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It's a mixed bag of news for fans of Willy's Mexicana Grill as we wrap up 2023. A source close to the locally-owned chain tells ToNeTo Atlanta that the Willy's Mexicana Grill on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs is closing at the end of the year. The restaurant, which opened in 2015, occupied a roughly 1,700 square foot space in the Trader Joe's-anchored Sandy Springs Plaza shopping center. Signage installed this week confirms the closure is planned for December 31.
Former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip plans to bring his new restaurant to metro Atlanta. Michael Waltrip Taproom plans to open in 2024 at The Mall of Georgia in Buford. Specifically, the new restaurant is expected to open at The Village, the outdoor area at the mall, already home to restaurants such as P.F. Chang's China Bistro, The Cheesecake Factory, and Tin Lizzy's Cantina, among others.
It's the end of the year and that means tough decisions for restaurant owners and operators. Atlanta-based brokerage The Shumacher Group late Saturday listed four restaurants for sale, including one that opened less than 90 days ago!
A new indoor activity concept is launching soon and likely has Atlanta in its sights. The Pickle Pad, a new venue from the owners of Altitude Trampoline Park, plans to open its first unit in Florida next spring, with plans already underway to franchise the concept.
Wawa, the popular chain of convenience stores and gas stations that we indicated earlier this month had at least six locations in the works for Georgia, now has at least seven! Plans reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta indicate that the chain, with a cult-like following, intends to open as part of a new development in Pooler near Savannah.
A new coffee shop is coming to Chastain Park in north Buckhead. PERC Coffee, a Savannah-based roaster which entered metro Atlanta in 2020, plans to open its latest metro outpost at the edge of Buckhead and Sandy Springs in Chastain Park in 2024. The coffee purveyor reportedly executed its lease recently, but has not yet publicized the new unit.
Lenox Square opened August 3, 1959. Phipps Plaza opened ten years later in 1969. In the decades since the properties' original openings, Atlanta and Buckhead have changed in many ways and continue to evolve today.
If you had more Trader Joe's stores on your holiday wish list, you're in luck! We have heard rumblings for more than a year that the popular boutique grocer was looking to add to its metro Atlanta presence and that smoke seems to have some fire now.
Wawa, the popular chain of convenience stores and gas stations that announced plans last October to enter the Georgia market, seems to have at least six locations in the works. Planning documents reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta indicate new Wawa locations are planned for several south Georgia communities. The new locations are in addition to the Waycross unit on which ToNeTo Atlanta reported this past February.
Waffle House plans to close its longstanding location at 5335 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs after more than fifty years in business, according to employees at the restaurant. The Waffle House will reportedly close permanently as of midnight on December 26. Fulton County property records indicate the 1,363 square foot restaurant first opened in 1967.
Concourse Athletic Club (8 Concourse Parkway) has been sold. The popular fitness facility which has served the local Dunwoody and Sandy Springs area community for more than three decades was recently acquired by Life Time Inc. News of the acquisition had been rumored amongst members for several weeks, but the company only recently formally notified members of the purchase.
Chick-fil-A will close its longstanding Sandy Springs restaurant this week after 30 years in business. The Atlanta-based company plans to scrape & rebuild the restaurant on its current parcel - 5925 Roswell Road - and reopen it next summer.
Atlantans will have fewer local ice cream options come 2024. The owners of Four Fat Cows, a locally owned chain of ice cream and baked goods shops, announced they are closing this week after more than eight years in business.
At least three local Kenn-Taco (KFC + Taco Bell) locations are eliminating KFC and reopening as only Taco Bell. ToNeTo Atlanta readers report that KFC/Taco Bell restaurants in West Cobb, Embry Hills, and Roswell have all closed in recent weeks with signage indicating they will reopen as Taco Bell only. Initial reports were that all locations had closed permanently which is not true.
