[CLOSURE ALERT] Tuesday Morning Closing Two Stores, Hoping to Reopen Elsewhere

Off-price housewares retailer Tuesday Morning notified customers Wednesday that it will not only close its location at Midtown Promenade on Monroe Drive in Midtown, but also its Buckhead store. The Buckhead store, located in Buckhead Square at the corner of Peachtree and Piedmont Roads, is behind Haverty’s , and according to local ToNeTo Atlanta readers has been in business for more than 40 years. 

Tuesday Morning Midtown 

[EXCLUSIVE] Retailer Rock/Creek Strikes Out at The Battery Atlanta

Rock/Creek, a store which when it opened late last year we said should never have opened and would likely not last long, is closing. The 17,000 square foot store, located on two levels at The Battery Atlanta at SunTrust Park, opened last December and will close January 31. The store is currently offering 40% off all in-stock merchandise ahead of its planned closure.   

Shopping carts in long-term parking  inside Rock/Creek

[EXCLUSIVE] Souq Market to Open in Kennesaw But Could You Support It?

The owners of Souq International Market plan to bring  their Mediterranean groceries and ingredients from around the world to Kennesaw.  Featuring food and groceries from Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, among others, Souq opened their first store in May 2016 on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth.  The existing store is just over 15,000 square feet and occupies about half of an old grocery store in Pleasant Hill Point shopping center.  The Kennesaw outpost will be about 22,000 square feet and is opening place of the former Rec Warehouse at 2646 George Busbee Parkway near Town Center at Cobb.

Jordan Satary in front of the upcoming Souq in Katy, Texas

[SWEET!] Atlantic Station Lands NoBaked Edible Cookie Dough

Atlantic Station will next year welcome Atlanta’s first location of NoBaked Cookie Dough, an edible cookie dough business.  Georgia will be the fifth market for the growing franchise.  The new eatery will open in a 1,200 square foot space between Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ and Poke Bar in the mixed-use development which is currently undergoing an evolution of sorts.   

[EXCLUSIVE] Lidl, Thought to Be Dead in Sandy Springs, Moving Forward

A new Lidl grocery store is back on in Sandy Springs according to multiple real estate sources and a permit on file with the city.  The store, one of two proposed in 2017 along Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, will open in City Center Crossing, formerly known as Marshalls Plaza.  Lidl plans to take just under 29,000 of the overall 39,254 square foot former Marshalls store, according to sources familiar with the lease.    The former Marshalls box has sat largely vacant since the discount retailer relocated to nearby Hammond Exchange in 2013.   The remaining roughly 10,000 square foot space will be made available to a junior anchor or potentially subdivided further.   

Updated exterior of the soon-to-be Lidl 

[UPDATE] Carvana Vending Machine Moving Forward in Atlanta

In November 2017, ToNeTo Atlanta reported that Carvana planned to bring one of their car vending machines to metro Atlanta.  Now, nearly two years later, visible work is finally underway to bring the development to life.  Visible from I-75/85 south and not far from Atlantic Station, the twelve story car vending machine will open at 166 16th Street next year.  

The Carvana vending machine in Greensboro 

[OPENING ALERT] City Barbeque to Debut in November in Sandy Springs

City Barbeque, the Dublin, Ohio-based barbeque restaurant that currently operates two locations in metro Atlanta, plans to open its third Monday, November 11 in Sandy Springs.  The new restaurant, which ToNeTo Atlanta first reported in March, will open in Abernathy Square at the corner of Roswell and Abernathy Roads.  In the Publix-anchored center the barbeque eatery replaces Dantanna's, which closed last January after about three and half years in business.  

[COMING SOON] Two California Franchises Finds Homes at 1010 Midtown

An Atlanta franchise of California's Silverlake Ramen plans to open soon at 1010 Midtown in Midtown.  The new ramen and noodle eatery will open in a roughly 2,000 square foot space previously home Piola and Ribalta, both pizza restaurants.  Ribalta closed in the space last December after opening in mid-2014, a short time after Piola closed.  The space is physically located on 11th Street, but carries the 1080 street address.

