Friday, February 21, 2020

[SOLD!] Suburban Smashburger to be Supplanted by Mexican Eatery

The Smashburger franchise on Medlock Bridge Road in Johns Creek has been sold.  The 2,800 square foot restaurant opened in 2011 and closed Thursday following its sale to new owners who plan to convert it to a Mexican eatery.  Local real estate brokerage The Shumacher Group, Inc. and broker Steve Josovitz represented the seller and guided all parties to a successful closing.   


The Johns Creek Smashburger was one of several units a local franchise group opened in 2011 and 2012 ahead of what was said to be a cumulative 50 unit Georgia launch.  The growth was later scaled back to 28 units but in reality the chain never even made it to ten locations in Georgia.  Smashburger, a  so-called "better burger" concept, was one of several that popped up in metro Atlanta in recent years.  Texas based Grub Burger Bar and locally grown Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Farm Burger are among the new age chains that have performed the best, each having not closed a single metro location.  

Smashburger's closure in Johns Creek follows previous closures in Alpharetta, Kennesaw and Sandy Springs.  The former Alpharetta location, situated along Windward Parkway not far from Costco, later became baby burger business Burgerim but as ToNeTo Atlanta reported February 5, that business fared no better and recently closed. (The Shumacher Group currently has listed the Dunwoody BurgerIM for sale.)  The former Kennesaw Smashburger, situated along Barrett Parkway in front of Town Center at Cobb, today operates as Boru Ramen & Poke Bar while the former Sandy Springs location on Roswell Road is today an AT&T store.  

There is now just one Smashburger left in metro Atlanta, a Buckhead location in Buckhead Crossing shopping center at the corner of Piedmont Road and Sidney Marcus Boulevard.  The Denver based chain also has units elsewhere in Georgia in both Stockbridge and Locust Grove.  

Are you surprised to see Smashburger closing another metro Atlanta location?  What is your favorite "better burger" concept?  Are you pleased to hear a Mexican concept will replace Smashburger in Johns Creek?

Please share your thoughts below 

3 comments:

Hamburguesa said...

I liked Smashburger when they first appeared because it was among the first metro ATL chain restaurants to do "smashed" burgers well. Also, I loved that each city had exclusive "regional burgers" like the Big Georgia with Williamson Bros. sauce, chargrilled jalapenos, pimento cheese and slaw.

But, service got worse as time went on. I remember the owner of the Sandy Springs location used to be hands-on and interact with customers as they ate. That stopped happening at all stores in short order. The menu only seemed to contract, not grow. The sides were subpar, especially their "signature" Smashfries which were blah matchsticks tossed with garlic, olive oil and rosemary...and dripping with grease! They killed the regional burgers off. About the only thing worth eating toward the end were the fried Brussels sprouts.

Now, Culver's and Freddy's do the concept with a lot more energy, variety and a way better in-house experience.

Hamburguesa said...

I liked Smashburger when they first appeared because it was among the first metro ATL chain restaurants to do "smashed" burgers well. Also, I loved that each city had exclusive "regional burgers" like the Big Georgia with Williamson Bros. sauce, chargrilled jalapenos, pimento cheese and slaw.

But, service got worse as time went on. I remember the owner of the Sandy Springs location used to be hands-on and interact with customers as they ate. That stopped happening at all stores in short order. The menu only seemed to contract, not grow. The sides were subpar, especially their "signature" Smashfries which were blah matchsticks tossed with garlic, olive oil and rosemary...and dripping with grease! They killed the regional burgers off. About the only thing worth eating toward the end were the fried Brussels sprouts.

Now, Culver's and Freddy's do the concept with a lot more energy, variety and a way better in-house experience.

Inside Peachtree Corners said...

We quit going there several years ago when we noticed they were inconsistent in how they put their burgers together. Sometimes you got lettuce, sometimes not.

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