It's been a bumpy road for The Hall at Ashford Lane. After pushing their expected opening several times and eventually debuting May 26, the dining venue closed briefly in late June, reopened for a few days and closed a second and now indefinite time as of July 5. Located in Dunwoody's Ashford Lane (the development formerly known as Perimeter Place), The Hall was originally planned to be a traditional food hall with offerings from several chefs and different cuisines.
Signage at The Hall indicates that "THIS BUSINESS IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE." The venue's Facebook page where we went looking for additional details has not been updated since February 2021 with its Instagram page (@TheHallAtAshford) deleted entirely.
Announced in late 2020, The Hall at Ashford Lane was to have opened in the spring of 2021 but was pushed several times with ownership citing supply chain issues relating to the pandemic, among other factors. Sources close to the venue tell ToNeTo Atlanta a change in direction - from a traditional food hall to the eventual table service format - also delayed The Hall's debut. According to one source with direct knowledge of the endeavor, there were also allegations of nonpayment issues relating to the build out of the space by at least one contractor.
Even before its eventual opening, there were reasons to question the long term viability of the The Hall in Dunwoody and its operator, Wilson. The original outpost of The Hall on Franklin, debuted in Tampa Bay in August 2017 but closed November 2020 at which time the Hall's landlord filed an eviction lawsuit over unpaid rent and wrote in a filing that the food hall stopped paying rent in April [2020] and that Wilson was on the hook for nearly $47,500.
The Hall on the Yard in Orlando's Ivanhoe Village neighborhood opened in November 2021 but Wilson filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on the business this past January. The filing states despite the business having produced sales of nearly $8 million in 2022, it had liabilities of nearly $5.5 million, including $4.2 million owed to Newtek Small Business Finance for a January 2020 loan and $359,000 owed to Kabbage Inc. for a Paycheck Protection Program loan. The filing also listed debts owed to ten "merchant cash advance lenders”.
Wilson also for a short time operated "The Hall on Mag" in New Orleans. Online reports suggest the New Orleans Hall, which replaced another food hall called Auction House Market, debuted this past August and closed this past December.
Amazingly, the Tampa Hall was 8,000 square feet, Orlando 12,500, New Orleans 8,800 and Dunwoody 17,000 square feet. Another planned for The Grove in Snellville was to be 19,000 square feet and open "Fall 2023,” but it seems doubtful that it will ever open. (The Hall website previously listed four other locations including one planned for Midtown Tampa, a large mixed-use development, but all have since been removed.)
The Hall at Ashford Lane opened in a space (4550 Olde Perimeter Way) previously home to Henredon Furniture. In addition to nine food stalls, The Hall also featured a large bar - which according to a release announcing its opening - "holds the title of the biggest bar in the state of Georgia" - a claim that provides no support and is likely hyperbole. (Wilson has also said previously, he is a former NBA player, something that we've been unable to confirm.) The space also featured a pair of private/semi-private dining rooms as well as "The Grey Room," a special room in the back of the hall that was to have "soft opened" June 24. It's unclear if that opening ever happened but the venue advertised some questionable hours for being in the middle of a Target shopping center in the suburbs of Atlanta. According to signage promoting the venue, The Grey Room was operating 10PM until 3AM.
In a now deleted review originally left July 5, one (ex?) employee indicates she and her co-workers have not been paid in weeks.
Suzi left a Facebook review shortly after The Hall's opening:
"We were so excited to see The Hall at Ashford Lane open—but—it over promises and under delivers! The concept seems great but the price point is too much. Why would I go to The Hall and pay $40 for 4 scallops? We had firecracker shrimp (4 fried shrimp) with goopy orange Mayo sauce with no spice slapped on field greens. It looked used like it was leftover from another table. The deviled eggs were good but cooked to death. So to wrap it up— 2 appetizers, 3 drinks = $100 before tip. This sadly will have lots on new comers looking but this is NOT a place for “regulars”. It’s very corporate, over priced, and bland. Bummed!"
Wilson responded to her:
"Suzuki we hear your concerns as well as others and though food costs have risen we are more concerned with the community enjoying the experience. We are in the process of adjusting our prices and joe you come in again. This is our first week and we are rounding our sharp edges and heading all of our customers concerns. Thank you."
Other reviews state:
"This place takes all the fun and excitement out of a traditional food hall and distills it to a bland, soulless waste. No art, no color, no vibrance, no spirit. No interaction with the variety of personalities that each vendor offers, no communal seating to interact with your neighbors, no reasonably priced menu items for small bites and apps to share with friends. Although I hate to see a business fail, this place is a total disappointment."
