2018 to Bring More Changes to North DeKalb Mall

Wendy's restaurant in the food court at North DeKalb Mall closed for the last time Saturday night, December 30.  The 1,142 square foot restaurant, the last big name chain left in the food court, had been a mall fixture for over 25 years.  The closure follows the closure of the Wendy's in the food court of nearby Northlake Mall a number of years ago.  

The Bell Tolls For Tin Drum as NaanStop Plans Debut at Atlantic Station

Tin Drum Asian Kitchen will close its location at Atlantic Station Sunday night, December 31.  The Atlanta-based chain opened in the roughly 2,000 square foot space in late 2008, replacing what had originally been an Au Bon Pain cafe bakery.  Sources say that the Tin Drum's owners and Atlantic Station management came to the mutual decision to close the restaurant.  

Bantam + Biddy to Close at Lenox Square, ATL Taco Coming in January

Bantam + Biddy at Lenox Square will close within the next two weeks and will reopen as "ATL Taco."  The casual chicken-centric eatery opened in the popular Buckhead mall in late 2014 but never seemed to take off like the concept's original location in Midtown's Ansley Mall. 

RaceTrac and Wendy's Headline Proposed Intown Redevelopment

A local developer is planning a three tenant redevelopment at the busy intersection of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads in DeKalb county.  Jay Gipson of The Gipson Company has the assemblage under contract with plans to build a new RaceTrac, Wendy's and Express Oil Change & Tune-Up Clinic on the combined roughly 3.74 acre property.  

Click to enlarge 

[BREAKING NEWS] Creative Loafing Shrinks Workforce

Earlier today, Creative Loafing informed a significant portion of their workforce that they are now jobless. The news, which was reportedly shared with employees mid-day, comes just months after the popular publication ended its weekly print edition in favor of a monthly publication with an increased emphasis on its digital offerings.  

The current issue of Creative Loafing

Bits & Bites

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar plans to open its first of three confirmed Atlanta area locations Monday January 8 in Chamblee.  The new restaurant will be located along Peachtree Boulevard in the new Parkview on Peachtree development.  Another Bad Daddy's is expected to open in Smyrna later in 2018 and near Decatur in late 2018 or early 2019.  

[BREAKING NEWS] Rosa Mexicano Abruptly Says Adios to Atlantic Station

Rosa Mexicano has closed at Atlantic Station.  The New York-based Mexican restaurant reportedly closed for Christmas, only to reopen Tuesday afternoon to tell employees that they were now jobless.  ToNeTo Atlanta was informed in 2015 that Rosa Mexicano's Atlantic Station location was closing "soon" but after additional research and with both Rosa Mexicano and Atlantic Station management denying the rumor, we concluded it to be just that: a rumor.  

Photo courtesy of Jessica Granger 

[EXCLUSIVE] Simply Seoul to Shutter at Ponce City Market

Simply Seoul is closing at Ponce City Market.   The Korean eatery, which opened in the development's Central Food Hall during the fall of 2015, will close for good after service on Monday, January 8.  ToNeTo Atlanta was informed of this expected closure two weeks ago but out of respect for owner Hannah Chung and her employees, we elected to wait until she made it official.  

Simply Seoul at PCM courtesy of Simply Seoul's Facebook page 

Residents Say "Tucker Charm" Threatened by Giant Proposed Development

An Atlanta-based developer is proposing over 100 new homes in the City of Tucker and some area residents are not pleased.  The Ardent Companies, headquartered near SunTrust Park, has submitted plans to the City of Tucker to redevelop just over 16 acres along Lawrenceville Highway into 100 single family homes and townhomes.  

[EXCLUSIVE] The Local Pizzaiolo To Open Westside Restaurant in January

This past March, ToNeTo Atlanta was first to report on the launch of a new fast casual pizza restaurant, The Local Pizzaiolo.  Now, we can exclusively report that the first The Local Pizzaiolo, located on Atlanta's Westside, will open Tuesday, January 23.  The restaurant, located at 1000 Marietta Street, will replace what was most recently Bellwood's Social House. 

Giulio Adriani poses outside the Westside The Local Pizzaiolo

[EXCLUSIVE] The Painted Duck to Debut Next Week, Offer Frosted Orange Inspired Cocktail

The owners of Buckhead's The Painted Pin will debut their newest concept, The Painted Duck, next Wednesday December 27 at 5PM.  The concept, similar in some ways to The Painted Duck, will feature an elevated beverage menu, but it will also introduce Atlanta to duckpin bowling and Belgian feather bowling.  

