Taco Mac and The Vortex now share a single owner, according to multiple sources familiar with the two restaurants, and recently confirmed by representatives for Taco Mac. The transaction reportedly closed at the end of 2023. In collaboration with partner and Morehouse grad Harold Martin Jr., Nashville-based Fresh Hospitality made the purchase, adding The Vortex to its growing stable of regional concepts.
The Laughing Skull Lounge, an intimate comedy club located within The Vortex in Midtown, is independently operated and was therefore not included in the transaction. It remains unclear what its future may be.
The Vortex, exclusively a 21+ venue, prides itself on being an "Idiot Free Zone" and also strives to deliver great food and a great experience, going so far as to trademark two other catchphrases: "Like an orgy for your tastebuds" and "Make your liver earn its keep."
The restaurant menu features cleverly named food and drink items but perhaps its most famous offerings are its "Coronary Bypass Burgers" which range from an estimated 3,700 calories to a whopping nearly 10,000 calories for the "Quadruple Coronary Bypass."
According to the menu, the Quadruple Coronary Bypass burger features:
"4 griddled patty melts as the top, bottom and (2) middle buns of our Super-Stack.™ Total ingredients include 8 slices of Texas toast, four 4-ounce griddled sirloin patties, two 8-ounce flame-grilled sirloin patties, 28 slices of American cheese, 4 fried eggs, 27 strips of bacon, grilled onions, diner relish and mayonnaise. Served with 20-ounces of fries & tots topped with Cheesy-Cheese Goo™ and bacon bits."
We were first made aware of the transaction in December, but only Friday were we supplied the following statement confirming the transaction. (Beth McKibben, who recently left Eater Atlanta to become dining editor and a senior editor for Rough Draft Atlanta, was first to break the news.)
"The new owners, a local group of restaurateurs who also own Taco Mac and Mary Mac’s Tea Room, are committed to acquiring and preserving Atlanta’s most iconic restaurants. They have a deep appreciation for The Vortex’s rich history and look forward to stewarding this iconic brand for generations to come."
"Patrons can expect the same commitment to quality, consistency, creativity, and community that has defined The Vortex for decades. The transition of ownership has been seamless, with operations continuing without interruption."
Although not named, Fresh Hospitality is the "local group of restaurateurs" who in 2018 purchased Taco Mac and in 2020 purchased Mary Mac's Tea Room. According to their website, Fresh Hospitality has controlling interest in nearly two dozen restaurant concepts. Fresh Hospitality previously owned Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ but sold what was then a 37-unit chain to Atlanta-based Roark Capital Group in 2017.
Like so many restaurants, The Vortex suffered significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations it put on the hospitality business. In an impassioned post to the restaurant's website in 2020, the Benoits seemed to paint a rather dire picture, where perhaps Fresh became their saving grace providing both a buyout and also a team with the finances and expertise to continue The Vortex for decades to come.
There is no indication that the new owners plan to expand The Vortex, but anything is possible. In the years since their Taco Mac purchase, the group has closed units in Lindbergh, Roswell, and Decatur, but opened new locations in Dawsonville, Gainesville, Macon and Birmingham, with another expected to open later this summer in Conyers.
As for the Benoit siblings, Michael and his wife Kristen also own Bone Garden Cantina at The Lumberyard Office Lofts on Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard. The restaurant opened in 2008 and will reportedly continue to operate independently.
Are you surprised to see The Vortex sold? Have you had one of the famous "Coronary Bypass Burgers"? Who do you think makes the best burger in town?
Please share your thoughts below.
22 comments:
Whoever owns the Taco Mac in Alpharetta on Old Milton Parkway better get to work on that location. It's been an absolute dump for years. I'm shocked it's still open.
Oh no this is terrible news!!! Taco Mac and Mary Mac is overrated and/or expensive. If you served me food from Mary Mac and didn't tell me I would seriously think nothing of it. I've had much better and they just survive on what it was in the past. Close the door and no tears. Taco Mac is just bad. Cumberland Taco Mac food is bad. Service is bad. Parking is good 👍 ... Sad to see Vortex go down this road. NEXT
This explains why Taco Mac went to hell. They used to have a nice varied menu, but they changed all of that. Good luck to the Vortex, but if Taco Mac’s changes are any indicator, they’re doomed.
The Vortex hasn’t been good since 2002.
