After sitting idle for nearly eight months, activity was spotted in recent days at the former Arby's at 4415 Roswell Road in Chastain Park. Although we heard of the would-be replacement late last year, we held out hope that something more exciting might swoop in as the deal was then not yet done.
There have thus far been no permits filed with the City of Atlanta but with the bank likely looking to retain the former restaurant's drive-thru, the plan is likely to convert the existing building rather than starting from scratch.
The Cincinnati-based bank entered the Atlanta market amidst the financial crisis of 2008 and had only a handful of locations in metro Atlanta for several years, but has had a significant expansion in recent years that includes new locations in Dunwoody and Suwanee. Fifth Third also has several branches within Kroger stores.
The bank also opened new branches in Roswell, in place of another former Arby's, Chamblee, where the bank converted a onetime El Pollo Loco, and Milton, where the bank converted a former Wendy's.
ToNeTo Atlanta has reported in recent months that the bank also has new branches planned for Tucker, Kennesaw, and further into Sandy Springs at 6420 Roswell Road, where it will open on land previously home to Flashers, a strip club that closed in 2018 and was ultimately demolished after a fire in 2020.
Some branches have proven less successful than others, with the bank having a short-lived location on Paces Ferry Road in Vinings, among others.
To help bolster the bank's local awareness, Fifth Third purchased naming rights to the stadium at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw. The bank partnership started in 2013 and was extended in 2023 to at least 2030.
The name "Fifth Third" is derived from the names of the bank's two predecessor institutions, Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank, which merged in 1909.
Overall, Fifth Third operates about 1,100 branches and about 2,400 ATMs across 11 states: Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. In Georgia, Fifth Third currently operates 31 branches and is vying for market share in a city already home to many dominant banks, including Ameris, Truist, Wells Fargo, PNC, Regions, Chase, and Bank of America.
For longtime Chastain Park neighbors or those who remember when Willy's first opened in the Roswell Wieuca Shopping center in 1995, the property is coming full circle of sorts, as before Arby's the space was home to a SouthTrust Bank branch.
Are you surprised to see Fifth Third Bank taking such a marquee location in Chastain Park? Where do you do the majority of your banking? When was the last time you visited an actual bank branch? Wrote an actual check?
Please share your thoughts below.
10 comments:
I love when Eli shares our frustration.
I'm glad I don't have anything to do with them. Brick and mortar branches?? Other banks are closing theirs. I haven't set foot in a bank in at least 2 years and even then it was a credit union. All my business is is online.
I quit banking with Wells Fargo because they required me to come in to a branch just to do things like renew a CD. Truist, where my checking account is, wants me to come in just to discuss CD's, so they can forget it. Once or twice a year I do have to visit a ATM to deposit a check. And I still have to write checks, but only about 5-6 a year. On the other hand, I was surprised that Arby's closed. I didn't patronize them often, but it was convenient at times. Fifth Third advertises good deals, and the closest branch to me is in a bad news area, so if I get some extra funds, I may look into the new branch.
Newer 5/3 Bank Branch located old El Pollo Loco at Clairmont Rd and Buford Hwy, Chamblee is really nice inside. Most competive rates on savings accounts.(about 100 x more interest than B of A pays on Reg Savings) Staff states my name when I walk in! Like their FREE Kuric Coffee, FREE Filtered Chilled Water, & FREE Lifesavers. NICE courteous, helpful well-trained staff.
Physical bank branches are more or less marketing. These big banks push in branch visits to drive up touches to customers and also to cross sell products.
In defense of the seemingly silly increase in branches during the era of digital transactions, fewer people come in the branches now but the ones who do often have complicated needs. I worked for a "big" bank and we had a small staff in our branch but usually saw some complex transactions, unusual questions, and dealt with challenges that were often more complicated than just depositing a check or getting cash.
I never had Kuric coffee before, what’s that? And is it like rolls of free Lifesavers or just a bowl of mints? Do they change the water filter regularly? What about at the holidays, do they out out cookies and cocoa or cider? How do they know people’s names when they come in?
katie couric
Katie Kuric must have started a coffee brand
Didn’t Katie Couric get a colonoscopy on tv? Maybe her coffee brand will clean you out. Thank you. I’ll see myself out
Ugh. Perfect place for an old school burger stand.
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