[EXCLUSIVE] Buckhead Diner Remains Closed, Its Future Uncertain

It has now been more than a full year since the pandemic began, and most restaurants that closed "temporarily" at the start have reopened in some form or fashion.  Unfortunately, some restaurants have closed altogether.  Despite the fact that all other Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (BLRG) restaurants have reopened, Buckhead Diner, one of the group's oldest and most beloved restaurants, with premier visibility along busy Piedmont Road, has remained dormant with no indication that it will reopen anytime soon.  

[UPDATE] Starbucks Makes Strange Move in Sandy Springs

In a quiet and baffling February move, Starbucks closed a roughly seven year old Sandy Springs location.  The strange thing about the closure is the fact that the Starbucks - in The Prado at 5660 Roswell Road - featured the all important drive-thru!  Signage at the Starbucks indicates that it closed as of February 23 with would-be patrons directed to one of the many other nearby Starbucks locations.  Despite having closed nearly a month ago, the 1,850 square foot Starbucks is still listed as an open and active tenant on the center's website. 

[UPDATE] Has the Cherokee Cattle Company Been Put Out to Pasture?

After receiving word last week from a ToNeTo Atlanta reader that the Cherokee Cattle Company restaurant in Marietta was closed for good, we sought to verify the rumor.  We ended up with more questions than answers.  The restaurant, a Marietta mainstay for nearly four decades, has been closed since March 23, 2020, at which time the restaurant indicated via a Facebook post that it would be "closed until further notice."  In the months since, the restaurant has made several additional posts and responded to countless comments where it indicates it's "under renovation" and "will reopen soon."  

[EXCLUSIVE] Bayou'Q to Open in Former Breastaurant

A new location of Bayou'Q Smokin' Bistreaux & Bar is coming soon to Smyrna.  The new Cajun barbecue restaurant is slated to open in the next sixty days or so in the former Tilted Kilt on Cobb Parkway near Cumberland Mall which closed at the end of 2020 after about eleven years in business.  Bayou'Q describes its cuisine as "Cajun Fare with a Barbecue Flare" and features a mixture of classic barbecue and Cajun offerings including anything from a smoked corned beef Reuben and a pulled pork quesadilla to shrimp & grits and an authentic Nawlins' Po' Boy, among other options.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Sources Say Shake Shack Scores Suburban Site For New Drive Thru Restaurant

Well placed real estate sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that Shake Shack has secured a former suburban Burger King for one of their first drive-thru enabled locations.  The freestanding building, located in an outparcel of Alpharetta Crossing (11780 Haynes Bridge Road), was home to Burger King for more than two decades before the Miami-based fast food chain closed the location last year.  The restaurant is about 2,900 square feet and sits on just over a half an acre, according to Fulton County tax records.  

[EXCLUSIVE] The Original Pancake House to Open Buckhead Location in February

More than a year after we first announced their opening in Buckhead and despite the ongoing pandemic, popular breakfast eatery The Original Pancake House hopes to open next month.  Barring any additional delays, sources close to the restaurant tell ToNeTo Atlanta that the plan is to open Monday February 15.  The new breakfast joint opens in a roughly 9,000 square foot building at 2964 Peachtree Road (formerly BRIO Tuscan Grille), just north of The Peach shopping center.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Studio Movie Grill Shutters Local Theater

Dinner-and-a-movie theater chain Studio Movie Grill (SMG) has closed its location on Holcomb Bridge Road in Alpharetta.  The nine screen location, which first opened in 2010, quietly closed last week.  There was reportedly no notice given to the public in advance of the closure, but many suspected it would close in light of the planned opening of a new SMG about five miles away on North Point Parkway.  

[EXCLUSIVE] Davio's at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead Will Not Reopen

ToNeTo Atlanta has learned that Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse has permanently closed at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.  The closure, which many industry sources had speculated was a foregone conclusion given how long the restaurant had been closed, was made clear by the removal of the Atlanta outpost from the locations list and verbiage on  Davio's corporate website.  The 9,000 square foot restaurant debuted at Phipps Plaza in 2010 where it occupied a large chunk of the former Niketown store.  At the time, the Atlanta outpost was the fourth for the budding chain and represented their furthest expansion market from their Boston base.

[UPDATE] Lovies BBQ Has Closed [For Good] in Buckhead

After months sitting idle but under the premise that it would reopen, Lovies BBQ on Piedmont Road in Buckhead has seemingly closed for good.  The restaurant, located on the back side of the Piedmont Road-facing building that also houses Indian quick-serve eatery NaanStop, closed in July 2020 "until further notice" as the result of rising COVID-19 cases.  

[EXCLUSIVE] 1911 Biscuits & Burgers Set to Rise on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna

At a time when many restaurants are struggling, two local business partners and restaurateurs are expanding into the most unlikely of concepts: breakfast!  Brian Kennington and Terry Kirby plan to open 1911 Biscuits & Burgers later this month along South Cobb Drive in Smyrna.  The restaurant, situated in front of Smyrna Thrift Store and adjacent to a recently rebuilt Chick-fil-A, occupies a one-time Huddle House (3120 South Cobb Drive) that has over the years been home to several independent restaurants serving everything from Cajun cuisine to barbecue.  The gamechanger for 1911, however, will be the addition of an all important - some might say "pandemic proof" - drive-thru.  

