Tomorrow's News Today

A well placed source tells me the new Cook-Out on Northside Drive will open before the end of the year, possibly as soon as this weekend. I peeked inside and this location definitely has plenty of interior seating, unlike the logjam / cluster often seen at the Cook-Out on Moreland Avenue.

Dunkin' Donuts is opening a new location on Buford Highway in Norcross. The new donut shop is opening in a heavily renovated former Arby's.

Breakers Korean BBQ is coming to Gwinnett Place Drive near Gwinnett Place Mall.

TK Bridal opened adjacent to the newly relocated Marshalls in Sandy Springs. The bridal salon is to the right of Marshalls, occupying the remaining portion of the former ROSS Dress For Less.

As I was first to report earlier this month, Here to Serve has gone through an ownership change. Tom Catherall's ex-wife Leigh now controls the restaurant group and officially closed Shout restaurant at Colony Square last night.

At 75% off, C. Wonder at Lenox Square has very little merchandise left, and will cease operations as of Friday 12/26. The C. Wonder outlet at the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta in Woodstock has a "decent" amount of clothing left, but not much else, is also offering 75% off the lowest marked price and will also close 12/26. As I reported last month, C. Wonder plans to close most of its retail stores as it shifts its focus to wholesale accounts.

A new Steak 'n Shake is coming to Savannah. The new restaurant will be on West Congress Street.

Sweet Dee's Bakeshop has closed on Main Street in Tucker. The independent bakeshop opened in downtown Tucker in early 2012 and had become popular in the neighborhood. Reportedly, the owner received a job offer too "sweet" to pass up, and closed the shop as a result. The shop is reportedly available and would potentially be "turn key" for any replacement bakery.

Chicken chain joining the burger brigade

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A plans to open next to Cook-Out on Northside Drive near Georgia Tech. The new Chick-fil-A would be built in place of Comp24, a marketing & advertising firm currently in a one story building at the corner of Ethel Street & Northside Drive.

Chick-fil-A already has a location two miles away on Howell Mill Road, but this location would better serve the westside community of students and faculty of Georgia Tech. Additionally, another Chick-fil-A restaurant opened this past August within the new College Football Hall of Fame near Philips Arena, also two miles away.

The new Chick-fil-A would be adjacent to the soon to open Cook-Out and existing Krystal, and across from both McDonald's and Burger King.

According to permits filed with the city of Atlanta, the new Chick-fil-A building would be about 4500 square feet while the current structure is over 20,000 square feet.

A source within Chick-fil-A told me the current plan is to have the new restaurant open by October 2015.

As has been mentioned previously, both North Carolina-based Cook-Out and Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A operate "faith based" businesses. Cook-Out plays Christian music in many of its restaurants and features scripture verses on its cups. Chick-fil-A often partners with religious groups and other faith based organizations, while its chairman Dan Cathy has been criticized for being a little too public with his biblical rhetoric.

The Chick-fil-A empire was built on the "Original Chicken Sandwich," (a fried chicken fillet with a pickle on a white bun) waffle fries and fresh-made lemonade, but the menu variety has broadened over the past few years. Chick-fil-A launched a partnership with THRIVE Farmers this past summer which brought "Farmer-Direct" coffee to the chain's nearly 2,000 restaurants. The proprietary Chick-fil-A blend represents both an improvement in the chain's coffee program as well as a business that works to improve the lives of the farmers who produce the coffee beans.

While a grilled chicken sandwich has been a menu option for years, the sandwich got a makeover and relaunch. Along with improvements to the grilled chicken and grilled chicken club sandwiches, the chain launched grilled chicken nuggets chain-wide. Chocolate chunk cookies and multigrain oatmeal were previously added to the menu to offer more variety for both breakfast and snack options.

Similar to Chipotle Mexican Grill and Wendy's, Chick-fil-A offers a nutrition calculator. Not that you really wanted to know, but Chick-fil-A's current LTO (limited time offer) milkshake, Peppermint Chocolate Chip, comes in at 910 calories for the standard 20 ounce size. (The small 14 ounce comes in at a mere 660 calories.)

Restaurants such as Del Taco, Panda Express and Pollo Tropical have reportedly all expressed interest in the Northside / 14th Street area, so perhaps Chick-fil-A won't be the last new restaurant we see there.

S. Truett Cathy, who passed away earlier this year, opened the first Chick-fil-A (known then as "Dwarf Grill") in Hapeville in 1946. Today, the chain has grown to nearly 2,000 locations in 41 states. With sales in excess of $5 billion, Chick-fil-A has overtaken KFC as the largest chicken chain by sales. Amazingly, Chick-fil-A accomplished this feat with less than half the number of locations of KFC, and while being closed on Sundays.

Venerable toy store exiting Northlake market.

Wayne, New Jersey-based Toys Я Us is closing its Northlake (Tower) Festival store in Tucker. The store began liquidation sales today and will close for good on January 25th. As far as I know, Toys Я Us is an original tenant, dating back to the center's opening in 1984.

Stock photo of the classic Toys Я Us storefront pre late 90s renovation

The Northlake Toys Я Us was quite possibly one of the first in Georgia for the popular toy store. Signs at the store directed customers to "nearby" Toys Я Us stores in Buckhead, Duluth and Smyrna.

The Northlake location is currently offering up to 40% off in- stock merchandise with some exclusions like Apple products and gift cards. As seen in the photo below, the store's stock of products like Barbie was already pretty light by mid-day Friday.

The Northlake area has seen a dramatic decline in national retailers over the past decade with Toys Я Us being the most recent.

The vacant Bally Total Fitness

The 367,000 square foot Northlake Festival was once home to a number of well known chain stores from Haverty's / ROSS Dress For Less and Office Max to Michael's and Bally Total Fitness. (Michael's relocated to the former Drug Emporium across the street)

The center was also home to a number of chain businesses that simply don't exist any longer. A Kids Я Us was previously in a separate space within the center, as were Blockbuster Video, hifi buys and a Black-eyed Pea restaurant which still exists, just not in Georgia.

The former Office Max was reborn as a Goodwill while hifi buys (site of my family's first DVD player) became a Monkey Joe's. Black-eyed Pea became Jason's Deli while Blockbuster became Uniform City, and Sport Shoe became Starbucks and ~~AT&T~~ ~~Clear~~Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint.

