[ALERT] Arby's Abruptly Abandons Another Atlanta Area Restaurant

Another day, another Arby's closure in metro Atlanta.  This time, it's the Arby's at 155 Cobb Parkway South in Marietta.  ToNeTo Atlanta readers suggest that the restaurant closed quietly this past weekend without prior notice to guests. 

Cobb County tax records indicate that the roughly 3,100 square foot freestanding building sits on about one acre and was built in 2006.  The restaurant shares a roughly two acre property with a separate Popeyes restaurant that remains open.  A Shoney's restaurant previously occupied the roughly two acre parcel.  

The property is not yet being marketed for sale or lease but benefits from several access points including two on Cobb Parkway (one signalized), an easement via the former Kmart center to the north, and another to the rear via Freys Gin Road. 

The site will likely be sought after by many growing restaurant chains, and while Raising Cane's could have interest, ToNeTo Atlanta reported in July that they intend to open a new location on the site of a current Red Lobster, about five miles south on Cobb Parkway.  

Arby's, owned by Sandy Springs-based Inspire Brands, has seen several metro Atlanta units close in recent years, including those in Roswell, Alpharetta, Albany, Milton, Buford, Sandy Springs, Downtown Atlanta, Buckhead (Chastain Park), and Suwanee. 

In years past, Arby's have also closed on Spring Street in Midtown, Vaughn Road in Kennesaw, South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, Metropolitan Parkway in Atlanta, and LaVista Road in Tucker, as well as locations in Northlake Mall in Tucker and Lenox Square in Buckhead, among others.     

The sandwich chain's challenges are not limited to Atlanta.  

A legacy Arby's on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood complete with a huge illuminated version of the brand's iconic 10 gallon hat, closed last June after 55 years in business.  Also last June, Miracle Restaurant Group, an Arby's franchisee with 25 units in five states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2010, citing financial pressures, rising costs, and negative same-store sales, among other issues.   

In metro Atlanta, many former Arby's have gone on to welcome new tenants, including restaurants, but also medical and banking users, too.  

Former Arby's in Alpharetta and Sandy Springs were renovated into new Chipotle restaurants, while one in Roswell became a Fifth Third Bank.  An Arby's near the Mall of Georgia in Buford was demolished and rebuilt as a Raising Cane's, while the former Lawrenceville unit on Sugarloaf Parkway became a new Yeero Village.  

The former Arby's just off Cobb Parkway on Vaughn Road in Kennesaw reopened in 2022 as a location of MINT Dentistry, but has since closed.  

ToNeTo Atlanta reported last October that Arby's closed its longstanding restaurant on Roswell and Wieuca Roads in Chastain Park.  In June we reported that a new location of Fifth Third Bank is planned in its place.

Despite all the closures, the company and its franchisees continue to operate about 3,400 restaurants worldwide.  Remaining Atlanta area units include those on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs, Sidney Marcus Boulevard near Lindbergh, Peachtree Boulevard in Chamblee, and Howell Mill Road in West Midtown.  

Are you surprised to see Arby's close in Marietta?  What would you like to see open in place of Arby's in Marietta?  What is your favorite quick serve restaurant (QSR)?    

Please share your thoughts below.