[OPA!] After Four Decades in Business, Popular East Cobb Eatery Shutting Down

After one name change, three locations and a combined 40 years in business, a popular East Cobb area restaurant is throwing in the Windex and calling it a career. Christos Giannes, 65, owner of Kouzina Christos, made the vague announcement on his restaurant's Facebook page early Monday.  "FYI...Open for service Saturday till..." read the post which received several comments from concerned longtime patrons.   

[UPDATE] Chama Gaucha in Buckhead Has Closed Permanently

Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse has made their Buckhead outpost closure permanent.  The restaurant, located at Tower Place along Piedmont Road in Buckhead, had been "temporarily closed" since March, with reported plans to reopen "in the fall."  As months passed, that reopening seemed less and less likely.  A ToNeTo Atlanta reader alerted us Sunday to the restaurant's website which has been updated to reflect the Atlanta closure is now permanent.  "We regret to inform you that Chama Gaucha Atlanta is permanently closed." reads a pop-up on the Chama Gaucha website.   

[UPDATE] Jason's Deli Has Officially Closed at Cumberland Mall

After a prolonged "temporary closure," Jason's Deli at Cumberland Mall near Smyrna officially has permanently closed.  The restaurant, located on the mall's first floor, was near the former Sears wing, where Round1, an entertainment venue will soon open.  Jason's Deli first opened at Cumberland Mall in December 2003 when it replaced what had been the once popular Lettuce Souprise You.  

Bits & Bites

VF Corporation Monday announced plans to acquire popular streetwear brand Supreme for $2.1 billion.  The deal, which Denver-based VF indicated would close by the end of the year, nearly matches the firm's $2.2 billion 2011 acquisition of Timberland.  The company, which moved its corporate headquarters from Greensboro, NC to Denver in 2018, also owns Vans, The North Face and JanSport, among other brands.  

[PROGRESS REPORT] Northlake Mall Redevelopment Moving Forward "Full Steam Ahead"

COVID-19 has certainly slowed commercial real estate projects and other businesses around the world.  The owners of Northlake Mall and many other commercial real estate developers are still moving forward, albeit at what seems like a glacial pace.  ToNeTo Atlanta spoke this past week with Tony Ruggeri, co-founder and partner at ATR Corinth, the current owners of Northlake Mall, about the project and coming updates.  Ruggeri was quick to dispel rumors that his firm was either putting the project on the market or removing the retail component from the re-development.

[Three Down, Three Up] New Restaurants Are Opening in Place of COVID Closures

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of restaurants have closed in metro Atlanta.  Although sad, this unfortunate situation has created unique opportunities for budding restaurateurs.  This past weekend, ToNeTo Atlanta took note of at least three restaurant spaces that became available as a result of the pandemic, and all three are already occupied by new restaurants.  The three restaurants we noticed are in Alpharetta, Brookhaven and Buckhead.

[OPENING ALERT!] Iron Age Bringing DIY AYCE Korean Barbecue to Toco Hills

Iron Age Korean Steak House  plans to open their highly anticipated new location at Toco Hills later this month.  The 4,900 square foot restaurant, which ToNeTo Atlanta first reported was coming last July, was originally slated to open over the summer.  Like so many things, the restaurant's opening was delayed by several  factors not the least of which was COVID-19.  The restaurant, which replaced longstanding Toco Hills mainstay Famous Pub, is now due to open October 19.  (Hudson Grille was to open but later abandoned their plans to open in space before Iron Age.) 

[EXCLUSIVE] Tavern at Phipps Does Not Plan to Reopen at Phipps Plaza

It appears that the Tavern at Phipps will not be reopening at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.  The restaurant, a mainstay at the posh Buckhead mall for nearly 30 years, closed as of March 23 due the COVID-19 pandemic.  Despite sibling Atlanta area CentraArchy restaurants Joey D's Oak Room and New York Prime reopening, the Tavern has remain closed, with their patio furniture now in use by their steakhouse sibling.  Sources close to the restaurant and others in the restaurant community tell ToNeTo Atlanta that a lease dispute with landlord Simon Property Group (SPG) is what led to the closure. 

[BUSTED BURRITO] Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill Exits Metro Atlanta

Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill has closed its only Atlanta area location.  The restaurant, located at 5215 Windward Parkway in Alpharetta, closed quietly in recent days after about five years in business.  The restaurant, which replaced what was then the first Uncle Maddio's Pizzas to close,  opened in late 2015 and was to be the first of seven in the Atlanta area from franchisee Nick Patel. 

[SPECIAL] Sandwich Shop Slices Subsequent Suburban Store

Popular sandwich chain Jason's deli informed customers Monday that they will be permanently closing their location off Windward Parkway in Alpharetta.  The restaurant, located in The Terraces at Windward shopping center [3070 Windward Plaza], occupies a roughly 4,700 square foot space in the nearly 84,000 square foot development.  Remaining restaurants in the center include Moe's Southwest Grill, Mellow Mushroom, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Starbucks and J. Christopher's, among others.