Signature Tonkotsu at Silverlake Ramen 

[NEWSFLASH] Emory Confirms Plans to Open Huge New Campus at Northlake Mall

ATR Corinth Partners Friday announced that Emory Healthcare will be an anchor for the reimagined  Northlake Mall, leasing 224,000 square feet of space. Emory Healthcare’s initial plans include corporate administrative services.  Emory will occupy the former Sears building and an additional portion of the 1 million square foot mall with an option for more space in the future.  Sears closed its store at the mall in 2018.  ATR paid $8.3 million to acquire the Sears "box" and  auto center in 2017, according to DeKalb property records.     

[UPDATE] 15 Years Later, Stalled Forsyth Project Coming Soon with Starbucks, LongHorn Steakhouse

A mixed-use development originally proposed more than fifteen years ago in Forsyth county is finally moving forward.  Regent Land Holdings, LLC, a holding company controlled by Buckhead-based Regent Partners, is planning to develop a roughly 11.5 acre parcel near the intersection of McFarland and Bluegrass Lakes Parkways, into a five story, 167,000 square foot office building as well as several out-parcel buildings.  The freestanding out-parcels are currently expected to include new locations of LongHorn Steakhouse and Starbucks, among others.

Typical LongHorn Steakhouse 

[UPDATE] Roc South Cuisine Opening "Soon" in Brookhaven

A new restaurant called Roc South Cuisine is coming soon to Brookhaven.  Renovations are currently wrapping up at 3009 Buford Highway to convert the existing, roughly 3,000 square foot building, into Roc.  ToNeTo Atlanta readers will recall that we first reported in 2017  that a different restaurant, HAUS Restaurant & Bar, would open at this address, but that restaurant never seemed to get off the ground.  That said, while former proprietor Tamara Young seems uninvolved in the new venture, Chef V. Harper, listed as the Executive Chef at HAUS, is also helming the kitchen at Roc South.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Golden Goose Deluxe Brand to Open in Lenox Square

Sources have been telling ToNeTo Atlanta for months that a new Golden Goose Deluxe Brand boutique would be opening in Lenox Square this fall.  [Golden Goose Atlanta LLC was registered with the Georgia Secretary of State's office March 13.]  Finally, we have confirmation of the planned store.  Permits filed October 18 with the City of Atlanta indicate that Golden Goose will open a new store in suite 3029D at Lenox Square in Buckhead.  The space, in the first floor Luxury Wing, is currently occupied by Escada, and will likely not open until the first half of 2020.

A Golden Goose Deluxe Brand flagship store in Milan

[UPDATE] Lidl Moves the Needle, Ramps Up Atlanta Expansion

Residents of East Atlanta were advised this week that German discount grocer Lidl is looking to open a store in their neighborhood.  The store, planned for 1807 Memorial Drive in Kirkwood, would come to Parkview Station, a shopping center currently home to several businesses.

[Shhhhh] Sex Shop Secures Sizable Space in Sandy Springs

A new location of Tokyo Valentino Erotique is preparing to open in Sandy Springs, but no one seems to know, and that is perhaps just how they want it.  The new shop, coming to the freestanding building that was most recently a Mattress Firm at 6074 Roswell Road, has no signage up announcing its arrival, but a peek in the window and some online research confirms what it will be.  The shop is located between Botany Bay florist and AT&T, just north of Hammond Drive.  A leasing flyer promoting the space described it as a "Charming Retail Storefront located in one of Atlanta's most affluent communities. Ample parking is available and close proximity to I-285!"