[RELOCATION] LongHorn Steakhouse on the Move in Kennesaw

LongHorn Steakhouse plans to relocate its existing Kennesaw area restaurant to a more visible location nearby.  Currently, LongHorn occupies an endcap space in Town Center Esplanade, a small strip center on Town Center Drive, closest to the Macy's Men's store & Furniture Gallery at Town Center at Cobb.

The new Kennesaw LongHorn should look like this

[CLOSURE ALERT] It's The End of The Line For The Rib Ranch in Marietta

The Rib Ranch, a Marietta mainstay for over 34 years, will close for the final time on Christmas Eve at 2PM.  The restaurant, located at 2053 Canton Road, opened on July 12, 1983.  According to The Rib Ranch website, the restaurant and catering kitchen were struck by lightning on October 5, 1995 during Tropical Storm Opal and burned down completely.  The restaurant and catering kitchen reopened in April 1997. 

[UPDATE] Chick-fil-A Reopening on North Druid Hills, New Location in Braselton

Atlanta based Chick-fil-A will celebrate the opening of not one, but two locations on January 11.  In Atlanta, Chick-fil-A will reopen its location at the corner of North Druid Hills and Briarcliff Roads after an approximately five month rebuilding process.  The restaurant, described by Chick-fil-A as the first freestanding Chick-fil-A restaurant, originally opened April 16, 1986.  Among the changes to the restaurant are the addition of an outdoor patio, an indoor playground and the re-orientation of the drive-thru window to be parallel with North Druid Hills rather than Briarciff. 

Desta Destined For Emory Point in 2018

Husband & wife co-owners Ash Nega and Titi Demise plan to bring their popular eatery, Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, to Emory Point next year.  The Ethiopian restaurant will open in place of BurgerFi which opened during spring 2013 and closed this past February.  The new Desta will be just under 2,600 square feet.  

Bits & Bites

Merchandise from Kit & Ace, makers of "technical cashmere," has resurfaced in an unlikely location.  As ToNeTo Atlanta reported in April, the company, developed by the family that created lululemon athletica, closed all of their U.S. stores to focus on their home turf Canada.  For months their store in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta sat idle, with all of the merchandise in the store, as if with the turn of a key, it would reopen.  While that never happened, their merchandise is now being liquidated at a different place in Buckhead.  A temporary pop-up liquidation store is open in the "Disco Kroger" shopping center at Piedmont and Peachtree Roads and is currently offering the remaining merchandise of the retailer's Buckhead outpost for between 50-75% off, with management granting an additional 10% discount for ToNeTo Atlanta readers.  The store, located to the left of Jamison Shaw Hairdressers, will remain open until December 31st.     

[BREAKING NEWS] IKEA to Furnish Marietta With New Store

Swedish home furniture retailer IKEA confirmed earlier today that it is bringing a second store to metro Atlanta.  The 300,000 square foot store, set to occupy 28 acres in Cobb County, will be located on Franklin Gateway on the site of the former Marquis Place apartment complex. 

Slice & Pint to Shutter at Emory Village

Slice & Pint in Emory Village will close December 30th after about four and a half years in business.  The restaurant made the announcement via their Facebook page earlier this evening.  

Flip Burger Bows Out of Buckhead After Seven Years

Flip Burger Boutique on Roswell Road in Buckhead's Tuxedo Festival shopping center has closed.  The roughly 4,100 square foot restaurant opened in late 2010 in a large portion of what had then most recently been a Blockbuster Video store.   The gourmet burger chain announced the closure on their Instagram page on Monday afternoon with no explanation, asking patrons to continue visiting the original, and now lone, Atlanta location on Howell Mill Road on the Westside. 

Inside Flip's Buckhead location

Uncle Maddio's Pizza Shutters in Newnan, 14th Closure This Year

Uncle Maddio's Pizza in Newnan announced earlier this evening via their Facebook page that they will be "temporarily closing the restaurant tonight."  The restaurant, which opened on Newnan Crossing Bybass in June 2015, was operated by franchisee Mike Uehling.  Sources indicate that the restaurant will remain closed for the foreseeable future with it unlikely that anyone would reopen it as an Uncle Maddio's.    

[CLOSURE ALERT] Pollo Tropical Shutters Four More Metro Locations

Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc., the Dallas, Texas-based owner of the Pollo Tropical restaurant chain, quietly closed four more Atlanta area locations December 4.  The four locations were on Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway in Hiram, Cobb Parkway South in Marietta, Bullsboro Drive in Newnan and Dawsonville Highway in Gainesville. 

