[UPDATE] The Colonnade Restaurant to Reopen Friday!

We reported earlier this month that the Colonnade Restaurant was planning to reopen July 31 after an extended hiatus.  The restaurant, an Atlanta institution for nearly 100 years, earlier today reconfirmed the planned reopening and also provided some updates on the operation and safety procedures.  

Bits & Bites

Peloton plans to open its second Atlanta area location later this fall at Avalon in Alpharetta.  The at-home exercise equipment company opened their first Atlanta area retail store at Lenox Square in Buckhead in 2016.  The new store replaces the Levis's store which closed at the suburban shopping destination this past April.  ToNeTo Atlanta heard talk in April that Peloton would replace Levi's, but was told by sources close to the project that a lease had not yet been finalized.  Confirmation of the lease came last week with the installation of Peloton branding at the space.  The new Peloton store should open before the end of the year.  

[UPDATE] New Proposal Surfaces for Prized Parcels at Clairmont & Briarcliff Roads

More than a year after one developer walked away from his planned redevelopment of several intown parcels, another firm is proposing an even more absurd project on the same site.  Jay Gipson of The Gipson Company had in 2017 proposed redeveloping a 3.8 acre land assemblage at the corner of Clairmont and Briarcliff Roads into a new RaceTrac, Wendy's and Express Oil Change.  After significant neighborhood opposition and a failed attempt to get the parcels annexed into the City of Brookhaven (from unincorporated DeKalb County), the plans were called off.  Now, Stein Investment Co., LLC wants to develop 264 apartment units and 10,000 square feet of restaurant/retail space on the prized parcels.  

[TURKEY!] Stars & Strikes Shutters Site in Sandy Springs Shopping Center

Stars & Strikes in Sandy Springs has closed.  The roughly 51,000 square foot entertainment facility opened in late 2013 and quietly closed as of July 6 at North River shopping center (8767 Roswell Road.)  The company announced the closure on their website in advance, but its shuttering seems to have gone nearly completely unnoticed by neighbors and local media.  Exterior signage has been removed from the building and the Sandy Springs location has been removed from the company's website, but signage remains on the center's marquee along Roswell Road and the facility remains listed on the center's website.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Martin's Opening Restaurant Number 19

Popular breakfast joint Martin's is expanding again with plans to open its 19th overall location.  The small chain, based in Mableton, plans to open a new restaurant at 8947 Dallas Acworth Highway (Highway 92) in Paulding County.  Martin's traces its roots to 1962 when it was known as "Martin the Burger Boy."  The restaurants are only open for breakfast and lunch (MON-SAT 5AM-3PM / SUN 6AM-3PM) and are known for their biscuits, burgers, and onion rings, among other menu offerings. 

[OPENING ALERT] Chicken Salad Chicken to Debut Next Month in Johns Creek (Suwanee)

This past February, we shared news that Chicken Salad Chick was planning to open a new location in Johns Creek/Suwanee.  We are delighted to announce that the opening day is upon us!  The new eatery, located near the corner of McGinnis Ferry Road and Peachtree Parkway in Johns Creek Town Center, is slated to open Tuesday August 18!  The center is anchored by Kohl's, Sprouts Farmers Market, PetSmart, Lowe's and Stein-Mart, and recently welcomed a new ULTA.  

[UPDATE] More Georgia Tuesday Morning Stores to Close

Bankrupt retailer Tuesday Morning recently revealed the "second phase" of stores it plans to close as it navigates bankruptcy and hopes to remain a going concern.  After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, the company indicated it planned to close more than 200 of its nearly 700 stores nationwide.  The company claimed the stores it planned to close were both under-performing and close to other existing Tuesday Morning locations.  The initial list included about 130 stores, of which eight were in Georgia.  The new list, revealed within the past few days, includes another 66 stores, of which three are in Georgia.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Pita Grille Says Shalom, Shutters

Popular Kosher eatery Pita Grille in north Buckhead near Chastain Park has closed.  The restaurant, located in the Fresh Market-anchored Roswell Wieuca Shopping Center, reportedly closed without warning at the end of last week.  A simple sign was posted to the restaurant's front door announcing the closure and thanking customers for their years of patronage.  