[CONFIRMED] East Cobb The Fresh Market to Close in November, Lidl to Open Summer 2020

ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported earlier this week that German discount grocer Lidl plans to open four additional stores in metro Atlanta in 2020. Today, we received confirmation that the one store coming to a currently occupied space, a The Fresh Market in East Cobb, is a "done deal," and that The Fresh Market will close as of November 18.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Miller's Ale House Planned in Peachtree Corners

A new location of Miller's Ale House is planned for Peachtree Corners.  The new restaurant, in place of what is currently excess parking, will open in a new out-parcel of the Goodwill-anchored Peachtree Parkway Plaza along Peachtree Parkway.  A recently updated site-plan for the project indicates the new Miller's Ale House restaurant, labeled "future construction," will be 6,350 square feet.  Miller's joins existing out-parcel restaurants Wendy's, Arby's and Taco Bell, which opened in 2015.  

Rendering of a typical Miller's Ale House restaurant 

[OPENING ALERT] Four Fat Cows to Open Buckhead Shop This Month

Four Fat Cows ice cream & bakery will open its first ITP location Monday, October 21st on Pharr Road in Buckhead.  The new Four Fat Cows will open near the intersection of Pharr and Peachtree Roads, not far from the former Peachtree Road location of The Cheesecake Factory.  Specifically,  the new Buckhead location will open at 30 Pharr Road, adjacent to both Barking Hound Village and Karma Farm.  Karma Daisy, a sibling restaurant of Karma Farm, previously operated from the space.  The Cookie Studio and Fuoco di Napoli, a pizzeria, also operated from 30 Pharr Road in the past. 

[EXCLUSIVE] Lidl Planning Stores in Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners and East Cobb

German discount grocer Lidl is ramping up its delayed metro Atlanta expansion with plans for several new stores.  Renovation plans reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta indicate that Lidl plans to open new stores in Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Peachtree Corners next year.  The stores, located at 2480 Briarcliff Road, 2480 Mount Vernon Road and  5270 Peachtree Parkway, would all open in place of former grocery stores.  

The former Earth Fare in Peachtree Corners 

[TIME!] Hudson FC Misses the Mark in Brookhaven, Plans to Close

Hudson FC International Sports Pub, which parent company Metrotainment Cafes opened during the summer of 2017, riding a wave of interest in soccer following Atlanta United's debut earlier in the year, will close this coming Sunday, October 20.  The restaurant, located alongside fellow Metrotainment Cafes concepts Hudson Grille and Sugar Shack, is located at 4058 Peachtree Road in Brookhaven Station.   

[CLOSURE ALERT] After 46 Years, Krystal Shutters Brookhaven Restaurant

The longstanding Krystal restaurant at 2068 North Druid Hills Road, just off I-85 in Brookhaven, has closed.  A restaurant representative tells ToNeTo Atlanta that the corporately owned restaurant closed as of October 5, and that there are no plans to reopen it.  The Druid Hills Krystal first opened July 24, 1973.

[UPDATE] Park Bench To Reopen at The Battery Atlanta in 2020

It was announced late Monday that just days after closing and selling their Buckhead bar, Park Bench will reopen in 2020 at The Battery Atlanta.  The popular dueling piano bar and live music venue will relocate from their roughly 5,000 square foot Buckhead home on Irby Avenue to a 6,565 square foot space in the mixed-use project adjacent to SunTrust Park in Cobb County.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Open Hand and Partners to Launch "Food Pharmacy" Jesse Hill Market at Grady

A partnership between Grady, Open Hand and the Atlanta Community Food Bank will soon bring an innovative new educational and eating option to Downtown Atlanta.  Jesse Hill Market is slated to open early next year at 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive where in 2016 McDonald's closed a restaurant on the campus of Grady hospital.  The concept, along with the road on which it's located, are named for civil rights activist and businessman Jesse Hill, Jr. who died in 2012 at the age of 86.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Roam to Open Second Buckhead Location in 2020

Atlanta-based co-working business Roam Innovative Workplace plans to open its sixth overall shared office in Buckhead next year.  The nearly 20,000 square foot co-working space will open in Lenox Marketplace, along Peachtree Road in Buckhead, across from Phipps Plaza.  The size and location identified on permits filed with the City of Atlanta suggest that the new Roam is opening in a portion of the former Pirch kitchen & bath showroom on the second floor of the sprawling shopping center.  

