership.
All,
New information obtained today indicates that deals are "done" for LA Fitness, HomeGoods and Starbucks and "close" for ROSS.
When is Big Lots leaving, and is it closing, or moving?
@Anon RE: Big Lots,
Big Lots continues to say / be told they will remain in the center. I don't see how this can be true but I was there earlier today and that remains their stance.
Thanks for the comments and readership.
I'm excited for Homegoods/LA Fitness and think Selig did a decent job reaching out to the community in planning the Starbucks drive thru (for once). But ROSS and Jo Ann don't seem like matches for this rapidly changing part of Decatur.
@Anon @ 9:31AM - But Ross & Jo Ann fit perfectly with Wal-Mart's customer base. Not that Wal-Mart is a fit for this rapidly changing part of Decatur, but since they're coming, stores that are complimentary to Wal-Mart will be coming too.
I'll always have the Northlake Cozy Burger Town. Damn you overpriced coffee and your stranglehold on the masses.
Very happy to hear LA Fitness and Starbucks! Now...if we could maybe get a Trader Joes or whole foods!
Any idea when the targeted date is for these businesses to open? Is construction starting soon?
@Anon RE: Whole Foods / Trader Joe's,
One of those might come to the area sooner than you may think.
Thanks for the comments and for your readership.
@Anon RE: opening,
Stores should open late next fall. Starbucks will likely be sooner than that.
Thanks for the comments and for your readership.
It's a shame to see Cozy Burger Town go. They had decent food and incredible service - one time I forgot an appetizer and they called ME and offered to have someone drive it to my house.
(What does this bode for Suburban Lanes, if you know?)
So excited about the Starbucks/La Fitness. (Wouldn't shop at Wal-Mart if you paid me) Is the mail and more place going then? I did my wedding invitations there (and got the ribbons from Hancock fabrics) so sad to see them go. I would love if Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Costco opened close by. I wish they were the anchor tenant.
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