Austin, Texas-based Chuy's plans to open a fourth metro Atlanta location next year. The Tex-Mex joint entered the Atlanta market in the fall of 2011 with a location in Dunwoody and added a second location in Kennesaw in early 2014. A third location debuted this past February in Akers Mill Square near Cumberland Mall.
 |
| The new Chuy's at Akers Mill Square |
The new Chuy's is planned for Liberty Village, a new mixed use center at the northwest corner of Old Milton and Westside Parkways, near Avalon in Alpharetta.
Chuy's will occupy building 300, a roughly 6,500 square foot
restaurant with an approximately 750 square foot patio. The overall 21 acre project is also expected to include a few retailers, a bank, and both commercial and residential opportunities.
Chuy's, which went public during the summer of 2012, ended 2016 with 80 restaurants. Despite two straight quarters of declining comparable restaurant sales, Chuy's is targeting a total of 12-14 new restaurants this year, of which five have already opened.
Real estate sources say Chuy's is actively looking at other sites around metro Atlanta, one of which is believed to be in Peachtree Corners.
Company CFO Jon Howie still sees tremendous growth for the company, with the potential for as many as 380 restaurants nationwide.
Speaking recently at an investment conference, Howie indicated that as long "as the company can keep finding attractive sites and quality managers to run new stores, there's no reason to hit the brakes on store growth."
While I'm not directly involved in the restaurant industry, many contacts who are would say that both quality managers and prime sites are in short supply, at least in metro Atlanta.
Construction of the Alpharetta Chuy's is expected to begin in August with the restaurant slated to open in "mid-November."
Are you excited for the addition of Chuy's to Alpharetta? Where is your favorite place for Mexican fare? Where would you like to see Chuy's open next?
Please share your thoughts below.
5 comments:
I'd like to see if other cities comparable to Atlanta have such a shortage of competent managers. It's pretty amazing how difficult it is to find competent, professional-acting mid-level management talent in Atlanta in the hospitality industry. They must all move away after graduating from the area's hospitality or business programs.
Woot!
I would love to see a Chuy's in Sandy Springs... no good Mexican food!!
They should work on the quality and taste of the food, cause it's severely lacking.
Chuys is in SandyWoody. Literally the other side of the street is Sandy Springs, if not only just one block over.
Post a Comment