"I’d give this place 0 stars if it were an option. We went at 7pm for dinner, got seated by the hostess then 5 minutes later we were told the food hall is closing and all the chefs are leaving. Really?!? Horrible customer service , staff just standing around and extremely unorganized. I would never go back or recommend this place to anyone."
However, it’s not all bad...
"Very pleased! My first time visiting and will come back. Came with a group of friends and we all ordered from different sections in the menu. Our server was super nice and recommended us good cocktails. Got the Queen Bey which I enjoyed. To eat we order several different small plates, my favorite was the charred octopus from El Greco and ate the steak California Burrito for dinner. Food definitely work the price."
"The Hall on Ashford Lane is a new venue in Dunwoody! Very impressive! The staff is friendly. I asked to see the facility because it is new and they granted me a tour! I met and spoke with one of the Chefs who shared what her famous dish was. You must stop by to dine and you must book this venue for your next special event! I plan to! We took a look at the menu and chose the Salmon with mushroom rice and Bok Choy! Yum to the Tum! Thanks!"
"The Hall greatness continues at The Hall at Ashford Lane! I eagerly awaited the delicious opening, having experienced other locations. The Hall at Ashford Lane was more than worth the wait. My 5-star experience began as I stepped through the door into the beautiful decor. The setting enhances the simplest of meals, turning it into the most of special of moments. The staff is inviting and warm, bringing the welcoming culture to life. Of course, you are there for the food - which is the best. Choosing from nine vendors is a delightful freedom of choice. Whether you are alone or with friends, the menu won't disappoint and you'll find food and drink to match your craving. I look forward to working my way through each and every offering. Save me a table - I'll be back!"
As opposed to having management leave shill reviews as we noted at Citizens Market at Phipps Plaza, it seems Wilson's tactic at The Hall may have involved Chat GPT.
The future of The Hall remains very murky.
Although she declined our request for comment, one solution to The Hall could be to bring Edie Weintraub of terra alma, who previously consulted on the earlier iteration of the venue, back in to the fold and attempt to attract local chefs. Will Donaldson of Midtown's Politan Row at Colony Square could also have interest in The Hall and is reportedly looking to do another project in Atlanta.
Have you been to The Hall at Ashfod Lane? If so, where were your thoughts? What would you like to see open in place of The Hall if it does remain closed?
Please share your thoughts below
32 comments:
Seems hard to please everyone and have lots of parking too.
I was reading that last review in particular and thought that it seemed off and in no way a real review. I think you're right--sounds like an AI "review." This whole project has seemed iffy from the start.
Was looking all over the internet/social media for details when I saw that the Hall was "closed until further notice", so glad I found this page! I saw the Google review about them not paying their employees too before it was taken down. I'm guessing their social media manager was also one of those employees, since their insta page is now nuked...
Based on the recent track record of "Food Halls" in the Atlanta Metro I would dump the idea and focus on more traditional shopping and dining options for the entire development. I realize Panera Bread may not be anyone's idea of fine dining, but the location on the corner was very popular. Why let a popular tenant leave while bringing in a questionable one. Stop being trendy and consider good business decisions.
So what is the record for the fastest restaurant nosedive in Atlanta history? Anyone remember the Country Rock Cafe in Buckhead?
We havent been paid in weeks some of us are facing eviction & no money to get groceries yet we aren’t able to return to the premises to get the abundance of groceries that are in the establishment that will go bad
According to signage promoting the venue, The Grey Room was operating 10PM until 3AM.
LOL....most of us know what that means! Hookahs
Their workers should walk over to Taco Mac- they have been so short of staff that more than half the restaurant has been shut down since Covid.
I went to the food hall twice and enjoyed my meals. Yes it looked like they had to figure out the details but the food was itself was very tasty.
We really like the place I hope it will work it’s problems it is great addition to Dunwoody
I went the other day expecting a normal food hall. You had to get a menu and sit at a table, very boring interior. I just left and ate lunch somewhere else. I doubt it will re-open as it exists now.
Food Hall.... a Food Court with out the mall. Heck it didn't have a pretzel place!
Dude this is hilarious, along with the commenter who wants to go get the groceries still in the place. It sounds like a bad dream.
it wasn't even a true food hall. it was basically one restaurant separated into genres. it was also overpriced and mismanaged.
Not surprised. Where they first opened I messaged them on Instagram because my friends and I were planning on trying it out. But we couldn’t find a menu and the person that responded took a few days and indirectly answered our question. We went to another food hall because it just seemed like they didn’t have their ish together. Atlanta is a competitive food market. You need to have all your logistics in order before you open.