[BISCUIT BUYOUT] Maple Street Biscuit Company Bought by Cracker Barrel

Lebanon, Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel announced Friday it had agreed to acquire 33 unit Maple Street Biscuit Company in an all-cash transaction for $36 million.  First opened on November 8, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida by Scott Moore and Gus Evans, the brand has grown to 28 corporate and five franchised units throughout seven primarily southern states.  Maple Street has four units in Georgia: Alpharetta, Duluth, Savannah and Woodstock.  Eighteen of the chain's restaurants are in Florida.  

[UPDATE] Studio Movie Grill Moving Forward at Mansell Crossing Near North Point Mall

Dallas, Texas-based Studio Movie Grill is moving forward with plans to open a new dine-in movie theater on North Point Parkway at Brixmor Property Group's Mansell Crossing shopping center in Alpharetta.  The new theater would replace the former AMC Mansell Crossing 14 which closed June 3 after nearly 25 years in business.  Plans for the new Studio Movie Grill were approved by the City of Alpharetta Design Review Board earlier this year.  The theater is now seeking approval of several exterior signage requests including one that seeks to "increase the sign area of a wall sign on the rear elevation of the building facing the Big Creek Greenway."  

[EXCLUSIVE] Ted's Montana Grill to Open in "Upper Westside"

A new location of Ted's Montana Grill is coming to metro Atlanta next year.  The new Ted's will open in the new Westside Village development along Marietta Boulevard near Moores Mill Road.  Ted's will occupy suite 210, a 3,513 square foot space in the mixed-use development where Yonder Yoga and Clean Juice are already open and Marlow's Tavern, Dunkin' [Donuts], Chase Bank and Westside Pizzeria, among others, are committed to open.

The new Ted's under construction 

[EXCLUSIVE] Bar Rescue Star to Launch New Concept Taffer's Tavern in Alpharetta

In case you missed the news earlier this spring, Jon Taffer, host of Paramount Network's Bar Rescue, is launching his own chain of restaurants.  Taffer's Tavern, which promises to be a "groundbreaking concept," will launch next summer in metro Atlanta.  Hemant Suri of Five Guys Taverns, LLC signed a five unit development deal with Fransmart, a franchise development company, to expand the budding brand in metro Atlanta.

[EXCLUSIVE] Taichi Bubble Tea to Enter Atlanta Market in 2020

A new restaurant called Taichi Bubble Tea plans to open early next year at the corner of North Druid Hills and Briarcliff Roads in Brighten Park shopping center.  The new eatery, which serves bubble tea along with ramen, poke, sushi, sushi burritos and other Asian fare, is opening in the 2,800 square foot space previously home to Mexican restaurant El Torero which closed over two years ago after being in business for "more than 25 years."

An existing Taichi Tea in Rochester, New York

[OPENING ALERT] Ponko Chicken to Soft Open Thursday in Chastain Park

The latest PONKO Chicken location is set to "soft open" Thursday in Chastain Park.  The new PONKO, located in the Publix-anchored Chastain Square shopping center along Roswell Road, replaced Poke Nooke, which closed at the end of August after about nineteen months in business.  The restaurant, located in a 1,200 square foot corner space behind Swoozies, also includes a good-sized patio.

[EXCLUSIVE] Park Bench Sold to Owners of Neighboring Bar in Buckhead Village

The popular Park Bench bar in Buckhead Village has been sold.  The bar, located at 34 Irby Avenue, was sold by owner Larry Hall to the Bent Digit, LLC, owners of neighboring bar Stagecoach.  The owners of Stagecoach plan to combine and renovate the two bars into a single space.  Their work will reportedly be completed in the coming months.  

[UPDATE] Smelly Situation at Sandy Plains Centre

An alleged "rodent infestation" has led to the temporary closure of an East Cobb restaurant less than three months after its debut.  Chicken Salad Chick, located in a 2,800 square foot space in Sandy Plains Centre, has been closed for more than three weeks for what it referred to as a "water pipe issue."   Their neighbors in the center, a franchise of Pet Supplies Plus, speculate that the restaurant's temporary closure is instead due to a reported "rodent infestation."