Gorin's Homemade Ice Cream & Sandwiches, scene of my 9th birthday party, is now the offices of Meredith Enterprises Inc., the center's current owner. (Meredith Enterprises, known then as West Coast Realty Investors Inc., purchased the center in 2002 for $20.4 million or $57 per square foot.)

AMC Theatres 8, also an original tenant, closed in 2002, and reopened as Movie Tavern, a dinner and movie concept, in 2008. Movie Tavern remains in business today.

The School Box has moved three times within the center. Currently, I believe the school supply store occupies what was originally Michael's. The previous move took The School Box from a space near what was OfficeMax to a space closer to Jason's Deli, previously occupied by ULTA, if memory serves. The more recent move freed up space for Hancock Fabric to reopen in Northlake Festival from their current home in Suburban Plaza.

A freestanding Fuddrucker's restaurant, an eatery my family frequented in my childhood, is now a Resurgens Bank. A separate outparcel previously home to a Taco Bell was demolished and became a new Chick-fil-A in 2011.

SAS Shoes has been the center many years, and operates only a handful of metro stores. PetSmart occupies a space to the right of Toys Я Us and survived the opening and later closure of Petco at nearby Briarcliff Village.

Northlake Festival's longest tenured tenant may just be its tallest as well. 662 feet up in the middle of the center's parking lots sits the transmitter for WSB AM.

Interestingly, Northlake Festival, along with neighboring Northlake Square, were recently awarded to the proposed City of Tucker. The City of Tucker would also include the adjacent Kroger, the CSM plant on Montreal Road and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Atlanta on Northlake Parkway. The proposed city of LaVista Hills would include Northlake Mall, Briarcliff Village. Essentially, LaVista Hills gets everything along the Northlake Mall side of LaVista Road while Tucker would get everything on the Northlake Festival side.

The shared boundary between the two potential municipalities is reportedly “set in stone,” despite the fact that neither side is completely pleased or an actual city yet.

My friends at The Brookhaven Post have an informative post and map detailing the boundaries of each proposed city.

Given the current state of both Northlake Festival and Northlake Mall, redevelopment of some kind is likely in the next few years.

As I've mentioned previously, the Northlake area as a whole is a sought after market, especially for quick serve restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, Bojangles' and Hudson Grille have all opened new locations in the Northlake area in the past few years.

Popular restaurant closing after 26 years in business
Caramba Cafe, the locally owned Mexican eatery, plans to close after dinner service on December 31st. Caramba Cafe spent much of its existence in Morningside, across from Alon's, on North Highland Avenue. In 2010, the restaurant closed in Morningside and relocated to the the Pencil Factory Shops on Decatur Street, near downtown Atlanta.

The restaurant was never the same following the relocation.

Caramba Cafe's last days in business will be today, Tuesday and Wednesday the 31st with service until 9PM.

The shops at the Pencil Factory Lofts have not been kind to restaurants, with a number of them not lasting long below the residences. Popular Virginia-Highland restaurant American Roadhouse opened a satellite location here, but it closed last year after less than a year in business. Chow Bing, which replaced American Roadhouse, closed earlier this summer, opting to focus on their new Buckhead location. The Drafting Table closed too, and is now Bada Bings Sports Food & Fun.

Interestingly, Caramba Cafe's former home in Morningside has changed concepts four times since their departure. First was Burger Tap, then Waffold, both from J.P. Kim of Yoforia. After the failures of both burgers and gourmet waffles, Ron Eyester's pizza joint Timone's Pizza failed too. "Soon," Eyester plans to reopen the space, still called Timone's, but now serving pizza and deli sandwiches along with limited grocery items.

Central City Tavern at the District at Howell Mill has closed. Additionally, Stooge's Sports Bar & Grille in nearby Howell Mill Village has also closed. The two bars closed within a few days of each other and both seemingly without notice.

Central City Tavern was for many years located at the corner of Peachtree and Collier Roads but relocated to the District at Howell Mill in 2009. The 3,956 square foot location was reportedly on the verge of closing to become a new Italian concept in late 2010, but the deal fell apart and the restaurant remained open. Central City Tavern was sold by then-owner Brad Roe to brothers Amish & Himesh Patel in July 2011.

Stooge's also moved, but within its same center. The sports bar relocated last year to allow for the new unleashed by Petco. Stooge's moved from a space measuring about 3,900 sq. ' to a 3,700 square foot space in the Publix-anchored center.

Popular watering hole Mr. C's, located essentially between the two shuttered bars, reportedly pitched in to assist displaced Stooge's employees with raffles and reportedly, job options.

The Stooge's space is already listed as available on the Howell Mill Village site, while the Central City Tavern space is still listed by name as occupied on the District site. The Central City Tavern lease was reportedly up for renewal with the operators unwilling to pony up a "significant rent increase." The Central City Tavern space will reportedly become a Chinese eatery.

While the name or concept of the planned Chinese eatery is not known at this point, the area is not without existing options. Extreme Teriyaki Grill Express is, of course, already open in the same center, with Chin Chin next door in the adjacent Kroger center. Canton Chopsticks is not far away on Howell Mill Road, with Double Dragon also not far away on Collier Road.

Since Wednesday is New Year's Eve, I have compiled this weeks Bits & Bites today! Thank you for your continued contributions, comments and readership. Happy New Year!

Cook-Out locations are officially open on Ponce de Leon Avenue (a converted Zesto) and on Northside Drive (the site of an old Wachovia bank branch). Cook-Out plans to open a number of new locations in the coming months including sites in Alpharetta, Athens (second location), Augusta (third location), Carrollton, Gainesville, Lithonia and Warner Robins. The North Carolina-based chain entered Georgia last year and thus far has thirteen locations open statewide. Sources say Cook-Out plans to have 50 locations open in Georgia in the coming years, a goal that at this rate seems very achievable.

A new Smallcakes is coming to Alpharetta. The new Smallcakes will open on Old Milton Parkway in a strip center that already includes chain breakfast eatery Another Broken Egg Cafe and local Italian eatery Carmine's.