Taco Mac used to be great, but they added some sort of sweetness to their buffalo wing sauce and ruined it several years ago. And now you have a choice of about 107 IPfuckingAs, but maybe one stout. That is hardly a good selection of beers. It used to be about offering choices instead of following the urban lumberjack crowd. You know, the douchebags with the finely coiffed beards, skinny jeans, boots that never set foot in mud, and flannel shirts. Wouldn’t know an axe from a saw. The only dirt that ever got under their nails was from their own noses. Another formerly great restaurant gone to the shitter.
Agreed. I actually think my experience of it going downhill happened around the time it was purchases by Fresh.
Please say it ain't so.This group has ruined Taco Mac.The place is horrible now (Decatur closed and the Sandy Springs location is horrid)
Correct
Very sad to hear but when intown neighborhoods become whitewwashed so do it's restaurants. The Vortex was never the same after Bike Night stopped. There were hundreds of motorcycles there every week. And, Mary Macs food hasn't been the same either. Two Atlanta traditions gone to Corporate number crunching with no more personality... Rest in Peace
This is a big shame as well as a shock. I don’t foresee this going well at all.
The Taco Mac in Virginia Highlands is horrible now ! The floor is always dirty , food used to be good now it’s gross and the staff could care less . So now the Vortex will be ruined as well !
So true! I went to Mary Mac recently and the food was horrible! The fried chicken was not seasoned. The Mac and Cheese looked as if a child made it. It has smell in the lobby area. The good ole days are gone in Midtown of small businesses that took pride in there service. Now it's corporate takeover. They are only interested in the bottom line. And the are the only ones who can afford the lease of the properties.
The Taco Mac in Newnan is great. It’s always busy. The grilled salmon is outstanding and I’ve always had perfect service there.
What even happened to Taco Mac? I quit going after one of their employees copied and used my debit card at the Target at the Prado location on Roswell rd. All I have ever heard is how bad it is now. Did a group buy them out and drop the quality for profits? (Not saying the quality was ever that great)
Harold Martin is awful! He ruins everything! Taco Mac has gone to crap and mary mac is poop and expensive! Just go to cracker barrel and have a better meal at a reasonable price. RIP Vortex! Shame on the old owners!
At some point, any attempt to preserve the history and culture of Atlanta may be applauded. Some many generic concepts taking over and whitewashing. We will see where it goes, but I will not be mad until I have a reason to be mad.
So glad you’ve had that experience.
Definitely hasn’t been my experiences. Taco Mac in Newnan - horrible service. Food is slightly better than the Peachtree City location which often smells like sewage with bathrooms often out of service. Never place an order online or via phone. Arrived twice and they couldn’t find the order. Next time, they never received the online order. Called in next time and the order taker never entered the order. Unreal horrible experiences at both locations.
Cumberland is atrocious. Always dirty.
Ultimately all greater Atl locations seems to be a mess.
Only eaten at The Vortex once (L5 location) This was maybe 15-16 years ago. It was outstanding. I was thinking about going there again as part of an evening out in April. I can only hope that those here on this blog are are incorrect in predicting a major decline, but they know more than I, and are probably correct. Sad. BTW, I used to frequent Taco Mac years ago, but it became pretty bland and one dimensional a long time ago.
Your right mary mac did smell! It was like used old dirty bleach bucket that had been sitting outside for days and they used it to mop the floors recently!! I'll never go back. Overpriced food. So many other places to purchase chicken. Publix has great fresh chicken. Mary Mac needs to close down!
I know right? When I want to go out to dinner I just take a folding table and chairs, a tablecloth, china dishes and silverware, and cut glass goblets and go to Publix. I order my chicken dinner, grab a jug of sweet tea and a lemon meringue pie and set up my table right there in the store! Much better than Mary Macs! And so comparable to that experience
Mary Mac and Taco Mac is the same thing? Is it part of the Mac Group, LLC?
Used to go to Taco Mac weekly - it was our Friday family dinner place to get some good bar food and a cold beer or two to welcome in the weekend. It was always packed too, with waits stretching to an hour. While it declined well before Covid, they definitely "threw in the towel" during and afterwards. The restaurant (Perimeter location) is never fully staffed and often operates at about 35% of avaialble capacity. They seemed to have morphed into more of a takeout place, which doesn't work for a sports bar that makes money on overpriced beers. I still go every once in a while or get some wings to go and still think the wings there are good. It's sad what happened to it - abysmal operationg and management strikes again.
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