[CLOSURE ALERT] Sugarfina and ATL Taco Have Shuttered at Lenox Square

Lenox Square luxury candy retailer Sugarfina and local taco joint ATL Taco have both closed in Buckhead.  Sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that both closures happened within the past week and that there was little to no advance warning.  Sugarfina opened its micro store - essentially a giant cubicle - on the mall's first level outside Macy's in late 2015.  ATL Taco, located across from Cousins Maine Lobster in a short wing closest to the Neiman-Marcus surface parking lot, opened in late January 2018.  The restaurant, like the eatery it replaced, Bantam + Biddy, were both operated by Chefs Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Permitting Problems Douse Plans For B's Cracklin' Barbecue at Emory Point

Plans for a temporary location of B's Cracklin' Barbecue at Emory Point have been called off.  Pitmaster/owner Bryan Furman announced plans to temporarily set up shop in the Emory area mixed-use development this past May. Unfortunately, the recently City of Atlanta annexed property presented permitting issues relating to the needed onsite smoker, due to their being residential units above the restaurant.  The inability to get the needed permits led to the cancellation of the restaurant.  

Pitmaster Bryan Furman - Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee for Bon Appétit

[ALERT] Hong Kong Harbour Closed, American Eatery "Street Bistro" Opening

Longstanding Chinese restaurant Hong Kong Harbour has closed.  The restaurant, which according to local readers has been in business for more than forty years, was sold Wednesday by current owner "Ms. Ping" to the mother-and-son duo of Susie and Matt Chae. "Ms. Ping," who reportedly purchased the restaurant from the original owners several years ago, is retiring.  The restaurant, located at 2184 Cheshire Bridge Road, is just a few doors down from Kong's Body Shop, a business Matt Chae, 37, has operated for more than a dozen years.  The Chaes plan to open "Street Bistro" in place of Hong Kong Harbour later this year.     

[EXCLUSIVE] The Boiler Seafood Drops Anchor at Former Woofs on Piedmont

A new restaurant called The Boiler Seafood & Crab Boil is coming soon to Piedmont Road near the Lindbergh MARTA station.  The new restaurant is opening in the former Woofs Sports Bar at 2425 Piedmont Road in Piedmont Plaza.   The 3,844 square foot restaurant space has been vacant since Woofs, a popular gay sports bar, relocated to 494 Plasters Avenue this past July after 17 years in its original location.  

[UPDATE] Forever 21 Proposed Closure List Includes Just Two Stores in Georgia

Forever 21, the once high flying fast fashion retailer that late Sunday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, released Tuesday afternoon a list of nearly 180 stores it could close as part of its bankruptcy proceedings.  The proposed store closures amount to about a third of the Los Angeles-based retailer's overall store count.  Amazingly, only two of the stores slated for closure are in Georgia. 

[UPDATE] Woody's CheeseSteaks to Open This Week in Buckhead Village

Way back on January 25, 2018 we announced that Midtown favorite Woody's CheeseSteaks was planning to open a second location in Buckhead.  At that point, sources close to the restaurant indicated it would open in "about six months." Due to a series of unfortunate events and countless delays, that opening was pushed many months.  The wait, however, is finally over, and Woody's will open tomorrow, Wednesday October 2.   The debut, a soft open, if you will, will take place Wednesday and Thursday and will provide diners with 50% off their meals.  A "grand opening" is planned for the weeks to come.    

[EXCLUSIVE] Sahara Cafe Scores Former Starbucks Near Chastain Park

A restaurant called Sahara Cafe plans to open next March at Chastain Square shopping center in north Buckhead near Chastain Park.  The new eatery, currently with one location in Tallahassee, is coming to the 1,500 square foot former Starbucks next to Swoozies in the Publix-anchored center along Roswell Road.  Starbucks relocated last year to a newly built location at 4520 Roswell Road where they replaced an abandoned Caribou Coffee location.

The existing Sahara Cafe in Tallahassee