With the holiday shopping season complete, I'm told that Crate & Barrel plans to close its North Point Parkway location in February. The closure would be followed by the store's opening, two exits north, at Avalon on Old Milton Parkway.

Metro Atlanta's first Earth Fare grocery store is currently slated to open January 8th. A second metro Atlanta Earth Fare store is scheduled to open in early spring as part of phase 2 of Emory Point on Clifton Road. The Asheville-based organic grocery has plans for a few other stores, including one in Cumming near the Collection at Forsyth.

Value Village has relocated its Roswell / Alpharetta store. Previously located in a former grocery store near Canton Street at Roswell Plaza, the new store is in across from Andretti Indoor Karting & Games. The new 32,000 square foot Value Village was previously the home of Discount Beverage Warehouse.

Goodwill plans to close its current Sandy Springs location (in a former A&P / Harris Teeter) January 4th and reopen in its new location (former Staples / B&R Thrift Store) on January 8th.

A new menswear boutique called Miguel Wilson is coming soon to Phipps Plaza.

Flavor restaurant on Johnson Ferry Road in Sandy Springs is being renamed "Zafron." Zafron is reportedly the Persian pronunciation of the spice saffron. A restaurant representative indicated that the new restaurant would feature a very similar menu with "a few additions." The Sandy Springs area is already home to two popular Persian eateries, Persepolis and Rumi's Kitchen, so perhaps it's smart to "stay in your own lane."

The Real Chow Baby on Howell Mill Road closed without warning over the weekend. The Howell Mill location of the stir-fry eatery was the restaurant's first location of what would later become a few around town. A location opened at The Galleria on Cobb Parkway in 2008 followed by one on Ponce de Leon Avenue in 2010 and at The Mall of Georgia in 2012. The Galleria location retained a similar format but was rebranded"Big Chow Grill - A Stir Fry Evolution," in 2010, and is no longer affiliated with the other locations. IMHO, the Ponce location was the worst in location, size and layout, and I'm surprised that it lasted as long as it did. A sign posted (on a shopping bag) on the door of the Howell Mill location indicates not that they are "closed for renovation," but that they are "moving to Alpharetta."

JuJuBees has closed at Chastain Square on Roswell Road in north Buckhead. The 1,000 square foot shop offered Italian frozen yogurt and seemingly could not compete with the many larger chain offerings of the area. Swirll, a Texas-based FroYo chain, previously closed at nearby Roswell-Wieuca Shopping Center, as did Three on the Tree, a FroYo joint from the owners of Fellini's. (The Three on the Tree space is now Greater Good BBQ, with the same owners)

After closing for a day early last month for "construction on the back stairs,"Community Q on Clairmont Road will again be closing for construction. A sign posted on the restaurant's front door states that they will be closed January 4th through January 8th for "construction," and will reopen on January 9th at 11AM.

The Vortex Bar & Grill on Moreland Avenue in Little 5 Points announced yesterday they are temporarily closed. "We're temporarily closed for some emergency repairs. We'll be back as soon as possible." The "emergency repairs" reportedly relate to their roof, which reportedly had precipitated a similar short-term closure less than a month ago.

Belly General Store has closed

Belly General Store, located at the corner of St. Charles and North Highland Avenues in Virginia Highland has closed. The local cafe and market closed quietly last night and will reportedly be replaced soon by another business.

The 2010 Village Roadshow Pictures film starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel was partially filmed at Belly. Holly Berenson's (Heigl) bakery Fraiche was depicted as the local bakery in the film. Interestingly, signage that was previously affixed to the building's wall over the front door was never replaced after the filming and instead was placed in the window.

Signage at the business indicates that "Belly is moving" and they are "renovating inside new business (food) coming"

Strangely, there are no building permits on file with the city of Atlanta despite neighboring businesses having indicated that they have already witnessed work going on.

I first got wind of the possible closure over a month ago when word got out that the business had reportedly filed for bankruptcy. In my earlier research into the business, I found it especially odd that Belly seemed to maintain no presence on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and that their web address, (bellystore.com) was inactive.

Local rumors are that a hookah bar & lounge will replace Belly. My opinion is that a hookah bar/lounge might be a tough sell for the neighborhood and that Belly is not actually "moving" anywhere.

Cookie store closes

Great American Cookies has closed at Lenox Square. The first floor kiosk below the stairs just outside Macy's was a landmark for many years. The store reportedly closed yesterday and by today, its former home was completely bare.

According to a representative from Simon Guest Services, there are no immediate plans for the space despite the quick removal and cleaning of their former space.

Great American Cookie Co. (later renamed Great American Cookies) was started by Michael J. Coles at Perimeter Mall in 1977. Today Norcross-based Global Franchise Group (Marble Slab Creamery, Maggie Moo's, PretzelMaker) owns the concept which now includes a few hundred locations.

National cupcake boutique Sprinkles opened earlier this year at the front of Lenox Square and in addition to cupcakes, sells cookies and ice cream. The addition of cookies to their menu seemed to hint that Great American's days might be numbered.

Cloud 9 Cupcakes previously closed in the Lenox Square Fashion Cafe ahead of the Sprinkles opening. Surprisingly though, LockHeart "Chicago Style Popcorn" is again open via a mall kiosk despite the recent of opening of Garrett Popcorn Shop.

Great American Cookies still has plenty of locations in metro Atlanta including Northlake Mall, North Point Mall and Cumberland Mall.

As we begin 2015, I'd like to take a moment to remember some retailers of years past.

I considered limiting this post to Atlanta-based retailers, but decided it would be more interesting to include national operators.

Some of my local favorites were Oxford Books, Little Bucks, The Toy Store and Rich's. On the national chain level, stores like Zany Brainy, Lionel Playworld, Natural Wonders, Learningsmith, Incredible Universe, Just For Feet and Filene's Basement were favorites of mine.

Zany Brainy had locations across Atlanta. I remember visiting their stores in Peachtree Corners, Sandy Springs, East Cobb and Kennesaw, among others.

Typical Just For Feet store

In the 90s, Just For Feet was THE place for shoes. The Birmingham-based retailer had locations in all the right areas and stocked all the right brands and even had a basketball court and free popcorn! Oh yea, just like bagels, your thirteenth shoe was free! As a kid, it could not get any better! Just For Feet's metro Atlanta presence included locations in Alpharetta, Buckhead, Duluth and Dunwoody.