[IN NOT SO PLEASANT COMPANY] American Girl Closes Three Boutiques, Atlanta Among Them

The American Girl Boutique & Bistro at North Point Mall has closed.  The 12,000 square foot shop and eatery was the first such concept by the brand to ever open when it debuted in 2007.  The North Point opening was soon followed by a  location at The Galleria in Dallas, Texas.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Lidl to Make Dunwoody Debut in August

German grocer Lidl is slated to continue their Atlanta expansion with plans to open their new Dunwoody store Wednesday, August 26 at 2480 Mount Vernon Road in Mount Vernon shopping center.  The store, which ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported was coming last year, opens in place of Sprouts Farmers Market, which shuttered its store in late 2018.    

[UPDATE] JCPenney Arbor Place Gets New Lease on Life as Company Pulls Back on Planned Closures

Bankrupt retailer JCPenney (JCP) has eliminated several stores from a list of those it previously said would close  permanently.  At least one Atlanta area store has been given "a second lease on life," with store officials confirming to ToNeTo Atlanta that the JCPenney store at Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville will, in fact, not close.  In a June 4 release, JCP indicated it planned to close 154 stores as it works to "right size" its store fleet following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.  The company subsequently added 13 more stores to its closure list but later removed others.      

[LIGHTS OUT] New Vision Theatres Shuts Down Completely

After about three years in operation and despite no known financial struggles prior to the COVID-19 crisis, an 18 location roughly 200 screen movie theater operator, has shut down permanently.  New Vision Theatres, established in April 2017, was formed by the acquisition and consolidation of  theaters from AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas, among others.  In Atlanta, the company operated two locations: New Vision Theatres Stonecrest 16 +IMAX in Lithonia and New Vision Theatres Movies 400 in Cumming.  

[EXCLUSIVE] W Atlanta Buckhead to be Deflagged, Become Autograph Collection Hotel

The W-Atlanta Buckhead will soon be reflagged as an Autograph Collection by Marriott property.  Located at 3377 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, the hotel debuted as the W-Atlanta Buckhead in 2008, and has in the decade since gone though at least two multi-million dollar renovations, most recently in 2019.  The hotel was sold  in 2017 by longtime owner Noble Investment Group to Woodbine Development Corporation for $73 million.  Woodbine's 2019 renovation represented a reported $20 million investment in updating the hotel.  

[UPDATE] Rebuilt Kroger at Embry Village to Open in August

The new Embry Village Kroger is expected to open August 12!  The new store, a replacement to a smaller store that stood in roughly the same place for nearly twenty years, has been in the works since at least 2016. The new Kroger, which will also include an 18 pump fuel station, led to the closure of several tenants in the center including the Motel 6 as well as the beloved S&S Cafeteria.   

The new store will also debut the newly tweaked Kroger logo

[EXCLUSIVE] IHOP Franchisee Shutters Six Suburban Spots, New Concept Shelved at Atlantic Station

A large IHOP franchisee has closed several locations including at least six in metro Atlanta.  The group, Alliance Pancake Partners, LLC, is "based" in Delaware, carries a Sunrise, Florida address, but in reality is owned by Atlanta-based Argonne Capital Group in Buckhead.   According to the firm's website, "Argonne is the largest franchisee of IHOP with nearly 300 restaurants across four partnerships."   The six known Atlanta area locations the group has closed are all located in the northern suburbs and include those in Peachtree Corners, Alpharetta, Roswell, Duluth, Lawrenceville and Lilburn. 

[EXCLUSIVE] Culver's to Open in Woodstock

Culver's, the Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin-based quick-serve burger restaurant famous for its "ButterBurgers," cheese curds and concretes, has plans to open what will be its nineteenth Georgia location in the coming months.  The new restaurant, to be located at 11799 Highway 92 in Woodstock, will be a new build roughly 4,300 square foot eatery on a roughly 1.75 acre parcel.  The restaurant will be located at the corner of Highway 92 and Neese Road, a stone's throw from the sprawling First Baptist Church of Woodstock.

