Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The Local Pizzaiolo and Ebrik Coffee Room Both Pull Out of New Modera Sandy Springs Project

ToNeTo Atlanta has now confirmed that upstart Neapolitan pizza restaurant The Local Pizzaiolo and local coffee shop Ebrik Coffee Room have both scrapped their plans for locations at Modera Sandy Springs apartment project on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.  The businesses have both been removed from the property's website and their decisions to pull out have been confirmed by real estate sources.   


The pizza restaurant, which was to have been the group's third location, was announced last year, and was expected to open in a 2,900 square foot space later this year.  The roughly 1,360 square foot coffee shop, which would have been Ebrik's third location, was to have featured a drive-thru just off Roswell Road.  

The first, and currently only, The Local Pizzaiolo, opened in January on Marietta Street on the Westside.  A second location at Toco Hill shopping center, has been nearly finished for weeks, but its opening has been pushed multiple times for unspecified reasons. Earlier this week, Allison Hill, CEO for The Local Pizzaiolo, confirmed to ToNeTo Atlanta by email that the Toco Hill location will open Tuesday May 8.  The email, which was essentially a press release announcing the opening, also included a vague line about other locations.  

"The Local Pizzaiolo has more locations aimed in Atlanta and is active in negotiations in other markets."

The group's other previously announced Atlanta area location is planned for Fuqua Development's Madison Yards project on Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown.  Although the Madison Yards location was not specifically mentioned, sources close to the development indicate it still plans to open in the Reynoldstown project.  According to a social media post from earlier this year, the pizza chain is exploring opportunities in Florida.  

Alan Shaw of The Shopping Center Group, who leases the property on behalf of Mill Creek Residential, never responded to ToNeTo Atlanta's requests for comment.  Allison Hill, CEO of The Local Pizzaiolo, did not respond to multiple inquires either.

Among the likely reasons for the pizza joint's pull-out are the fact that Antico Pizza Napoletana recently confirmed their plans to open nearby, in addition to the recent closure of Rize and opening of MOD, both potential competitors to The Local Pizzaiolo.  

After losing The Local Pizzaiolo and Ebrik at Modera Sandy Springs, the development is left with three confirmed tenants totaling about 11,000 square feet, and seven available spaces totaling nearly 14,000 square feet.  

The three confirmed tenants are:

Casi Cielo, which translates to “almost heaven” in Spanish, will occupy a 4,500 square foot space along Roswell Road that will also feature a 675 square foot patio.  The concept, from the owners of the La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant chain, will be similar to La Parrilla in some ways, but will highlight cuisines from regions across Mexico.  This will be the first Casi Cielo restaurant.  

F45 Training,a franchise fitness facility, will occupy a 3,000 square foot suite along the side of the property.  There are existing F45 locations in Buckhead, Alpharetta and Johns Creek, and another coming soon to Smyrna.  

District M sushi will occupy a roughly 3,300 square foot space along Roswell Road that also features a roughly 1,000 square foot patio, the largest of the four spaces with patios.  Serial restaurateur Tom Huang is reportedly the man behind the new eatery.  Huang's credits in Atlanta's dining scene include opening the chain of Chin Chin Chinese restaurants, Midtown's now defunct Mu Lan Chinese restaurant, and most recently, Oshi Poke Bowl & Sushi.  

Do the decisions of The Local Pizzaiolo and Ebrik coffee to abandon their plans to open at Modera Sandy Springs surprise you?  Are you pleased to see a sushi option added to the roster at Modera Sandy Springs?  What else would you like to see open in Modera Sandy Springs?

Please share your thoughts below.  

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish at least the coffee ship would have stayed especially with Starbucks moving closer to 285. I feel like an opportunity has been missed as I try to avoid Starbucks but it is most difficult.

Anonymous said...

Casi Cielo will not do well there either. The long time mainstay of Roswell Road mexican restaurants, El Azteca is more accessible, has a great patio, and while the food is not gourmet, it passes muster for the basic tacos, and its prices are not exorbitant. The parking at Modera will be awful. Meanwhile, my guess is that it will take forever to get enough tenants to make a difference. The draw of a restaurant there is a captive audience, and if no one is living there, then why pay the high rent?

Anonymous said...

Well Ebrik is back on the website, and they added another tenant - Kale me crazy!

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