I recall being fascinated with a Georgia Power store in the Sears wing on the lower level at Northlake Mall. If I recall, the store was kind of a mashup between The Sharper Image and what at&t has recently debuted with their "Store of the Future." One could try out new technology products and also be educated on new services and offerings.

Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton once said it was Phar-Mor he feared the most. Phar-Mor ceased to exist in 2002.

Friends, commenters and contributors have mentioned retailers they miss. Among those often mentioned are Woolco, Zayre, Richway, Service Merchandise, Ellman's, PharMor, Treasure Island, Drug Emporium, Chapter 11* Bookstore, Davison's, Parisian, Media Play, Big B Drugs, Storehouse, dekor, Value City, Kiddie City, Home Depot EXPO Design Center, Colonial and on a personal note, Market One.

Service Merchandise was a popular catalog showrooms retailer carrying fine jewelry, toys, sporting goods, and electronics. The stores were large and are similar in some respects to the Walmarts of today. Service Merchandise had a number of metro locations including sites in Tucker, Alpharetta, Smyrna, Duluth and Cheshire Bridge Road.

I'd love to hear from locals or transplants on what store you most miss or what store you foresee not making it through 2015.

Please share your thoughts below.

Following last years closures of Gap and Banana Republic and the subsequent opening of Sur la Table, a number of changes are coming to North Point Mall in the coming months.

Electronics, media and gift retailer f.y.e. will soon close its second level store. Opening in place of f.y.e. will be Famous Footwear. The 5,700 square foot space should reopen as the footwear retailer April 1st.

Pottery Barn, which occupies the previous f.y.e. space on the second level (next to Abercrombie & Fitch), has signed a "temporary lease extension." I announced last year that the furniture and home accessories retailer would close at the end of January, but a new lease was signed that will keep them in their space for "at least another year." Their closure would have made way for an H&M expansion (addition of a second floor), and while those plans are now delayed, they will supposedly still happen. Rumor has it that Pottery Barn will relocate to the lower level in 2016 to make way for the H&M expansion.

Kids retailer Janie and Jack will close at the mall by the end of the month, with Journey's Kidz replacing it. Journey's Kidz specializes in footwear for kids but carries clothing and accessories as well. Journey's Kidz should open by April.

Leonisa plans to open its second US mall-based store at North Point later this spring, replacing Gymboree. The intimates retailer is a mashup between an Intimacy and Spanx (both Georgia born and Georgia-based) and has its US headquarters in Norcross. The Brazilian company entered the US market with its first location at Mall of Georgia in Buford in 2013, and also operates a boutique / showroom at its headquarters on Langford Park Drive in Norcross.

Kay Jewelers plans to relocate from the second floor of the mall to the first floor. The former Kay will subsequently become a new at&t corporate store, possibly one of their "Store of the Future" locations similar to what opened at Lenox Square last year.

A mini cupcake shop sits in front of the current KAY Jewelers on the second floor

Elsewhere around North Point Mall, a number of other projects are underway.

Jared, The Galleria of Jewelry, is constructing a new freestanding store on North Point Parkway. The store is being built in place of longstanding area restaurant T.G.I. Friday's in an outparcel of the Target / Marshalls shopping center. Jared and Kay are both owned by Hamilton, Bermuda-based Signet (NYSE: SIG). Last year Signet purchased Zale Corporation and its Zales Jewelers stores making the combined company a $6+ billion dollar corporation.

R.E.I. is currently renovating the former OfficeMax at Mansell Crossing for a new store. The 24,000 square foot R.E.I. will be the Seattle-based chain's fifth store in metro Atlanta, and is currently expected to open in mid-March.

Crate & Barrel plans to close its store on North Point Parkway at North Point Village by the end of February. The store will simultaneously reopen a few miles north at Avalon. Crate & Barrel previously relocated its Buckhead store from Lenox Square to the Shops Around Lenox in 2012.

Tom + Chee, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based grilled cheese and tomato soup franchise, is also opening near North Point. The new Tom + Chee is slated to open January 30th at Stonewalk at North Point, a small, largely brick center built in 2009 which is also home to Guitar Center and Salon Lofts.

As a side note, with Avalon now open, and with so much fanfare and hoopla surrounding their "local" restaurants, Ted's Montana Grill and Kona Grill, both chains, have reportedly been the most popular.

The former home of Great American Cookies mere hours after their December 28th closure

The former operators of Great American Cookies at Lenox Square contacted me to set the record straight on what caused their sudden closure.

"We were unable to come to terms on a new lease and, after more than a decade under our ownership, were sadly forced to close our store. While we apologize for the abruptness, the mall did not want a cookie store in that location after the end of the year, so a quick knockdown was unfortunately necessary. None of the new stores impacted our business, nor did they play a role in our exit. We truly loved serving our customers and thank them for allowing us to become a small part of their family traditions, celebrations, holidays and shopping excursions for so many years. We very much valued each and every customer and, if it were up to us, we would have continued serving them for another decade."

Valerie & Stewart Applebaum had owned the Lenox Square location of Great American Cookies since 2003 (it operated as a corporate location previously) and report that the location passed all regularly performed inspections by the City of Atlanta.

The Applebaums own Great American Cookies locations in Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington, North Carolina. The couple have plans to open a new location in Pooler (near Savannah) at the upcoming Tanger Savannah outlets, later this spring. As of now, the Applebaums have no plans to re-enter the metro Atlanta market.

Typical interior of a C. Wonder retail store

Once hip chain closing all locations New York-based

C. Wonder will soon close its remaining twelve retail locations as it winds down operations. Word got out in November the chain would be closing most of their stores to "transition into a wholesale brand," but apparently that plan failed to materialize, and the chain will instead discontinue operations entirely. Locally, C. Wonder locations in Lenox Square and an outlet at the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta in Woodstock have already closed. Today, a location that had been open at Avalon in Alpharetta for about 90 days will also close.

A C. Wonder spokesperson furnished the following statement regarding the closure:

"Due to the highly competetive nature of the current retail environment, C. Wonder will be closing its remaining retail stores. The Company continues to evaluate its best alternative to maintain the C. Wonder experience for its customers."

