Tuesday, March 29, 2022

[ALERT] Popular Intown Wing Joint on the Move to Northlake

Popular Ponce de Leon wings joint is on the move.  Dugan's, which has held court at 777 Ponce de Leon Avenue since 1985, will later this year "move" to Tucker.  The new Dugan's, which will open within the revamped "Northlake" (formerly Northlake Mall), will occupy a 4,841 square foot space at the front of the project, facing Briarcliff Road.  Although not explicitly stated, the new Dugan's will seemingly open in the space most recently home to Fork in the Road, a locally owned restaurant which relocated to a nearby former Wendy's in 2018.  

The prime front entry restaurant space opened as Farrell's Ice Cream in 1971 and became former mall stalwart Ruby Tuesday in the early 80s.  In the mid 2000s the space reopened as an outpost of the popular local chain Crescent Moon, before over-expansion saw the chain file for bankruptcy and close all of its locations.  

Dugan's, which according to its website is now offering franchises, will open the new Northlake restaurant as a corporately owned unit.  The current Dugan's property was purchased in recent months by Chick-fil-A which plans to open a new, custom restaurant, sans drive-thru, in its place.  Chick-fil-A is also planning to open a drive-thru enabled restaurant at the corner of Boulevard and Ponce de Leon Avenue.  

ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the planned Chick-fil-A on the Ponce Dugan's site in 2016, but at the time, Dugan's owner Kevin Chambers indicated it was essentially "fake news."  

Dugan's is known for their buffalo style chicken wings, but its menu also features assorted burgers, quesadillas, nachos, shrimp, and salads as well as a full bar.  

The announcement of Dugan's opening at Northlake marks the first new tenant to be announced for the revamped project.  Sources close to Northlake indicate that upcoming announcements will be a mixture of local, regional, and national tenants, many of which are already in the Atlanta area, but are currently without a presence in the Tucker/Northlake area.  

A release announcing the Dugan's lease execution indicates plans for a fourth quarter 2022 opening.  

What restaurants or retailers would you like to see added to the roster at Northlake?  Are you excited for the opening of Dugan's at Northlake?  What is your favorite wings joint in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.  

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a solid 'get' and I think it could do well. We kind of liked FITR when it was there. When FITR moved, they shrunk the menu a bit and it became really cramped if you have more than 4 in your party. But the northlake space is pretty big. They should consider adding a reuben and cheesesteak to the menu.

Unknown said...

Would like to see Chicken Salad Chick in the food court at Northlake. Also would like to see a Trader Joe's in the Northlake area.

Anonymous said...

No complaints here!

Anonymous said...

Hope they succeed, Northlake's management has been pretty awful at drawing in drive-by traffic for the past few decades. Lots of decent tenants were doomed by lack of mall management support.

Anonymous said...

Old Navy!!!!

vespajet said...

Anyone else remember when Dugan's had a location on Memorial Drive in Decatur? It was one of a few spots along Memorial Drive back in the early to mid-90s that could be lax at times about checking IDs (They were the closest thing to "college bars" for students at DeKalb College and DeKalb Tech.).

ufbvb said...

Probably would have rather had a mainstream restaurant in this location. But Dugan's having been in business since 1985 speaks well. However, with residential so close, a little concerned about the prospect of late-night drinking mayhem.

SB said...

I remember it as a Crescent Moon.... Miss the Fudd over there.

Anonymous said...

I’d like to see something more exciting and vibey… maybe like a Southbound or an Antiguo Lobo. How about a brewery with a great outdoor space! Maybe an Antico Pizza or a good breakfast place like Folk Art or Flying biscuit. I like the idea of a Trader Joe’s too. But I’ll have to admit, a wing joint in that great restaurant space is a bit of a disappointment.

Kat said...

sorry Unknown but Trader Joe's has continually said that Decatur and other nearby areas aren't their demographic. not sure what studies their reading but whatever.....
I worked in that mall at the Wolf Camera for years. I miss Crescent Moon's chicken burger.
anybody remember the late 70s when Farrell's occupied that spot?

Anonymous said...

@vespajet yes, but the location was actually Stone Mountain.

Anonymous said...

I live a stone's throw from there so I do hope things don't get too rowdy over there at night.
There's a J.R. Cricket across the street from Northlake at the center with the FedEx shop, so there might be a "wing war" between the two. I wish them well, but not being a wing person I'm not super excited about this news.

Anonymous said...

I had my Birthday party at that Farrell's in the 70s.
Dugan's should be a good addition there. Much rather see that than a tired national chain.

I walked into Dugan's once by mistake on New Year's Eve when the Clermont was under construction. We thought we were going into the Clermonth Lounge. Much different but the contruction entrances were a mess.

Anonymous said...

Super excited about this. Sounds like a solid restaurant option for Northlake. We deserve way more bars and restaurants than we have over here.

Anonymous said...

Bring on the wings

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