[EXCLUSIVE] New Steakhouse Checking in Soon in Downtown Atlanta

You know what Atlanta was missing?  A new steakhouse! You know what Atlanta was desperately in need of?  A steakhouse that is likely to serve hookah too.  PreView Steakhouse is coming soon to 111 Cone Street in downtown Atlanta and if its owner's track record is any indication, both offerings may be on the menu. 

Michael Efuetlateh, who reportedly holds a PhD in Business Administration, is the proprietor behind the new upscale restaurant located in a space adjacent to the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Atlanta Downtown.  The 173-room hotel originally opened in 1890 and before the Holiday Inn's brand introduction in 2011, was known as Centennial Inn Atlanta, and before that, Super 8 Motel.

Efuetlateh, who before opening his first restaurant (more on that later) "worked in corporate America for some of the large fortune 500 companies," described his earlier endeavor as a place where guests could come for a "safe, upscale, grown, sexy, chill and relaxed environment."  

His first restaurant, also named PreView, was located at 2221 Peachtree Road (The Shops of Buckhead), and opened in July 2022 in place of Vietnamese restaurant Pho King.  The Vietnamese restaurant was sold by Steve Josovitz of the Shumacher Group.  In the listing, Josovitz stated "term remains on lease with an option to renew."  Presumably Efuetlateh purchased the business with the intention of securing a lease renewal on the roughly 2,000 square foot space in the future.  

Those hopes were dashed when an early morning fire on October 29, 2022 damaged the space.  An investigation determined that the fire was caused by “hot ash remains/hot hookahs in a cardboard box heated to the point of combustion [and that] [t]he fire spread to other nearby combustibles.” As a result of its determination, the center's landlord, Selig Enterprises sought to exercise its right to terminate the lease as Efuetlateh's operation of a hookah business was outside the bounds of his lease. 

"In the letter terminating the Lease, the Landlord also pointed out that Tenant was in violation of the use restriction in the Lease because it was operating a club and hookah bar, when the premises was leased only for the purpose of operating a restaurant."  

The case, which started with Selig's dispossessory actions in November 2022, stretched on for more than a year and according to online records, just concluded this past June when Efuetlateh was ruled against by presiding Judge Sara Doyle in his appeal to the Georgia Court of Appeals.  

According to Efuetlateh, the first PreView was many months in the making.  He has seemingly wasted little time in pivoting from Buckhead to downtown, having registered "Preview Steakhouse" at the Cone Street address with the Georgia Secretary of State on August 15.  

A permit for significant interior renovations of the 3,940 square foot Cone Street space was filed with the City of Atlanta on September 2.  

There is no explicit mention of hookah being offered (there wasn't in advance of the Buckhead opening either) but sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta the new endeavor is meant to be a bigger, better version of the first restaurant, with similar offerings.  If Efuetlateh does offer it, he may find downtown less competitive than Buckhead has become with so many establishments having added hookah to their menu as a way to drive traffic and profits.  

Did you ever visit PreView in its earlier iteration?  Are you excited for the opening of the new PreView?  Do you plan to frequent Downtown Atlanta more or less in the years to come? 

Please share your thoughts below