Twelve locations in malls and lifestyle centers around the country will close while three international locations will reportedly remain open for now. The three international locations, two in Dubai and one in Kuwait, are operated via a partnership and may for now have escaped the company's domestic troubles.

Among the domestic closures are the chain's flagship locations in SoHo and The Shops at Columbus Circle, both in New York. The Mall at Millenia in Orlando also had a C. Wonder store as did Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California, and King Street in Charleston. These suddenly vacant spaces in high profile shopping areas will surely be desirable to brands looking to expand domestically. (Lucy, TopShop and UNIQULO to name a few.)

C. Wonder was launched in 2011 by Chris Burch, serial entreprenuer and ex-husband of style icon Tory Burch. The chain hired employees from the likes of Henri Bendel and Tory Burch and sold a variety of cheaply produced, often monogramed, female oriented clothing, gifts and accessories. Many in the retail industry called the brand "revenge retail," given its similarity to Tory Burch and its targeting of similar customers. I found the chain well merchandised and almost a Lilly Pulitzer / Tory Burch / Henri Bendel mashup.

Did you like C. Wonder? Did you hate C. Wonder? What should replace vacant C. Wonder stores in Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.

Sprouts Farmers Market plans to open its fifth store in metro Atlanta on January 14th. The new Sprouts Farmers Market is opening in Cumming at Lakeland Plaza in a former Stein Mart. Sprouts entered metro Atlanta last year with locations in Snellville, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners and Johns Creek. This year, new Sprouts locations in metro Atlanta are expected in Roswell, Midtown, north Buckhead, and possibly Smyrna.

Walmart plans to open two new Walmart Neighborhood Market stores in Warner Robins in the coming months. Each store will measure about 42,000 square feet and unlike recent openings in metro Atlanta, each will have gas pumps, too. One location is slated for North Houston Road at Green Street on a parcel that formerly housed The Family Mart. The other location is to be built on previously undeveloped land at Russell Parkway and Lake Joy Road near an existing CVS Pharmacy.

A new QuikTrip is scheduled to open in "about two weeks" at the corner of Georgia 120 and Riverside Parkway in Lawrenceville. The new QT replaces a shuttered Pike Family Nursery and will also mean the closure of an existing QT about a tenth of a mile away, on Riverside Parkway. This move follows similar relocations the c-store has made in Chamblee and Alpharetta.

Pottery Barn has signed a "temporary lease extension" and will remain open at North Point Mall for at least another year. I previously announced the store would be closing January 31st but that information, while correct at the time, has changed.

Williams Sonoma, a store I hinted was likely to leave North Point following the opening of Sur la Table is in fact leaving the mall. Williams Sonoma's last day at North Point will be January 19th.

After a number of delays, the new Pita by the Beirut at Perimeter Village in Dunwoody opened this past Monday. Dunwoody is the third overall location for the Peachtree City-based restaurant.

Handy Ace Hardware has reopened on Lawrenceville Highway at Tucker Town Square in Tucker. The new Handy Ace Hardware is meant to replace the former location at Cowan Road and Lawrenceville Highway that burned to the ground in December 2012. The new location opened a few weeks ago and replaced the shuttered Tucker Flea Market. The Ace store is open and well stocked but still not at 100% and won't be for weeks, if not months, according to an associate at the store. The store was first announced to be relocating to Tucker Town Square in November, 2013, and it's unclear what caused the year plus delay.

Royal Design Fine Jewelry is opening soon in the former salon space at Terminus 100. The jewelry store will hope to find success in a space that has played host to two failed salons, first D.C.-based The Grooming Lounge, and later Alpharetta's William David Salon.

Following heavy renovations, new equipment and new signage, Checkers is nearly ready to reopen near North DeKalb Mall. The twin-drive thru / walk up restaurant closed over a year ago but signaled its interest in reentering the area late last year. After receiving necessary approvals from local government, work on the building began in earnest. The most significant changes diners will notice are a new logo and new, more modern building / accents.

Paper Mill Grill and sibling concept, Ritter's have both closed. Paper Mill Grill was located on Village Parkway, just off Johnson Ferry Road, while Ritter's was not far away on Lower Roswell Road. The two restaurants were owned and operated by husband and wife, Ritter & Brigid Jones. Ritter's was opened in April, 2004 followed by Paper Mill Grill in February, 2008. Locals I spoke with describe the two closed restaurants as "terrible" and "awful" and credited recent East Cobb additions such as Chequers, Common Quarter, Seed and Zeal and catalysts for the closures. One reader saying, "it's not like East Cobb has a ton of great restaurants, but when a few good ones open, the crappy ones will close."

A new Wild Wing Cafe is coming to Hamilton Mill. The Atlanta-based wing joint will open in the former Rick Tanner's Grille & Bar / Field House. Another Wild Wing Cafe is coming soon to Ashford Place in a former Romano's Macaroni Grill on Ashford Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody.

Nancy's Hallmark will soon close its store in the Kroger-anchored Georgetown Shopping Center on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody. The store is reportedly closing because they "can't afford the rent." A liquidation sale will begin Saturday and will continue until the store is cleared out.

Downtown sports bar reopens after fire.

STATS, the sports bar from Legacy Restaurant Partners, plans to reopen for lunch and dinner tonight after a multi-month closure. STATS, located on Marietta Street near the Georgia Dome, suffered what was described by restaurant management as a "contained hood fire" on September 18th. The restaurant was to reopen a short time later, but has been closed since.

During the closure, the bar has likely lost thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential business. Among the events missed were six home Falcons games (seven away), the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, New Year's Eve and plenty of potential holiday parties and events.

According to an email from LRP:

"There will be many exciting things happening this year for Stats so stay tuned for more updates and information."

Stats will surely need some "exciting things" to woo back customers who likely migrated to nearby Hudson Grille, which opened in early 2013, adjacent to Philips Arena.

New Waffle House coming to Westside

Norcross-based Waffle House plans to open a new restaurant on Northside Drive. The new Waffle House restaurant would open at 1099 Northside Drive, adjacent to McDonald's and across the street from the upcoming Chick-fil-A and the recently opened Cook-Out.

