Bits & Bites

Flower Child has pushed its planned opening of their new restaurant at the Shops Around Lenox near Lenox Square in Buckhead from May 13 to early June.  The new healthy eatery, the sibling of neighboring Lenox Square eatery True Food Kitchen, is a quick-serve restaurant known for bowls, wraps and kombucha on tap.  The Buckhead outpost is the first in Atlanta for Phoenix, AZ based Fox Restaurants Concepts.  A second Atlanta area Flower Child is expected to open late this summer at City Springs in Sandy Springs.

Soulcycle, which is also opening in Shops Around Lenox, has also pushed their opening and now plans to open Thursday May 17.   This marks the New York-based chain's first studio in Atlanta.  

Judd Foster opened South of Heaven BBQ on Newnan Street in downtown Carrollton this past Thursday.   

Southlake, TX based Del Frisco's Restaurant Group (DFRG) announced early Monday morning that it has purchased Norwalk, CT based Barteca Restaurant Group, owners of bartaco and Barcelona Wine Bar, for $325 million.  Locally, DFRG operates Del Frisco's Grille in Buckhead and has plans for a Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse in Dunwoody later this year.  Barteca operates a total of five restaurants in Atlanta, Barcelona Wine Bar restaurants in Inman Park and West Midtown and bartaco locations in Chastain Park, West Midtown and Inman Park.   

Savi Provisions opened their new Decatur location in the former The Cook's Warehouse space on West Ponce earlier this week.  The company also recently opened a new location on Pharr Road in Buckhead.  The Pharr Road location features a second floor sibling restaurant and bar called Rise & Revelry.  The two locations are in addition to owner Paul Nair's existing Savi locations in north Buckhead near Chastain Park, Brookhaven, Inman Park and Midtown.  

Governor Nathan Deal earlier this week signed Senate Bill 17, known as the "Brunch Bill." The new law gives local municipalities that already have Sunday alcohol sales the option to decide through a ballot referendum if they would like to roll back Sunday on-premise consumption sale hours from 12:30 p.m. to 11 a.m.  Communities who do not currently allow Sunday alcohol sales will be required to have two ballot referenda: One to vote Yes or No to implement Sunday sales and another to decide if their local time will be 11 a.m. or remain 12:30 p.m.  In order for the referenda to appear on the November ballot a resolution or ordinance needs to be passed by city and or county governments by July 31.

Yet another change is coming to The Battery Atlanta.  We reported in April that Marcus Lemonis had decided to open erehwon mountain outfitter and Overton's in the place of Sweet Pete's and Farrell's which he had previously announced. Now, "Rock/Creek by erehron mountain outfitter," is opening along with Overton's, according to recently tweaked "coming soon" signage at The Battery.  Rock/Creek is an outdoor retailer that, like erehwon, was purchased by Uncle Dan's Outfitters, a subsidiary of Lemonis' Camping World Holdings, Inc.  Chattanooga-based Rock/Creek, which operates seven stores in Chattanooga and one in Franklin, Tennessee, confirmed they had been purchased April 19, just a few days after the erehwon signage went up at The Battery.  The stores are to open "later this summer."

Pike Nurseries plans to open its nineteenth overall store later this fall in Milton.  Originally slated to open in spring 2018, this location will now open in fall 2018 due to construction delays caused by above-average rainfall. The new Milton store will be the first opened by Pike Nurseries in the Atlanta market since 2007.  “While some retail concepts face an ongoing battle with online competition, Pike Nurseries continues to see enthusiastic demand for new brick-and-mortar store locations"  said Mike Kunce, CEO and chairman of the board for Pike Nurseries and Armstrong Garden Centers.  The new 64,800 square foot store on a four-acre lot is located at 3155 Bethany Bend Road.  

A new location of growing poke chain Poke Bar is coming to Atlantic Station this fall.  The new location will open in the remaining portion of the former Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro, between upcoming eateries Gyu-Kaku and NaanStop.  California-based Poke Bar has existing Atlanta locations in Sandy Springs, Edgewood, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Duluth, Decatur, Suwanee, Chamblee and Peachtree Corners.  The Poke Bar website indicates there are plans for more locations in Dunwoody, Buckhead, Vinings, Athens, Kennesaw and Midtown, among others.  

Retailer Michael Stars is actively closing their shop at Ponce City Market.  The boutique, which "moved" from Phipps Plaza in Buckhead, is slated to close next Sunday May 20.  The store is currently offering 30% off all in-stock merchandise.  The closure of Michael Stars is the second non-pop-up retail closure at Ponce City Market this year following the January closure of ROAM by Mori.  Despite the center's popularity and many restaurant successes, retail has been an area of weakness for the center according to real estate sources.  

Buckhead's Chow Bing has added ramen to their menu to complement their variety of healthy Chinese fare and bubble tea options.  

1000 Degrees Pizza and Five Guys plan to open new locations in a new outparcel of Roswell Corners shopping center on Woodstock Road in Roswell.  The center, anchored by SuperTarget, is already home to a variety of eateries including Zoës Kitchen, Chicken Salad Chick and Panera Bread, among others.  Five Guys is expected to relocate from their nearby 2,585 square foot location in Mabry Village to a new 2,400 square foot space in Roswell Corners.  (Their current space is being marketed with a September 2018 availability.)  1000 Degrees Pizza will open in an 1,800 square foot space as the second location for the growing pizza franchise that plans to open their first Atlanta area location in July in Marietta Trade Center on Cobb Parkway near The Big Chicken.  Deka Lash will also open in the new outparcel in a in 1,213 square foot space, with a 3,587 square foot space still available for lease.  

A 250 room hotel is being planned next to The Ritz-Carlton Residences/3630 office building in Buckhead.  An affiliate of Atlanta-based private equity firm Atlas Cos. has a less than half acre site under contract at 3630 Peachtree Road.  The proposed hotel could rise up to 340 feet on the site of an existing parking deck next to The Ritz condos and office tower, according to zoning documents.   In 2006, Pope & Land Enterprises Inc., Post Properties Inc., Novare Group and Duke Realty Corp included two towers as part of its original plan.  The 3630 Peachtree tower was developed as mix of offices, condos and upscale restaurants. It's not yet clear if Atlas has a hotel flag in mind for their development.  The area around Phipps Plaza has seen hotel development pick up in recent years with the opening of the city’s first AC Hotel by Marriott on mall property in 2016 and the planned opening of a new Nobu Hotel on the site of the current Belk department store.