We went a month ago and sat at the bar. The bartender took forever to acknowledge me and didn't offer a menu. I had to walk to the other side of the bar to get a few menus and then he had the nerve to ask me could he have some. This was during NBA finals week so we asked another bartender could they change one of the tvs to the game. Again with the let me ask my manager bs. So he asks one of the managers and the manager says he's "too busy to change the channel". I was flabbergasted! Luckily someone else changed the channel because that night would have been their last night open. Finally ordered food. I ordered a basic salad and my boyfriend had a sautéed shrimp dish. His food came before mine, fine they already told us the different kitchens had different wait times. My boyfriend finished his food and still no salad for me. Our worthless bartender was so inattentive he didn't notice that my food hadn't come out so I had to ask him to check on it. He was so worthless talking to other customers about his zodiac sign so my boyfriend got the attention of someone who looked competent enough and then my salad finally came out 15 minutes later. Of course it was comped bc you can't tell me a salad with no cooked protein tool 45 minutes. Good riddance to The Hall!
I’m not even sure why this was considered a food hall. Two of us walked out of this glorified full service cafeteria area they called The Library after finding out how expensive the food prices were. Can you say “PRICE GOUGING?” Did anyone notice the dressed up warehouse look, with the painted concrete floor and the open industrial feel ceiling, and the fancy chandelier and other light fixtures that helped you to justify why you stayed to get fleeced instead of running to have better dining experiences elsewhere? I’m glad the pretentiousness was noticed by many customers. I hope this experimental disaster, which evidently has been tried elsewhere previously and ended with the same results, according to the news article, is forever scrapped, replaced by a workable solution that is a correct “fit” with that area of Dunwoody. I feel so sorry for all of the workers who wanted to make this business work, especially since the business’ slow death has affected their livelihood. I hope they end up with a much better employer.
This place was bound to fail. It was at the north end of Ashford Lane, where nobody goes, where there is no parking. There wasn't any signage inside. No different restaurant stalls. All the action is further south, down by Jeni's Ice Cream, the Green and Hawkers. There were too many other places nearby to be bothered to go to a place with no atmosphere, no windows, no name restaurants. Very poorly thought out
surprised no one has called out this article for being racist. Jamal was an NBA player - in his dreams. Just read his ChatGPT bio.
Just another scam artist taking advantage of the system.
I accepted a job there but things came up and I had to bail before training started. I lucked out I guess but im so sorry this happened to you all.
Hey just let you now that the comments about he not paying his employees AT ALL it is true. My mom,brother and friends worked there and none of them had been paid for weeks. He ghosted them.
I understand your position. My mother, brother and friends also worked there and we are all in the same bad situation. I am so freaking mad.
He is not a former nba player, he was eligible to be drafted in 2012 and was undrafted. I think he played college ball, that’s it…nothing else. He’s filed for bankruptcy more times than games started
we still haven’t been paid and the owners have removed our access to the 7shifts app so there is no way to contact them now. We were supposed to get paid July 3 according to Jamal but obviously that’s was a lie. he’s a horrible boss, no communication or leadership skills
They're next.
I worked at The Hall. For one month. Management was very disrespectful, the head chef picked on me and was racist. I walked pass the office and overheard the Chef say he was going to fire Americans working there because it coast to much to pay us. That he was going to hire Spanish speaking people because they work for less and under the table. They kept speaking about insufficient funds. If you can't afford the food to be prepped, cooked and served, how were you going to pay me at $19 an hour working 13 hours everyday? I thought to myself why would I continue to work here under those circumstances. 3 Major Red Flags. Regardless of how amazing my coworkers were, that just wasn't a good reason for me to stay. I started to fill the place out more for it's lies to get people to work there. Yes, they made it sound really good in the beginning, however it was very unorganized and dysfunctional. I threaten to sue after I quit if I didn't get paid for my work. So I received a hand written check that same week. I have screenshots of all my hours and time I put into working here. Shortly after, I received a letter which was a lie stating I got fired for stealing time on the clock. Any company that I have ever worked for can vouch for me that I would never do such a thing. They are petty, and they need to get people in there who actually know how to run a business. You aren't going to be successful with loosing great people and employees such as myself if you do not know what you're doing as a "professional". Which they are not professional at all.
This is why I left. I saw all of this coming. I knew it would turn for the worst so I dipped!
I threaten to sue if I didn't get paid. I got a hand written check. And very much so racist. And disrespectful. Kenny said he didn't care if the place got robbed, all the money in the store was on the shelf in the back office. If anyone wanted to take it go ahead cuz he's got money. His words to be exact. Said it right in front of me and out of anger. Due to the insufficient funds..
WOW! So Jamal is black and he's racist? As well as he files for bankruptcy when things go bad? He needs to go to jail.
Or hookers…
black business owners always expect the world from their customers and underdeliver
Racism
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