[EXCLUSIVE] After Nearly Two Decade Absence, Donatos Returning to Atlanta This Fall

A familiar pizza brand is returning to a familiar part of Atlanta.  Donatos Pizza is returning to Toco Hills where it operated one of 23 Atlanta area locations until the chain's late 2002 exit.  The new Donatos replaces Shorty's, another pizza eatery, which closed in the LA Fitness anchored center in late 2019 after fourteen years in business. (A second Shorty's remains in business on Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker.)

The new Donatos, at 2884 North Druid Hills Road, is little more than a stone's throw from where it once operated from a freestanding building at 2963 North Druid Hills Road, today home to Chipotle.  Donatos, like Chipotle, Boston Market and Fazoli's, among others, was once owned by McDonald's, but was subsequently sold off in order for the burger company to focus on burgers.  Donatos founder Jim Grote, and his family, purchased Donatos from McDonald's in 2003.  

"Atlanta is a great market, and we hope to come back," Tom Krouse, then Donatos Vice President of Marketing said in 2002 at the of the chain's Atlanta exit.  "Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward."  

In 2013, we delivered an exhaustive post on the statuses of the 23 former Atlanta area Donatos Pizza restaurants and what they were in 2013.  

Refrigerated Donatos Pizza was for a while offered at local Kroger stores, but the Columbus, Ohio-based chain officially re-entered Georgia in 2019 with a single outpost in Savannah.  

In a June 2021 release, word came that Donatos was planning a metro Atlanta return.  “We are thrilled to continue our expansion into Atlanta as the demand for our premium pizza continues to rise,” says Jeff Baldwin, Vice President of Development & Franchising for Donatos. “Atlanta is an amazing city and shows huge potential for Donatos to continue expanding across the growing metro area.”

Donatos return to metro Atlanta is being led by 34 year old Drew Zorniger, a native of Dayton, Ohio and an MBA graduate of Emory University's Goizueta Business School.  Despite having no prior restaurant or hospitality experience, Zorniger felt compelled to bring the Donatos brand back to Atlanta given what he described as "white space" in the market locally.  Donatos positions itself above national chains like Pizza Hut and Papa Johns and as Zorniger sees it, aligns more with the quality of a pie from locally based Mellow Mushroom.  

In the 2021 announcement, Decatur, Druid Hills, Morningside, and Old Fourth Ward were listed as target locations for upcoming restaurants.  Zorniger confirmed to ToNeTo Atlanta that the Toco Hills outpost is the "Druid Hills" location and that another we identified, 29 North Avondale Road in Avondale Estates, will serve as the previously mentioned "Decatur" outpost.  A third location could follow sometime in 2023 in another intown community, but its location and timeline will be determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to, the performance of the first two stores and real estate availability.  

Donatos return will come complete with their popular square cut pizzas and Edge to Edge toppings but the ordering system we grew up on where patrons ordered via stationary phone at their table has been replaced with a typical counter order process.  

The roughly 1,600 square foot Toco Hills restaurant will feature inside dining, takeout and delivery and should open first, sometime in September.  The Avondale Estates restaurant, located adjacent to Santo Cantina and Cocina, is just over 2,000 square feet, and in addition to the offerings of Toco Hills, will also offer patio seating and should open soon after.  

Krouse has since 2010 served as Donatos' CEO and leads a company that today includes over 375 locations in 22 states. 

Are you excited for the return of Donatos to metro Atlanta?  What is your favorite pizza chain currently?  Are you an Ohio State fan who just found the location of your next alumni event?

Please share your thoughts below.