One Flew South has quietly closed its BeltLine location at after less than four years in business. Located along the Eastside BeltLine at Edge on the BeltLine (670 DeKalb Avenue), the restaurant opened June 17, 2022 and reportedly closed as of November 30, according to a source in the area.
The airport location, created by executive chef Todd Richards with his team of Duane Nutter, barman Jerry Slater, and Reggie Washington, featured an upscale southern-inspired menu plus sushi and a lively bar that became a popular spot for travelers looking for something beyond typical airport chain fare.
The restaurant was owned in partnership with established airport restaurant operators Global Concessions and Jackmont Hospitality, a firm owned by Valerie Richardson Jackson and Brooke Jackson Edmond, the widow and daughter, respectively, of Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor, who founded the company.
(Global Concessions filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April, and this past November sold leases to nine of its restaurants at Hartsfield-Jackson to Outstanding Hospitality Management Concessions Group. Global was uninvolved in the BeltLine location.)
Former chief food writer for The AJC John Kessler penned An Oral History of One Flew South for Garden & Gun in December 2019, in which he says the restaurant "rerouted southern hospitality."
With just 154 reviews on Google and an overall 4.3 star rating, it seems the BeltLine restaurant never attracted the same level of clientele, nor did it deliver the same level of service as its airport sibling. Of the restaurant's most recent five reviews, all are one star, with one reviewer saying:
"If you want to eat at an Airport food court restaurant that's on the BeltLine but almost always closed and where the staff comes outside to aggressively harrass people walking by several hours before they even open this is the spot for you."
(In fairness, four out of five of the airport's recent reviews are also one star, with concerns ranging from inconsistent hours and portions, to cleanliness of the restaurant and rudeness of staff. A source close to the restaurant tells ToNeTo Atlanta that the water heater at the restaurant went down this week causing the restaurant to close prematurely multiple times, leaving travelers who tried to get a meal disappointed given the lack of communication of the closure.)
When One Flew South opened on the BeltLine, it replaced what had previously been wine bar Hazel Jane's. Founded by former Staplehouse sommelier Melissa Davis, Hazel Jane's opened October 28, 2019 but closed September 5, 2020.
An email Wednesday to Jackmont Hospitality seeking comment on the closure went unanswered.
Are you surprised to see One Flew South close its BeltLine location? Are you a fan of One Flew South at Hartsfield Jackson? What would you like to see open in place of One Flew South on The BeltLine?
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