Monday, August 29, 2016

Brixx Hits a Wall in East Cobb

Pizza restaurant abruptly closes 

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza has closed its location at The Avenue East Cobb.  The restaurant, which opened in early 2014 closed after dinner service yesterday.  Brixx opened in a space that was originally a Johnny Rocket's, but that had been vacant for a few years.  Local sources indicate that sales at the restaurant have dipped over the past few months and that a reported increase in rent were contributing factors in the decision to close the restaurant.  

Earlier this afternoon, the restaurant posted the following message to their Facebook page:

"It has been a pleasure being part of the East Cobb community and getting to know our guests, many of whom have become dear friends. Sadly, we chose to close our doors for the last time yesterday, Sunday, August 28. We will miss serving you and we thank you for your kindnesses to us.  

If you have gift cards or gift certificate, they remain valid at any Brixx location."

Nick Vadgama, the franchisee of the East Cobb location, also owns Brixx restaurants in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, N.C.

Separately, a Brixx location in downtown Athens that had been open just under two years closed about two weeks ago.  

In addition, a Brixx location that opened this past October in Arlington County, Virginia closed this past April, lasting barely six months.  

The Charlotte-based chain, which got its start in 1998 and today has over 30 locations, is now left with just one restaurant in Georgia, at The Avenue Peachtree City.  

Are you surprised Brixx closed its East Cobb location?  What would you like to see open in place of the pizza joint?  What is your favorite place for casual pizza?

Please share your thoughts below.  

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Purchasing gift certificates from small local or regional businesses not recommended. Doubtful anyone is going to drive to Peachtree City to use one of their certificates. Note to owners/management of Avenue East Cobb: Raising rents at under-performing center ill advised.

Anonymous said...

Avenue East Cobb is a joke. They'd rather sit there with empty store fronts waiting for national chains that will never come than lease to local retailers.

jeff a. taylor said...

Still really stunned by this closure. Probably went there every 10 days or so for dinner. They had the same GM since their open and couple servers who had been there for at least a year, which is pretty unheard of unless people are happy and getting good tips. Place was never empty, but only rarely out the door packed with a wait time, the space is not that big really. If the problem was day sales, I have to say the owner did not do any market research. East Cobb empties out during the 9-5 work week, there is just not that much demand for waiter service, sit down food. If steady dinner tabs of $20-25 per person couldn't pay the bills, you were doomed. And the Avenues? Another space to sit empty for 2-3 yrs?

Anonymous said...

Sad that Avenues East Cobb is not doing well. How are the other Avenues holding up? Many national retailers have cut stores and small shopping venues like these have seen many stores close not necessarily their fault if it is part of a national trend. Too much in quantity for shopping and restaurants and not enough quality in those establishments. Nothing stands out and the only people spending money are the ones that are in debt.

The Avenues now Shoppes Webb Gin is just dreadful with the shopping center split in half and some desperate developers want to put apartments behind there which will increase traffic, transient people who have no stake in community, which will decrease property values. The shopping destination that Snellville is becoming is going to hurt rather than help in the long haul.

Brixx like many others expand into markets that they should not. Raising rents is a necessary evil and the stores and restaurants are the ones that generate the property taxes that have to be paid, often times getting low rents to bring them in and knowing that rents will increase once they get established.
Not rocket science the goal is to make money to pay the bills and taxes are the biggest part of the pie. We all know what happens if you don't pay your taxes.

Don't ever buy someone a gift card they don't have a 100 percent chance of using. Big national chains are the only safe bets with gift cards. Take your Brixx gift cards and day trip it over to PTC that Walking Dead show and others film all over the area so you can eat and do a film tour be a tourist in your own area so to speak.

BK said...

We ate there a couple of times, but not for about a year now. I used to love the fact I could get a good beer at a place my kids were happy eating at, but we've been eating a lot more at Aurelio's instead just because we liked the pizza better. Can't go wrong with their Chicago style sausage on their buttery thin crust.

Ham said...

I agree the Webb Gin place in Snellville is in trouble. I also fear the Forum in Peachtree Corners may be headed in a negative direction. I know the Orvis store closed a few years back and I wonder if Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn might close since they are having financial challenges. I suspect many national retailers may open one large flagship store in large markets and rely on the internet for the rest of their sales.

Anonymous said...

Time for Mellow Mushroom to move back...

jeff a. taylor said...

This is why I am doomed. Had one of the worst meals of my life at Aurelio's, yet the place is packed with transplated Midwesterners who think handfuls of steamy cheese defines pizza.

Anonymous said...

Snellville Burger 21 is temporarily ? closed !

Anonymous said...

Someone asked how The Avenues were doing in general. I live five miles from The Avenues Peachtree City. Although stores will close - mostly for corporate problems - the center stays full. Only the Coldwater Creek store, which was in a section that was almost an outparcel, stayed empty for about a year; other spaces stay leased. The center does well because there are almost no other upper-middle level or high-end stores in PTC, and to top it off, The Avenue PTC has no anchor store.

I also have visited The Avenue Viera between Cocoa and Melboure, Florida. It is much bigger, with Belk as an anchor. Because it's in the center of a newly created planned city, it has a capive audience.

A friend in construction told me a few years ago that the building in all of The Avenues locations were built to last about 20-25 years, so they weren't built as landmark centers to begin with.

Anonymous said...

"The Avenues locations were built to last about 20-25 years, so they weren't built as landmark centers to begin with."

Truth. This is now the American way. Forward progressive disposable blight.

Anonymous said...

Mellow Mushroom can't come in - corporate requires FSUs now for new locations.

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