The building Waffle House intends to occupy was most recently home to a used car dealership, United Motor Cars of Atlanta, but looks to have originally been a restaurant. Interestingly enough, I had surmised this property was likely to see imminent redevelopment given the recent restaurant openings and plans around it.

This new Waffle House would seem to be replacing the shuttered Waffle House at 1701 Northside Drive adjacent to the Days Inn, just off 1-75. Both the Days Inn and Waffle House closed over the summer and were demolished a short time later. The two sites are about a mile apart, and obviously there are advantages to being near a hotel and off the highway but the new location should do quite well.

Georgia Tech's campus is nearby, as are hundreds of recently built condos and apartments. The opposite end of the Georgia Tech campus is already home to a Waffle House. A Waffle House opened in 2010 on 5th Street in Technology Square.

Dolce's South Beach location at the Gale hotel

New Italian eatery joining Buckhead Atlanta restaurant lineup

LDV Hospitality founder and principal John Meadow, along with regional director of operations David Abes, plan to open Dolce Italian at Buckhead Atlanta later this summer.

Dolce Italian at Buckhead Atlanta will open at the corner of Buckhead Avenue & Bolling Way, above Etro.

Originally slated to be Lugo Cucina Italiana, another concept from LDV, the decision was made to open Dolce instead. While the concepts are similar, Dolce's existing location in South Beach is being featured on the new Bravo show "Best New Restaurant," and will give the restaurant immediate credibility. Best New Restaurant premiers January 21st and is hosted by acclaimed chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio. Colicchio and restaurateur and TV personality Gordon Ramsay are executive producers of the show. (Colicchio closedhis craft and craftbar at The Mansion, now the Mandarin Oriental Atlanta, in early 2011.)

Many in Atlanta might ask themselves if this Dolce is related to the Dolce Enoteca that occupied a large space in Atlantic Station when the project first opened in 2005. The answer to that question is no. Dolce at Atlantic Station was operated by Los Angeles-based Dolce Group, whereas this new restaurant will be operated by New York-based LDV Hospitality.

Dolce Italian South Beach is located within the Gale hotel on Collins Avenue and opened in 2013. According to the Dolce website, another location is "coming soon" to Chicago.

LDV opened their first Buckhead Atlanta concept, Corso Coffee, last month, and will add American Cut and Dolce Italian later summer.

Footwear retailer ecco has closed its second level location at Lenox Square. The store will supposedly undergo brief renovations with plans to reopen February 5th.

Wahoo! Wine & Provisions is now open on West College Avenue in Decatur. The new business carries assorted wine, meats and cheeses, gifts, local produce and flowers, and is operated by neighboring restaurant, Wahoo! Grill. Las Vegas-based

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop opened their first Atlanta area location this past Monday in Duluth. The new eatery is the first of three planned by local franchisee Michael Li. The Duluth location of Capriotti's is located in a small strip center near the intersection of Satellite Boulevard & Old Peachtree Road.

Atlanta-based RAM Partners LLC has renamed their Aventine at Lindbergh apartments. The new name, The Ivy at Buckhead, is seemingly meant to confuse the public into thinking the property is in someway associated with "The Ivy," the popular club / bar on Roswell Road in North Buckhead. At the very least, the change is sure to confuse cab and uber drivers, but wait, that's really not that hard.

As previously announced on this blog, Flip Burger Boutique is getting two new neighbors at its westside location. Atlanta-based Fidelity Bank is constructing a new branch at 1583 Howell Mill Road, while Jimmy Johns is nearing completion of their new restaurant at 1605 Howell Mill.

Maya Steaks has opened on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. The new steak-centric restaurant was opened by Mimmo Alboumeh of Red Pepper Taqueria and Coldbrew's. The Maya space was previously occupied by SeaBass Kitchen and before that, Rumi's Kitchen.

A new Waffle House is coming to Sandy Plains Road in Marietta. The new Waffle House is being built on a parcel currently home to Speedemissions and before that, a Checkers restaurant.

Marcus Marshall, most recently General Manager at St. Cecilia in Buckhead, has left to accept a newly created position at Concentrics Restaurants. Marshall, whose previous management roles also include stops at STK in midtown and assorted Concentrics concepts before that, will now be "Regional Director of Operations" for Concentrics Restaurants. According to Concentrics founder Bob Amick, “Marshall will be involved in both Concentrics’ owned restaurants and those we develop and operate under management agreements."

Earlier this week, Bojangles' opened a new metro Atlanta location in Lilburn. The new, roughly 4,000 square foot Bojangles' is located at 5625 Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn, adjacent to AutoZone. Charlotte-based Bojangles' has recently added new locations to Peachtree Corners, Duluth, Snellville, Commerce and Tucker.

Roi Shlomo is taking his Kale Me Crazy juice bar concept to the west coast. According to a real estate source, Kale Me Crazy is "seeking sites throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties." The first Kale Me Crazy opened in Inman Park in 2013 with a second location slated to open soon on West Ponce de Leon Avenue in Decatur. Shlomo's first concept, Yogli Mogli, a frozen yogurt concept, expanded to a number of areas outside of Atlanta but only as far west as Illinois.

The Gear Revival on the Westside is closing its doors after nine years in business. The Gear Revival was an outdoor Play it Again Sports-type store with a great selection of apparel and equipment for kayaking, hiking, biking, etc. The store is due to close for good January 25th. Interestingly, the store posted to its facebook page that it was looking to hire "a part time to full timer" on October 28th, only to announce they were closing on January 9th.

GoVinda's Cafe has finally opened in Little 5 Points. The Vegan / Vegetarian restaurant was originally slated to open earlier last year, but was seemingly plagued by endless delays. The restaurant is located on Euclid Avenue between Thai 5 and Bang-On in a space previously home to Kloud 9 women's boutique.

Sperry Top-Sider has closed its location at Perimeter Mall. The Perimeter Mall location opened in 2012 near Nordstrom and was followed by a location near Nike at Lenox Square in Buckhead in 2013. The Lenox Square location will remain open. Corporate reportedly found the two locations too close to each other, and chose to keep the Lenox Square store open. The Perimeter Mall store reportedly closed over two weeks ago, but it remains listed on both the Sperry corporate website and the Perimeter Mall website.