The shopping center previously known as Peachtree Piedmont Crossing (aka Disco Kroger center) has landed several new tenants ahead of its reopening in 2024. Renamed Buckhead Landing in 2022 and slated to be anchored by a new Publix in 2024, the center has in recent weeks signed agreements with both local groups and national chains to open in the reimagined property.
A new ice cream shop is coming to town! Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, which got its start in Youngstown, Ohio in 1945, has secured space for its first Atlanta area franchise. The new Handel's is opening as part a new multi-tenant development at 580 Peachtree Parkway, not far from The Collection at Forsyth in Cumming.
A popular East Cobb restaurant will close early next year after a combined total of nearly fifty years in business. Christos owner Christos Giannes took to Facebook Thursday to announce that his Greek restaurant will close permanently as of January 15, 2024.
ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported October 19 that Caribou Coffee was opening a new location in a former Burger King in Kennesaw. The response to that news significantly exceeded our expectations and we are pleased to share news that the company has at least three more Atlanta area locations in the works. The company's upcoming growth continues to focus on second generation and drive-thru enabled sites.
10 Degrees South, a Chastain Park mainstay for more than a quarter century, has been listed for sale. The restaurant, located at 4183 Roswell Road, first opened in 1998 and was the original concept from what is known today as True Story Brands.
Metro Atlanta's first outpost of Dutch Bros. Coffee is one step closer to reality. A new Dutch Bros. is being proposed for a half acre site at 9630 Medlock Bridge Road in Johns Creek which last week received an "approval with conditions" from the Johns Creek Board of Zoning Appeals.
The restaurant industry is known to be one of the most difficult around. The success rate is low and COVID, inflation and other factors have made operating a restaurant more challenging now than ever before. Two new restaurateurs opened their first restaurants of their own in 2018. This week brought news that one is closing while the other is expanding.
ToNeTo Atlanta has learned that metro Atlanta is getting at least one more Tim Hortons, but its location is not as close to intown Atlanta as some may hope. The new Tim Hortons is planned along Peachtree Parkway in Suwanee. Local franchisee Tushar Patel plans to build a new ground-up Tim Hortons on a one acre site across from Celebration Village Forsyth, a 52 acre retirement community.
Ziggi’s Coffee this week announced the development of 50 new locations within "the Greater Atlanta area." This expansion comes at a time when Ziggi’s is growing throughout the nation with over 200 locations in various stages of development and 50 set to open within the next year, according to the release. The signing of 50 new locations "within the city of Atlanta" is a first for the brand, as this marks Ziggi’s largest development deal to date.
A popular breakfast joint is finally resurfacing. Hot Betty's Breakfast Bar, which opened on Main Street in Tucker in 2020 and abruptly closed in September 2022 due to a reported rent dispute, is reopening in Stone Mountain!
A popular Midtown tavern has announced it will be closing this month after ten years in business. Henry's Midtown Tavern, located at 132 10th Street, opened June 2013 and will close as of November 30, according to a Facebook post from owner Maureen Kalmanson. "It is with great sadness and disappointment that I announce HENRY’S closing."
More than three years after ToNeTo Atlanta first reported that a local Barnes & Noble was being marketed for redevelopment, a new plan has surfaced with a surprising tenant. RaceTrac, which is headquartered just a half mile from the current bookstore, has submitted plans to Cobb County to open a new "showcase store" at the property located at 2952 Cobb Parkway.
Whataburger today announced the openings of two more locations with a third to follow. A new ground-up Whataburger restaurant at 81 Duval Road in Dawsonville opens for drive-thru-only service today at 11 AM with a second in Kennesaw at 840 Ernest W Barrett Parkway slated to debut at the same time and initially with drive-thru only service on Wednesday November 15.
Planning documents reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta suggest that the planned relocation and expansion of one Atlanta area Chick-fil-A could happen soon. ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported in July 2021 that Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A was looking to relocate their existing restaurant from 3905 North Druid Hills Road to 3795 North Druid Hills Road.
