[CLOSURE ALERT] 5 Seasons Brewing at The Prado in Sandy Springs Closing

Five Seasons Brewing confirmed Monday afternoon that they would be closing their location at The Prado in Sandy Springs at midnight on December 31.  The restaurant, one of the longest running tenants in the development, has been in business for 19 years.  The Five Seasons Brewing on Marietta Street on the Westside will remain in business. 

[ACTION!] NCG Cinemas to Open New Theater at Northeast Plaza in Brookhaven

NCG Cinemas plans to open a new movie theater in Brookhaven's Northeast Plaza in 2019.  The "new" theater will actually occupy a space previously home to a 12 screen theater, but the suite was later a dance hall before sitting vacant for the past several years.  Specifically, NCG will occupy suite 10, a 32,334 square foot space.

[WOW] Grocery Store to Anchor Proposed Dunwoody Redevelopment

Ashwood Restaurant Park, a three tenant center along Ashford Dunwoody Road near Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, could be redeveloped in the coming months, anchored by a new grocery store.   An affiliate of Atlanta-based Branch Properties, LLC filed plans in Dunwoody to redevelop the 10 acre property it owns across Ashford Dunwoody Road from Perimeter Village, a Weingarten Realty-owned Walmart Supercenter-anchored center.  The project would add new retail and restaurant space, improve the streetscape, and introduce new sidewalks and greenspace, according to the plans.  

[CLOSURE ALERT] Barberitos A Bust in Buckhead

Barberitos has closed its restaurant at The Peach shopping center in Buckhead.  Signage on the restaurant's front door indicates it closed as of December 20.  The restaurant occupied a 2,300 square foot space at the south end of the Publix-anchored development adjacent to Party City.  Barberitos, based in Athens, opened in the center during the summer of 2012.  Despite being open over five years, the restaurant received only 51 reviews on its Yelp.com page with a cumulative 3.5 star rating.  

[UPDATE] Baby Burger Chain Burgerim Planning Tremendous Growth

Burgerim, an Israeli burger chain which has one location open in metro Atlanta, now lists five others as "coming soon."  The one existing location is situated alongside Taco Mac in the street level retail of the Metropolis condo building on Peachtree Street in Midtown.  There, Burgerim occupies a 2,700 square foot space along Peachtree Place with limited visibility from the main road.  ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the opening planned in October 2016, but it was not until October 2018 that the restaurant actually opened.  

[CIAO!] Midtown Loses Another Restaurant With Ribalta Closing Sunday

Midtown pizzeria Ribalta will close this weekend one last time after less than five years in business.  The restaurant, a satellite of the original location in New York, opened in mid 2014 in the street level retail of 1010 Midtown.  The Neapolitan pizzeria opened in place of original tenant Piola, a similar eatery.  

[UPDATE] Crafthall Kitchen Closed Permanently

Upstart eatery Crafthall Kitchen has closed its first and only location after less than eight months in business.  The restaurant, developed by entrepreneur Jennifer Rotondo, was located alongside Honey Baked Ham, Le Madeleine, Tiff's Treats and  Zoës Kitchen in the REI/Goodwill anchored Perimeter Square West shopping center in Sandy Springs. The restaurant opened April 5 and has not reopened following what was supposed to be a temporary closure on November 14.  

[ADIOS!] Tijuana Garage Abruptly Closes in Little 5 Points

Staff at Little 5 Points bar and restaurant Tijuana Garage got a rude awakening earlier this week when they were reportedly informed at the restaurant's Christmas party that they were all out of a job.  The restaurant, located on Moreland Avenue, closed effective December 22, after fifteen years in business.  Sibling concept Front Page News remains open.

[UPDATE] Savi Provisions on the Move in Chastain Park

Local wine, beer & spirits retailer Savi Provisions plans to relocate its Chastain Park area store in early 2019.  Currently located in Tuxedo Festival at the corner of Piedmont and Roswell Roads, the shop will shift slightly north to the Goodwill anchored center at 3906 Roswell Road.  The center, which is unnamed, is also home to High County Outfitters and previously Atlantic Wine, the space in which Savi will open.

[CLOSURE ALERT] Giorgio Armani to Shutter Shop at Phipps Plaza Christmas Eve

Luxury retailer Giorgio Armani plans to shutter their first level boutique at Phipps Plaza Christmas Eve. The store, located alongside Valentino and Philipp Plein in the Saks Fifth Avenue wing, informed employees only recently of the closure.  The end of the retailer's lease was reportedly the explanation for the closure.   There are no liquidation sales at the store in advance of the closure as product will instead be transferred to other stores.  

[NEWSFLASH] Pollo Tropical Chickens Out in Atlanta, Closes All Area Restaurants

Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc., the Dallas, Texas-based owner of the Pollo Tropical restaurant chain, quietly closed all of their remaining Atlanta area locations effective December 20.  The nine Atlanta restaurant closures were in addition five Pollo Tropical closures in Florida and nine of the company's Taco Cabana restaurants in Texas.  

[UPDATE] Anthropologie to Close at Lenox Square December 29, Reopen Spring 2019

Popular Lenox Square retailer Anthropologie informed customers via email Tuesday that the store would be closing for renovations December 29.  In the email - entitled "BE RIGHT BACK" - the retailer did not specify much about the closure, only saying that they would reopen in the spring.  