[EXCLUSIVE] Fifth Group Planning Buckhead Alma Cocina

Multiple well-placed sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that Fifth Group Restaurants plans to bring their modern Mexican restaurant, Alma Cocina, to Buckhead next year.  The restaurant would open in place of BrickTop's at Terminus, which as ToNeTo Atlanta first reported early last month, is due to close at year end. 

Bits & Bites

Smoothie and juice joint dtox plans to open its third overall location in the coming weeks at the corner of Virginia Avenue and North Highland Avenue in Virginia Highland.  Dtox will open in the former Judith Bright space [they previously expanded and relocated to a space nearby], between Taco Cowboy and Callie's Hot Little Biscuit.  Dtox currently operates locations in Buckhead Court in Buckhead and at Westside Provisions District on the Westside.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Dolce to Shutter in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta

Sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that New York-based LDV Hospitality plans to close Dolce Italian at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta on Saturday December 30.  The restaurant, located on the second floor of the project at the corner of Buckhead Avenue and Bolling Way, opened in August 2015.   

Dolce Italian at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta 

Bits & Bites

Goldberg's Bagel Company & Deli plans to open its latest location today at The Battery Atlanta at SunTrust Park.  The new restaurant will be the Atlanta-based group's seventh metro location and ninth overall, with two locations in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  

Wendy's Cashes in on Former Wells Fargo, Returning to Lawrenceville

A local Wendy's franchisee is planning to open a new location in Lawrenceville next year.  Carl Hoover, owner of Hoover Foods, plans to open a new Wendy's at the corner of Duluth Highway and Professional Drive, close to Gwinnett Medical Center and just off GA316.   The new Wendy's will open in place of a former Wells Fargo bank.  The bank closed within the past year and has sat empty in the months since.  

Bits & Bites

In response to last month's senseless murder of manager Chelsea Beller, Barcelona Wine Bar will be adopting a cashless policy as of Monday December 11.   Beller was murdered at Barcelona's westside location in the early morning hours of Sunday November 19th after a robbery at the restaurant.  A "security officer" at the restaurant who placed a call to the police indicated they were "not sure of the address" and indicated it was "downtown."  While ditching cash is great, hiring capable security would also be a good idea.  Norwalk, Connecticut-based Barteca Restaurant Group plans to institute the policy change at their two Barcelona and three bartaco restaurants in metro Atlanta, but not chainwide, according to a source at the restaurant.  Given they realize that their success attracts the potential for crime, it's curious that the change is not chainwide.  Beller's killer(s) have not yet been apprehended despite a $20,000 reward.

West Elm to Furnish Buckhead With New Store

Furniture and home decor retailer west elm plans to open what will be its fourth Atlanta area store, and fifth overall store in Georgia, next year in Buckhead.  The approximately 12,000 square foot store will open at The Shops Around Lenox, adjacent to Lenox Square on Around Lenox Drive.  Permits filed recently with the City of Atlanta confirm that the retailer will open in place of women's boutique Tootsies, which as ToNeTo Atlanta first reported earlier this month, will be downsizing and relocating to Buckhead Exchange.

[UPDATE] PizzaFire Extinguished in TOWN Brookhaven, Amore Cucina Coming Soon

PizzaFire has closed in TOWN Brookhaven.  The quick serve pizza restaurant was the first Atlanta area location of the Medina, Ohio based franchise.  PizzaFire in TOWN Brookhaven opened this past June in place of Treza, a similar quick serve pizza eatery.  At the time of the opening, there were plans for at least one other PizzaFire, a corporately owned location in Roswell.  That Roswell location never opened and it was later removed from the "coming soon" page on the restaurant's website.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Sarah Donuts Destined for Decatur in 2018

Sarah Donuts will open their first ever ITP location early next year at North Decatur Plaza.  The donut shop will open in place of Little Caesars Pizza, which closed earlier this year in the center.  The space is 1,500 square feet and is situated between Finders Keepers consignment boutique and BullGogi, a Korean and poke eatery.   

Bits & Bites

In early August, ToNeTo Atlanta was first to announce that Draper James planned to open its fourth overall store in Buckhead and we can now confirm that the boutique quietly opened this past Thursday.  Joining existing locations in Nashville, Dallas and Lexington, the boutique from actress Reese Witherspoon opened in the Shops Around Lenox in a space previously occupied by fab'rik.  Former C. Wonder president Andrea Hyde, who had been CEO of Draper James since its inception, left the company in September, but her C. Wonder-like merchandise and southern-a-fied C. Wonder design is in evidence in the Buckhead outpost.  

