Viva Chicken has closed its two Atlanta area restaurants in Kennesaw and Alpharetta. The quick-serve rotisserie chicken restaurants opened in late 2022 and early 2023, respectively, and closed earlier this week, according to ToNeTo Atlanta readers. By Thursday evening, all permanent signage was gone and the majority of the restaurant's interior furniture and equipment had been removed.
The chain's Kennesaw restaurant was located at Barrett Corners (1131 Ernest Barrett Parkway), a strip center developed on the site of the former Sweet Tomatoes. The restaurant officially opened October 26, 2022. Viva Chicken occupied a 3,000 square foot space in the center also home to eateries Five Guys and Maple Street Biscuit Company. SITE Centers, a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) purchased the roughly 18,700 square foot center in April 2023 for $15.6 Million. The Viva Chicken space is not yet marked as available on the SITE Centers website.
In Alpharetta, Viva Chicken occupied a roughly 2,600 square foot space in Alpha Soda Center (11760 Haynes Bridge Road). Space was added to the existing outparcel to accommodate the Viva which officially opened March 1, 2023. Viva's neighbor, Newnan-based butcher shop Cleaver & Cork, occupied a 3,000 square foot space in the center, but they closed both it and their East Cobb location earlier this year. In an unfortunate twist, SITE Centers also purchased the roughly 14,600 square foot Alpha Soda Center for $9.4 million in May 2023. The site plan does indicate the Cleaver & Cork space is available but has not yet been updated to reflect the Viva Chicken vacancy.
Viva Chicken is a fast-casual restaurant which specializes in Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Chef Bruno Macchiavello, a native of Peru, and business partner Randy Garcia, opened the first Viva Chicken in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte in 2013.
Following the twin Atlanta closures, the chain will operate fourteen locations in North and South Carolina as well as a single unit in St. George, a city in southwestern Utah.
Did you ever visit Viva Chicken? Are you surprised Viva Chicken closed its Atlanta area restaurants? What would you like to see open in place of Viva Chicken in Alpharetta and Kennesaw?
Please share your thoughts below.
27 comments:
Metro Atlanta is so big but yet every new chain that comes tries to open in the same areas of the metro in the same cities and towns, they may have actually succeeded had they gone to a neglected area such as the I-20 East corridor
That’s a bummer! I ate at the Kennesaw one once or twice a month. While it was never as crazy busy as the one I visited in Charlotte, there was always a decent steam of customers. I guess the rent was too high.
Not surprised by the closure of the butcher shop or Viva. They were never crowded.
Should have opened in GWINNETT instead. Probably would have done a lot better in GWINNETT.
That's is awful. LOVED viva chicken in Alpharetta. Great fresh food. It's hard to find no fried good quality food. So sad to see it gone.
Not surprised at all. Went once felt it was overpriced, bland food.
I never made it to the Kennesaw location... but I have eaten at the St. George, Utah location and it is FANTASTIC!
This was a great place!! Their chicken soup always hit the spot.
It doesn't help that Atlanta's chicken market is already dominated by CFA and Zaxby's. Even Chicken Salad Chick isn't doing well.
Should’ve tried the sauces. They added a ton of flavor.
We literally ate at the one in Alpharetta Friday...wife had food poisening that night. Good riddence...
Wrong part of town. All these chains head to the burbs thinking it will be 'safer' than coming into Atlanta. If they'd opened in N Decatur or anywhere in the NE corridor going up to Duluth, I think they'd have done fine. Or anywhere ITP. People who live in the exurbs will not drive to anything - people who live intown are used to driving a few minutes. I think that is the biggest difference.
The chicken and sides and sauces were a real treat. It is difficult to find creative cooking like this at moderate prices.
So much better than the typical fried products that are less healthy. Sorry to see them go.
Oh no…if chicken salad chick goes under I will be devastated
It’s the economy. We’ve almost stopped eating out and getting fast food.
I know, we’ve almost stopped eating. Food is just too expensive. We eat one meal, puke it up then save it, then fry it up and eat it again. Saving$.
Stop opening restaurants in areas with plenty of restaurants. 😑
Viva is a solid concept. Many chains don't have a marketing and PR plan that allows them to successfully enter a new market. Understanding you're a new brand in a new market is the foundation of the business and marketing plan. The brand awareness you have in your home market doesn't transfer to the new one.
Not surprised. The food was bland and expensive. Also there was nothing Peruvian about that restaurant.
People in the burbs will drive anywhere!
Probably didn’t want to deal with dine n dash and charger-challenger idiots.
It depended on who was making the food. Some days it was so flavorful and nice, other days very bland.
Lmao
Not surprised.
So sad to hear this. We loved Viva Chicken for a quick, healthyish meal. I think it's going to be hard for any new businesses that is not already well established due to the poor economy.
SHOULD HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH. THE ROTISSERIE SHOP IS A LOCAL PLACE THAT HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR A DECADE LOCATED A MILE AWAY. B
As a customer and former employee of one of the Atlanta locations, not surprised to see them fail. They did some smart high impact marketing events like the Taste of Alpharetta for 2 years, but lacked critical mass to do the right awareness marketing and promotional Inducements to drive traffic and purchase. Food was innovative and excellent quality.
Regional management and corporate management both engaged in practices detrimental to retention of quality employees, the most I can post here to presumably pass moderation.
Last point is that a very visible LGBTQ employee presence during majority of tenure in Alpharetta did not play well with very conservative and MAGA customer base living in this area. Not aware of any laws that mandate customer choice to dine in an environment like this. Surely that low unemployment rate and shortage of Alpharetta service workers and need to draw from other areas resulted in this employee base.
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