[CLOSURE ALERT] Panera Bread Shutters in Perimeter Mall

ToNeTo Atlanta has learned that the Panera Bread in Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody has closed.  The bakery cafe, which was located in the mall's first level food court, opened in late 2014 and closed this past Tuesday, December 18.  A second Perimeter mall area Panera Bread remains open in the Super Target anchored Perimeter Place mixed-use development on Olde Perimeter Way across the street.  

[NEWSFLASH] Publix to Pull Out of The Prado in Sandy Springs

Publix Super Markets plans to close its small format store at The Prado in Sandy Springs.  The 28,800 square foot store is located along Roswell Road and opened as part of the center's redevelopment in late 2008.  The grocer is the second junior anchor to close in the center following the late 2014 closure of Staples. (The Staples store has subsequently sporadically been home to various random furniture/mattress/holiday stores.)  Signs posted on the grocer's doors indicate that they will close at 5PM on Saturday, December 29.  There are reportedly no immediate plans for a new tenant in the space.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Jinya Ramen Bar and Queen of Cream Opening in Plaza on Ponce

The Plaza on Ponce will next year welcome not one, but three new eateries!  The historic center, located at the corner of North Highland & Ponce de Leon Avenues in Poncey Highland, was purchased in 2017 for $18.1 million by Charlotte-based Asana Partners.  The retail team at SRS Real Estate Partners has spent the past year curating a series of new additions to the center which dates back to 1939.  

Rendering of completed work as seen from North Highland Avenue 

[UPDATE] Just a Pasture Away, The Red Eyed Mule Finds A New "House"

The owners of popular Marietta eatery The Red Eyed Mule threw frequent patrons into a tizzy when they revealed in late November that they were not offered a new lease at their current location and would need to find a new home.  With numerous suggestions for new locations coming in via the restaurant's Facebook page, co-owners Sabra and Joseph Wood were not short on options to pursue.  

[CLOSURE ALERT] Maki Fresh Quietly Shutters in Peachtree Battle

Fledgling quick-serve sushi eatery Maki Fresh has closed its lone Atlanta area restaurant.  The roughly 3,400 square foot restaurant opened in Peachtree Battle Shopping Center in Buckhead in June 2011, and quietly closed last month, according to sources familiar with the restaurant.  Boneheads, a failed Raving Brands concept, had previously occupied the space.   Maki Fresh featured a number of sushi options, as well as curry bowls, rice bowls, salads and sliders, among other offerings.  One of the restaurant's most unique but underutilized features was a room in the back where they would occasionally offer sushi making classes for groups and date nights.  

[WRAPPED UP AND ROLLING OUT] Blue Coast Burrito Shutters Lone Atlanta Location

In a sadly unsurprising move, the owners of Blue Coast Burrito announced earlier this week to their 405 fans on Facebook that they would close permanently Friday, December 14.  The restaurant, a franchise of the Nashville area based chain, opened November 6, 2017 in a small center in Berkeley Heights on Northside Drive where Rising Roll Gourmet had previously closed. 

Blue Coast Burrito Friday night 

[CLOSURE ALERT] Meating Street BBQ to Shutter in Roswell

Meating Street BBQ, the popular pop-up eatery turned restaurant, informed guests this week that they will serve their last lunch this coming Saturday, December 15.  The restaurant, which opened this past January, occupied a former Domino's Pizza in a small strip center along Alpharetta Street in Roswell.  The restaurant started as a pop up at Alive After 5 and Oak Street Cafe barbecue nights before opening their brick and mortar location. 

[Failure to Launch] Costco Anchored Decatur Landing Grounded Before Take Off

The redevelopment of North DeKalb Mall (Decatur Landing) is likely headed for another years long delay with word Tuesday that the developer has withdrawn their rezoning application for the property.  Kathryn Zickert, the attorney representing the developer, Sterling Organization, told neighbors that "the project has become too expensive to proceed."

[UPDATE] Controversial Holiday Inn Chamblee to Break Ground This Week, Open in 2020

Holiday Inn & Suites is finally breaking ground on its controversial new hotel in Chamblee.  Rising at 4401 Chamblee Dunwoody Road just south of I-285, the new hotel is scheduled to open in 2020. The new five story hotel, part of InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) portfolio of brands, will feature a rooftop bar and a restaurant from chef and restaurateur Archna Becker of Buckhead’s acclaimed North Indian restaurant Bhojanic.  A formal groundbreaking is scheduled for this coming Friday, December 14.  

The hotel as proposed in 2016 

[GOODBYE] Ruby Tuesday Shutters on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna

Ruby Tuesday has closed its freestanding restaurant on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna.  The restaurant,  located at 3197 South Cobb Drive between Concord Road and Church Street, had been in business for nearly 30 years.  The Smyrna restaurant closed as of December 3 according to signage on the front door.  Cobb County records indicate the restaurant opened in 1989.  

[TOAST!] Panera Bread to Close in Lenox Square

Panera Bread is closing its popular cafe & bakery in Buckhead's Lenox Square at the close of business on Monday, December 17.  Employees of the eatery were reportedly informed of the closure around Thanksgiving and felt blindsided by the sudden move.  Given the popularity of the eatery with mall employees and patrons alike, the closure was likely not due to lack of sales, but instead due to a new increased rent lease that the restaurant chose not to renew.