LIDL Looking For Lots of Lots in Local Communities

European grocer Lidl appears to be moving forward with at least three Atlanta area stores.  Lidl, pronounced "Leedle," will open new locations in Marietta (Austell), Mableton and Snellville next year, according to planning documents obtained by ToNeTo Atlanta.  All three stores were previously approved by their respective jurisdictions.   

Atlanta area Lidl stores should look like this 

[VIDEO] One Night In Buckhead

With all the changes going on in Atlanta - new developments, store closures, restaurant closures, Dome implosions etc. - ToNeTo Atlanta wanted to take a moment to share a cool Atlanta throwback video we discovered.

Titled "One Night in Buckhead," the video was apparently shot in 1985 and features "Biff & The Buckwads" performing a parody of the 1984 song "One Night in Bangkok" by English actor and singer Murray Head.  

Bonus Bits & Bites

Metro Atlanta's second Blaze Pizza is expected to open  December 2 at Akers Mill Square near Cumberland Mall.  The quick serve pizza eatery replaced Atlanta-based Uncle Maddio's Pizza in the endcap space in the popular center.  The first Atlanta area Blaze opened this past September near Emory University in Emory Commons shopping center at the corner of Clairmont and North Decatur Roads.  A third Blaze Pizza is slated to open next year in Fuqua Development's new Northside Drive & 17th Street project behind IKEA.  Sources indicate the local franchise group is actively seeking additional Atlanta area locations but not additional leases have been signed.    

Blaze Pizza as seen last late last month

Culver's Coming to Even More Communities

Culver's, the Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin-based quick-serve burger restaurant which entered the Georgia market last year, has plans to open at least six more locations in the coming months, as it continues to expand across the state.  The new restaurants are planned for Kennesaw, Johns Creek/Suwanee, Braselton, Gainesville, Pooler and Savannah.   

[UPDATE] A Progress Report on Atlanta Area Chick-fil-A Restaurants

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is actively engaged in opening a number of new locations and the rebuilding of older locations around the metro area.  As ToNeTo Atlanta previously reported, Chick-fil-A locations in Sandy Springs on Roswell Road and on North Druid Hills Road were demolished and are currenty being rebuilt. 

Progress this week at the Chick-fil-A on North Druid Hills Road

Bits & Bites

Vietnamese eatery Pho Dai Loi plans to open a new location in Chastain Square in north Buckhead.  Pho Dai Loi will open in place of failed "better burger" joint Burger 21 which closed this past June after less than two years in business.  This will be Pho Dai Loi's fourth restaurant overall, joining existing locations on Jonesboro Road in Forest Park, Buford Highway in Chamblee and on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth.   

Panera Bread to Rise in Chamblee Parking Lot

Panera Bread is proposing a new restaurant in Chamblee.  The approximately 4,300 square foot bakery & cafe would open in an outparcel of the existing Lowe's Home Improvement on Peachtree Boulevard, across from the new Whole Foods Market-anchored Peachtree Station center.  Panera Bread would join Zaxby's, which opened in an outparcel of the home improvement store in 2012.  

Typical Panera Bread drive-thru restaurant 

Simon Says Bye to Belk, Konnichiwa to Nobu Hotel and Restaurant

Belk confirmed yesterday that it will close its store in Buckhead's Phipps Plaza in 2018.  The three level, 170,000 square foot store opened in 2006, following the company's acquisition of Parisian, which had occupied the space previously. In 2007, the company designated the store a "flagship," a term reserved for only a handful of Belk stores that meet certain square footage and sales metrics.  

Wendy's Plans to Relocate Duluth Restaurant to Prime Pleasant Hill Parcel

Last month ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported on the plans of Meritage Hospitality Group to renovate, rebuild and replace a number of Atlanta area Wendy's restaurants.  ToNeTo Atlanta can now confirm that Meritage plans to relocate their existing Duluth area restaurant. 

The current Wendy's in Duluth

Bits & Bites

Popular Sandy Springs game bar Battle & Brew is staying open after all.  After shocking fans last month with news that they were closing, the owners of Battle & Brew found a new buyer who they are confident will continue to run they business as they have.  The bar, located in the Parkside Shops shopping center on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, should reopen "soon."  The owners posted the following message to their Facebook page earlier this week: "Battle & Brew has been purchased by a new owner. We will re-open soon. More details to follow as we have them. Until then please be patient with us and follow our social media for updates."