Mistura Timepieces closed its location at Perimeter Mall yesterday. The small watch retailer was located on the upper level near The Pub. A Mistura at Lenox Square near Forever 21 will remain open... for now.

Regions Bank recently closed two of its branches in Buckhead. A branch at Two Buckhead Plaza near the intersection of West Paces Ferry and Peachtree Roads as well as a branch at Tuxedo Festival at the intersection of Roswell and Piedmont Roads were both closed. A new two story Regions Bank branch opened at the corner of East Andrews Drive and West Paces Ferry Road to replace the two closed branches.

Chef Ron Eyester has reopened Timone's in Virginia Highland. Timone's previously concentrated almost entirely on pizza, and now offers deli and grocery items in addition to pizza.

MAC Cosmetics has temporarily relocated their location within Macy's at Lenox Square to undergo renovations. For the new "couple months," the cosmetics counter will be found further in the department store rather than at the front where it's been for many years.

Yoforia's Brookhaven location

Yogurt shop closes more locations

Atlanta-based Yoforia has closed both its Morningside and Brookhaven locations. The Morningside location, on North Highland Avenue near Alon's, was one of the company's original three locations. The first Yoforia shops opened in 2007 in Alpharetta on Windward Parkway, in the Perimeter Mall food court in Dunwoody, and in Morningside. All of the original locations have now closed. The Brookhaven location opened in 2010 and was located on Dresden Drive near Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub. A sign in the cleared out Brookhaven location seems to suggest the location will "reopen Spring 2015" but I'm more than a little skeptical of that.

Yoforia's Morningside location

After learning of the Morningside closure, I perused the Yoforia (mobile) website (now zipscene.com), and noticed that a number of long since closed locations (Kennesaw, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, etc.) were still listed as if they were open and operating. Interestingly, the mobile site reflects a 2015 Yoforia trademark as if it was recently updated despite the outdated material. The full website, with far more updated material, reflects a 2013 trademark.

The full website displays only the current Yoforia locations, now just three in Atlanta. As of now, Yoforia is still open on Howell Mill Road near West Egg Cafe, Monroe Drive near Piedmont Park and on concourse D of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

In addition to the three Yoforias in Atlanta, two locations remain open in North Carolina, far from the seven that once existed in the state. Another three locations are open internationally in Kuwait (2) and India (1).

Private equity firm Capstone Equity Partners purchased Yoforia in 2010 and installed its founder, 30-year-old Luke Tashie, as CEO of the yogurt company. It's unclear who currently owns the business, but Tashie is out and is now an MBA candidate in the "Value Investing Program" at Columbia Business School in New York.

Yoforia has over 4,000 Twitter followers and over 16,000 Facebook fans, but last updated their Twitter page in mid- November and their Facebook page in late December. Despite their significant followings, their random and infrequent social media postings have led to dismal user interaction with each respective platform.

The Yoforia website lists press leases from 2011 on its website under "latest press releases," further leading to the conclusion that the business has been essentially abandoned.

Somehow, Yoforia still managed to be named to Creative Loafing's Best of Atlanta 2014.

With all the yogurt businesses both local and nationwide, Yoforia does have one of the most unique, "brandable" names, so it's sad to witness their demise.

By comparison, Atlanta-based Yogli Mogli still operates (via franchise) 21 metro locations. Yogli Mogli also has two locations in Illinois with single units in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Irvine, California-based Yourtland plans to finally open their new location in TOWN Brookhaven next Wednesday. The new shop will be the chain's third in metro Atlanta with others in Buckhead on West Paces Ferry Road and in Norcross at The Forum.

Frozen Yogurt is no doubt a tough business, whether you are a local upstart or a nationwide powerhouse.

Locally, Cowlick's Yogurt & Floats and Yorekaclosed both of their locations while other upstarts like Froyolo and Swirlin' Twirlin' have significantly reduced their store counts.

National players like Menchie's and Pinkberry have each closed locations while Red Mango and Swirll have left entirely.

The former Pizza Hut on Collier Road now stripped of its signage & branding

Pizza Hut continues to ditch its "huts."

Pizza Hut has closed its freestanding location on Collier Road, one of the oldest in metro Atlanta.

This location had been open for over 40 years, yet it had only ten yelp reviews with a whopping 1.5 stars. By comparison, nearby Antico Pizza has been open since late 2009 and has over 1,750 yelp reviews with a 4.5 star rating. (For what it's worth, Yelp launched in 2004.)

The Collier Road Pizza Hut reportedly discontinued dine-in service over a year ago, and was only offering take-out and delivery.

NPC International is the largest Pizza Hut franchisee in the country with some 1,250 locations in 28 states. While not owned by NPC International, Pizza Hut Collier Road's closure follows NPC moves across the country in closing / consolidating freestanding restaurants in favor of smaller, take out / delivery only locations.

Among the local Pizza Huts that have converted from "huts" to inline locations are restaurants in Decatur, Tucker, Roswell, Buckhead, and Avondale on Memorial Drive, among others.

In Decatur, the former Pizza Hut at 2641 North Decatur Road in an outparcel of Suburban Plaza today operates as Cozy Burger Town. Sadly though, CBT will soon be demolished for a new Starbucks. Pizza Hut relocated to a smaller center at the corner of North Decatur Road and Church Street.

In Tucker, Pizza Hut previously had an outparcel location in Briarcliff Village. After moving to a small space less than a mile away, the old Hut was demolished and rebuilt as a Chipotle Mexican Grill. Pizza Hut relocated to small space about a half mile away on Henderson Mill Road, across from Northlake Mall.

In Roswell, (8514 Holcomb Bridge Road) the former Pizza Hut is today a Verizon Wireless.

In Buckhead, (2608 Piedmont Road) the former Pizza Hut was demolished and rebuilt as a Chase Bank.

In Sandy Springs, (5670 Roswell Road) El Taco Veloz now occupies what is clearly a former Pizza Hut.

At 3530 Memorial Drive near the old Avondale Mall, Pawn Mart occupies a former Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut relocated to a small, inline space across the street in Belvedere Plaza.

Amazingly, a few Pizza Hut restaurants still exist in their original "hut," albeit remodeled, form.