Chicken Salad Chick Wednesday announced the acquisition of Atlanta-based Piece of Cake bakery. Terms of the deal between the 245-unit fast casual chicken salad chain and the 10-unit bakery chain were not disclosed. Chicken Salad Chick, which moved its headquarters from Auburn to Atlanta in 2021, intends to bolster its dessert menu with Piece of Cake’s offerings.
One of the oldest McDonald's in metro Atlanta is closing this month after more than five decades in business. The McDonald's at 3893 LaVista Road in Tucker first opened in 1969, according to DeKalb County property records. There was no official reason given for the planned October 31 closure but the restaurant has in recent days already started to decommission the building including removing the "Golden Arches" from nearly all exterior signage and disassembling and relocating the formerly indoor PlayPlace to a temporary dumpster placed on property to assist with the closure.
Lucky's Burger & Brew has closed its location in Brookhaven. The family friendly eatery quietly closed last week after nearly ten years in business. Lucky's occupied suite 1250, a roughly 3,300 square foot space close to Marshalls, Costco and LA Fitness in the expansive TOWN Brookhaven mixed-use development.
Agora Mediterranean Cuisine quietly re-opened in Midtown this week a little more than a year after it closed to renovate and expand. The Mediterranean eatery today occupies not only its former space but also the former Arden's Garden next door. The restaurant, located at 92 Peachtree Place, is now about double its former size and offers a full bar, an expanded menu, additional seating in their full-service dining room, and weekend brunch!
A new Caribou Coffee is planned for a dynamic location near the campus of Kennesaw State University. The new coffee shop is slated to replace what was built from scratch and previously operated as a Burger King at 3280 Barrett Lakes Boulevard, just off Chastain Road. (a Citgo gas station operated from the site before the burger chain.)
LongHorn Steakhouse is in the home stretch of making its move in East Cobb. ToNeTo Atlanta first announced the restaurant's plans in early January 2022 and now, nearly two years later, the new LongHorn Steakhouse is about to open. According to a representative from the Orlando-based restaurant, the new LongHorn is slated to officially open November 6 November 20.
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, in the works in Brookhaven for more than two years, quietly opened earlier this week. The restaurant, located in Brookhaven Station (4058 Peachtree Road), opened Wednesday. ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported on the planned opening in early 2021. Jonathan Fox, the restaurant's co-owner, first registered "Fox Brookhaven, LLC" December 1, 2020.
After twelve years in business, Farm Burger Buckhead has closed. The 2,800 square foot restaurant, located at 3365 Piedmont Road in Tower Place, opened in 2011 and closed as of tonight, October 4th. When it opened, it replaced an old Atlanta Bread Company, and was just the second unit for the Atlanta-based chain that now operates eleven restaurants across four states.
It's been a little over a year since Florida-based Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen made their debut in Georgia and apparently things didn't go as planned. The restaurant opened August 11, 2022 and closed permanently as of October 2nd.
The Buckhead outpost of The Original Pancake House has closed. The restaurant, located at 2964 Peachtree Road at Buckhead Centre (now Buckhead Center?) in Buckhead, opened in May 2021 after COVID delayed their originally planned 2020 opening. It's unclear when exactly the restaurant closed. While we just noticed it this week, local sources suggest it's been closed for more than a month!
Del Taco has closed its short-lived restaurant along Buford Drive in Buford. The restaurant, located at 3385 Buford Drive, in front of Sam's Club, opened in early 2020 and reportedly closed in recent days, according to a ToNeTo Atlanta reader in the area. The Buford outpost was one of several in metro Atlanta that were converted former Pollo Tropical restaurants.
The Rusty Nail, an Atlanta mainstay for nearly five decades, is closing. The pub, located at 2900 Buford Highway, will have a "Last Call" Saturday September 23, before closing for the final time. Located in what is today part of the City of Brookhaven, the dive bar opened in 1974 and became a landmark, in part due to the 18 foot (smoking) gun out front.