[NEWSFLASH] Mattress Firm May Have too Many Stores, Alleges Real Estate Team Misled Company

There might be some truth to the notion that there are too many Mattress Firm stores.  Houston, Texas-based Mattress Firm filed a lawsuit October 30th in Harris County, Texas District Court alleging that its Atlanta based master broker Alex Deitch was at the center of a “massive, multi-year fraud, bribery, and kickback scheme" that also involved senior real estate executives at the bedding retailer.  The lawsuit claims Deitch worked alongside top Mattress Firm real estate executives Bruce Levy and Ryan Vinson (among the 17 defendants named in the case) to defraud the retailer out of potentially millions of dollars.  "The bribery, kickback, and fraud scheme was a pay to play loop where each played a distinct and necessary role" according to the lawsuit.

Dueling Mattress Firm stores from Curbed Atlanta 

Uncle Maddio's Pizza is Dunzo in Dunwoody

Uncle Maddio's Pizza at Perimeter Village shopping center in Dunwoody has closed. The QSR pizza restaurant which opened in 2012, occupied a portion of what was for many years a Borders Books & Music store.  The nearly 3,000 square foot space had been marketed by property owner Weingarten Realty for the past few months, even as the restaurant continued to operate.  Its closure comes as little surprise, and hopefully means that a replacement tenant has been found.  

[NEWSFLASH] Antico Pizza Quietly Closes Miami Outpost, Plans to Reopen Elsewhere

Giovanni Di Palma quietly has closed his short-lived South Beach restaurant.  The restaurant, which debuted this past December to substantial fanfare, served menu highlights from Antico Pizza Napoletana, Gio’s Chicken, Bar Amalfi, and Caffè Antico under one roof in what Di Palma called the "centro storico." Signage at the restaurant indicates that it closed for "holiday" from September 4-11, with plans to reopen on the 12th, but it never did.  Even more strange, the sign announcing the holiday reads "SPACCA NAPOLI PIZZERIA."  

Sharetea Looking for its Share of Atlanta Tea Business

Tea franchise Sharetea is coming soon to metro Atlanta.  Signage announcing the upcoming opening of the Taipei, Taiwan-based business went up recently at the Hammond Springs shopping center near the corner of Hammond Drive and Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Carvana Eyeing Midtown Atlanta for Vending Machine

Plans were filed with the City of Atlanta earlier this summer to demolish two existing structures near 16th and Fowler Streets.   ToNeTo Atlanta has now confirmed that a self- storage facility and Carvana will open in their place. The property is located near Atlantic Station and within view of I-75/I-85. 

A Carvana Vending Machine

Farrell's to Team Up With Sweet Pete's in Atlanta Return

A beloved ice cream chain and restaurant will be returning to the Atlanta area early next year after an approximately 30 year absence.  Farrell’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlour will be opening at the Battery Atlanta this February, sharing space with Sweet Pete’s, a gourmet candy shop.  The two businesses will share a roughly 10,000 square foot space adjacent to Wahlburger's and across from CRU, a wine bar and restaurant in The Battery Atlanta at SunTrust Park. 

Farrell's employees deliver "The Zoo," a popular sundae

[UPDATE] The Whitley Accepting Reservations Starting February 1, 2018

The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead will officially cease to exist as of November 30.  The hotel, the longest continuously operating The Ritz-Carlton in the company, is being deflagged in favor of "The Whitley," an unbranded boutique hotel under Starwood's "The Luxury Collection" umbrella.  

The Whitley's exterior as seen on its website

[RETRACTION] Olive Bistro at TOWN Brookhaven

This past Monday, ToNeTo Atlanta reported that Olive Bistro had closed its TOWN Brookhaven location.  While that is true, the use of the phrase "belly up" in our headline was inaccurate and misleading, as the restaurant, as reported, was unable to come to terms on a new lease, rather than it going "belly up." 

[EXCLUSIVE] Walmart Walks Away From Another Atlanta Area Neighborhood Market Store

Walmart plans to close its Walmart Neighborhood Market store at Blackwell Square Shopping Center in East Cobb December 4.  The approximately 41,000 square foot store opened in March 2013, and was one of a number of Neighborhood Market locations that Walmart opened in the area.  

Several More Sears and Kmarts Soon Will Shutter

Sears Holdings announced another round of store closures yesterday.  The closures, which will affect 45 Kmart stores and 18 Sears stores nationwide, will occur in late January 2018.  In Georgia, a total of five stores are to close.

[EXCLUSIVE] BrickTop's Bows Out at Buckhead's Terminus

BrickTop's restaurant at Terminus in Buckhead will close December 31, according to multiple sources close to the restaurant.  Opened in late 2007, BrickTop's at Terminus was one of the first expansion markets in which the Nashville-based chain opened. BrickTop's at Terminus was likely at the end of what was a ten year lease.  Sources indicate that talks had been underway for the past few months for the restaurant to sign a new lease, but terms were never agreed upon and BrickTop's reportedly elected to walk away.