[UPDATE] The Colonnade Restaurant to Reopen July 31

The Colonnade Restaurant has announced plans to reopen Saturday, July 31.  The legendary Atlanta eatery closed March 16 due the COVID-19 and other than a brief Mother's Day takeout event, has been closed since.  For weeks the restaurant's voicemail has hinted it would reopen July 31, but the restaurant made the news official Monday with an announcement on their facebook page.  In celebration of National Fried Chicken Day, the restaurant announced they would reopen Friday, July 31, with "details to follow soon."

[CLOSURE ALERT] Sur La Table Shuttering Significant Number of Stores

Sur La Table announced late Wednesday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and intends to close nearly half of its stores.  The Seattle-based luxury kitchen goods retailer plans to close 51 of its 121 stores.  Separately, the company is looking to sell up to 70 stores to Fortress Investment Group, according to court documents.

[THAT'S A WRAP!] DVF Closing Boutique at Lenox Square

The Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) store at Lenox Square is closing.  The roughly 2,000 square foot boutique on the mall's main level opened in early 2015.  The store is currently liquidating all in-stock merchandise with savings of 40 to 60% off.  It is witty and rather fitting that the store - whose founder Diane von Furstenberg is credited with the "creation" of the now iconic wrap dress - chose to display a sign saying "THAT'S A WRAP!" to announce the closure.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Highland Bakery Down and Out in Decatur

The Decatur outpost of Highland Bakery has closed permanently.  The roughly 3,100 square foot restaurant, located in the street level retail space at The Place on Ponce at 319 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, first opened in late 2016.  The restaurant has been closed since March 16, when it and so many other restaurants were essentially forced to pivot to takeout only, or, as Highland Bakery did, close indefinitely.  The restaurant posted a message on the 16th indicating that  the closure was only temporary, but evidence to the contrary now confirms otherwise.  

[UPDATE] The Shops Buckhead Atlanta Has Yet Another New Name!

Remember that large mixed-use project in the heart of Buckhead that has gone though about as many name changes as LOVE aka Brother Love aka Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy aka Puffy aka Diddy aka P. Diddy? ... Welp, it has a new name! Updated signage, branding and employee uniforms confirm that the new name of the project most recently known as The Shops Buckhead Atlanta will be Buckhead Village District.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Jeni's Swings For the Fences With Planned Location at The Battery Atlanta

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams will in the coming months open its seventh metro Atlanta location.  The new "scoop shop" is slated to open at The Battery Atlanta at Truist Park.  Specifically, the new shop will open alongside upcoming tenants Savi Provisions, Jittery Joe's and One Medical in the street level of the new Aloft hotel building along Battery Avenue.  Interestingly, the opening of Jeni's appears to be in addition to, rather than instead of, existing ice cream shop Häagen-Dazs, but that seems likely to change one way or another.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Zoës Kitchen Permanently Closes Four Atlanta Locations

In a quiet COVID-19 related move,  Zoës Kitchen has permanently shuttered six Atlanta area locations and a total of eight locations in Georgia.  The restaurants, located in Decatur, East Cobb, West Cobb, Emory Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, Athens & Augusta, are all marked "CLOSED" on the Zoës website and employees at the remaining Atlanta area restaurants confirm that the closures are indeed permanent.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Buckhead Life Shutters Two Popular Concepts

Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (BLRG) has permanently closed its Lobster Bar Sea Grille restaurant in Miami Beach.  The restaurant, located at 404 Washington Avenue, opened April 1, 2017, and is now marked permanently closed on its Google page and has been removed from the BLRG website.  Lobster Bar Sea Grille is the second big name restaurant with ties to Atlanta to have closed in Miami following the late 2017 closure of Antico Pizza's South Beach outpost on Collins Avenue.   

[CLOSURE ALERT] CPK Closes East Cobb Restaurant

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) has closed its location in East Cobb in Marietta.  The restaurant, located at the corner of Johnson Ferry and Roswell Roads in Pine Straw Place, opened with the center in 2007, and permanently closed as of yesterday, June 30, according to an email sent to customers.  The 4,200 square foot pizzeria was the only full-service restaurant in the center anchored by Trader Joe's and CVS, but also home to Willy's Mexicana Grill and New Balance, among other tenants.