The owners of Eden plan to bring their popular juice, smoothie and smoothie bowl business to Atlanta. Husband and wife Chris and Stephanie Beck opened Eden on Chambers Street in downtown Woodstock in June 2021 and have signed on to backfill the former Jamba at Madison Yards in Reynoldstown. Jamba, a franchise of Atlanta-based Focus Brands, opened in the Publix-anchored center in June 2020 and closed quietly earlier this summer. Jamba has struggled in metro Atlanta having previously closed locations in Buckhead, Decatur, East Cobb and Midtown, among others. Eden, which serves a similar menu to Jamba's has a 4.9 rating on Google with nearly 200 reviews and will hope to find better success in the intown space.
Although not quite in what many readers would call "Atlanta," another new Raising Cane's is coming to town. A new Raising Cane's is planned for Pleasant Hill Road, just off I-85, in front of Gwinnett Place Mall in Gwinnett County. The new 4,200 square foot restaurant would be constructed from the ground up at 2110 Pleasant Hill Road, on the site of a former Steak 'n Shake in Duluth.
One of the worst kept secrets in Atlanta real estate is out. Publix will replace yet another former Kroger in metro Atlanta. Following several years of talk, City of Brookhaven Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Linley Jones took to Nextdoor to announce that Publix will replace the former Kroger at Cambridge Square (2036 Johnson Ferry Road) in Brookhaven. The new Publix will replace the existing store in nearby Oglethorpe Crossing (3435 Ashford Dunwoody Road).
Bennie's Shoes, an Atlanta mainstay for more than 100 years, has announced it will soon close permanently. A graphic attached to the Facebook post announcing the closure reads "Lost our lease." The store, located in Buckhead Crossing shopping center (2625 Piedmont Road,) spans 8,100 square feet and was once one of three locations of the locally owned business in metro Atlanta.
Office Depot is closing its store at Buckhead Crossing near the Lindbergh MARTA station in Buckhead. The 22,457 square foot store relocated to Buckhead Crossing from nearby Lindbergh Plaza when the latter was redeveloped into what it is today. The current Office Depot occupies a portion of what was once a Cub Foods grocery store. Office Depot is currently offering all in stock merchandise at savings of up to 40 per cent off, with most "deals" only 10 per cent. Signage at the store directs would be customers to the next nearest location at The District at Howell Mill in West Midtown. Office Depot previously closed a store along Roswell Road in Sandy Springs where ToNeTo Atlanta reported in July that a new HomeGoods is expected to open.
The former Rosati's Chicago Pizza at 4629 Wieuca Road in Chastain Park will soon be demolished to make way for a car wash. Building permits filed with the City of Atlanta confirm that BamBoo Car Wash plans to open a new car wash facility on the site of the former Rosati's and the former Fabricare dry cleaners (4621 Wieuca Road) next door. Together the two parcels total just over an acre.
Del Frisco's Grille, which opened in Buckhead in 2012, is closing this week, according to a source who spoke to ToNeTo Atlanta on condition of anonymity. The 9,000 square foot two-story restaurant, situated in front of the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead, is located at 3376 Peachtree Road, not far from Lenox Square.
Guthrie's, which proudly claims to be "America's Original Chicken Finger Restaurant," is returning to The Classic City. A new Guthrie's is opening at 3465 Jefferson Road where it will be situated in a roughly 2,500 square foot endcap space previously occupied by Dairy Queen, in a building it will share with a Subway and JP Marathon gas station and convenience store. The new Guthrie's marks the return of the Auburn-based chain to Athens after a nearly two decade absence.
In a move that caught many in the industry off guard, upscale furniture store Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams abruptly shuttered its stores and a North Carolina upholstery manufacturing facility, putting its nearly 1,000 employees out of work.
A Gwinnett County TGI Fridays will soon close to make way for a new Whataburger! The Friday's, located at 1695 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, is expected to close in the not too distant future, according to a source with knowledge of the transaction. Whataburger is slated to scrape the property and build their latest restaurant on the 1.6 acre parcel.