A standalone Pizza Hut continues to operate at Northeast Plaza on Buford Highway, as does another on Peachtree Industrial (Boulevard) in Chamblee.

What has become of your local "hut?" What would you like to see open in the former Pizza Hut on Collier Road? Among fast options like Papa John's, Domino's and Pizza Hut, which is your favorite?

Please share your thoughts below

PDQ's location in Evans

Chicken tender eatery enters Georgia

Tampa-based PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) may come to metro Atlanta... but no time soon. PDQ serves a fairly simple menu consisting largely of chicken tenders, sandwiches and salads. Fries, "hand-spun" milkshakes, and assorted "homemade" cookies are also available. Beverages include fresh-squeezed lemonade and fresh-brewed sweet, unsweet and green tea. Additionally, PDQ prominently displays and offers bottled Cheerwine, the North Carolina-based cherry-flavored soda with a cult- like following.

I visited a PDQ for the first time on a recent trip to south Florida. The restaurant featured an open kitchen, large dine-in area, drive-through, clean look and a friendly staff. I had a four piece meal which came with fries and a drink. With the promise of a freshly-baked cookie, I bought one of their seasonal Chocolate Chunk cookies, too. At just over ten bucks including tax, a bit pricey for a "fast casual" concept, but overall very good. The tenders were clearly freshly made and an assortment of homemade sauces in which to dip or drizzle them was available.

PDQ currently has about 40 locations in seven states. The first Georgia location opened this past September in Evans.

A second PDQ was planned for nearby Augusta, but is reportedly "delayed indefinitely" for unspecified reasons. The Augusta location was to have opened on Washington Road, off I-20 and in front of Washington Crossing shopping center. Washington Crossing underwent a $40 million renovation that included the addition of the area's first Whole Foods Market, DSW, HomeGoods and Half-Moon Outfitters. The parcel PDQ would occupy was home to a Circle K convenience store that closed early last year.

The Evans franchise group, H2 Restaurant Partners LLC, reportedly includes Tim Tebow and Vinny Testaverde, both former NFL quarterbacks. The group has the development rights to north Florida and Georgia. Currently, the group operates three locations in Jacksonville, one in Ocala and the one in Evans.

The franchise group reportedly wants to be in Atlanta, but one could not fault them for taking it slow, and being very selective given the numbers and name recognition of Chick-fil-A in Atlanta. The late S. Truett Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A (known then as "Dwarf Grill") in Hapeville in 1946. Today, the chain has over 200 locations in Georgia and nearly 2,000 locations in 41 states. As I mentioned last year, Chick-fil-A plans to open a new location near Georgia Tech this fall.

Additionally, Athens-based Zaxby's also operates over 200 locations in Georgia (with over 600 overall in 16 states) and has been expanding heavily in recent years, especially in andaround metro Atlanta.

I reached Jeff Kamis, Chief Marketing & PR Officer for PDQ, who informed me there were no firm expansion plans for Georgia, but that additional locations were possible. My guess is that the local franchise group will explore locations in cities like Carrollton, Statesboro, Rome, and Macon, among others, before considering metro Atlanta locations.

Bob Basham, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, opened the first PDQ in October 2011 in Tampa. Originally meant to stand for "Pretty Darn Quick," the PDQ branding was later changed to "People Dedicated to Quality." The Pretty Darn Quick description was meant to emulate California's In-N-Out. PDQ, like In-N-Out, both feature typical "fast food" fare, but each is seen as slightly upscale from its competitors.

Nearly all PDQ locations are freestanding restaurants with the exception of a single concession location within Amalie Arena, home of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's likely that when / if an entry into metro Atlanta takes place, PDQ will look to open "inline" or other non-freestanding locations to reduce costs. Freestanding restaurants, especially "new builds," can cost upwards of $1 million with real estate being a separate, likely higher, expense in larger markets like metro Atlanta.

Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos Pizza once operated over 20 locations in metro Atlanta. Having reportedly spent about $750,000 per unit, the chain was not profitable and exited the market. As I mentioned last year, Donatos is once again independent, having been previously owned by McDonald's, and is reportedly targeting Atlanta for new locations, most, if not all of which, will likely be inline locations.

PDQ's Basham, along with co-founder Nick Reader, former CFO of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, opened a second concept this past October. WTF (WOW! That's Fresh) a concept serving burgers, pizzas and salads, opened in Brandon, Florida. There are no immediate plans to expand the concept either in Florida or elsewhere, but surely that will be considered if WTF proves as popular as PDQ.

College Station, Texas-based Grub Burger Bar, another concept with ties to Outback Steakhouse, entered the Atlanta market last year.

Jimmy Loup, Grub's co-founder, as well as Curt Steinlage, "market partner" for Grub Burger Bar in Atlanta, are former "joint venture partners" with Outback Steakhouse. Loup was with the casual chain restaurant for nearly seven years, while Steinlage was with Outback for nearly 13 years. Loup's business mentor and partner in Grub, Tom Kenney, was also a joint venture partner with Outback for 13 years.

The first Atlanta area Grub is located on Cobb Parkway in Akers Mill. A second location is slated to open February 3rd in Brighten Park in place of Lettuce Souprise You.

Have you been to PDQ? If so, what were your thoughts? Where would you like to see PDQ open next in Georgia?

Please share your thoughts below.

Bits & Bites

Chick-fil-A Thinks Metro Atlanta Wants to Eat Mor Chickin

C’mon, Let's Play... But Not in Tucker

Ay Caramba! Popular Restaurant Says Hasta La Vista... For Good

Two Bars Come and Go, But Mr. C's Remains

Bits & Bites

Belly Up in Virginia Highland

Great American Cookie Crumbles at Lenox Square

Retail Rewind

North Point News

A Loss at Lenox: Great American Cookies Explains Their Closure

No Longer a Mystery - C. Wonder Shutting Down Completely

Bits & Bites

STATS Says Game On! Reopening Today

Attention Atlanta! Waffle House Plans to Have You "Covered" on Northside Drive

National Spotlight Leads to A Restaurant Change at Buckhead Atlanta

Bits & Bites

Frozen Yogurt Meltdown?

Pizza Hut Takes A Hike From The Westside

PDQ May Come to Atlanta... But NTS