Tomorrow's News Today

Brookhaven Plaza has finally found new tenants

The nearly 45,000 square foot anchor space, once home to beloved Harris Teeter, is slated to become a Stein Mart and a Total Wine & More.

A look inside the former Harris Teeter earlier this week

The Harris Teeter opened in 1993, and was one of the more successful and popular locations for the Charlotte-based grocer, but it closed in 2001 amidst stiff competition and the chain's exit from the Atlanta market. Kroger, which purchased the lease, for a time operated it as a Kroger (approximately 2001-2003.) Even with Cherokee Plaza (former A&P turned Kroger) across the street, Kroger still controls and has been paying the lease (due to expire 08/2018) and had thus prevented another grocery store from opening. Wilson and Sons Antiques opened in the space over six years ago but closed soon after. Since then, the space has been vacant.

Total Wine & More has been working to get a store in Brookhaven / Buckhead for many years. At one point, the retailer was reportedly in talks to take over the former The Container Store at Piedmont and Peachtree Roads, but Haverty's eventually opened instead. Total Wine operates three locations in metro Atlanta in Alpharetta, Dunwoody and Kennesaw.

Georgia Law stipulates that no single business can operate more than two retail businesses that sell hard liquor. This is why only two local Costco stores sell hard liquor (Dunwoody & Alpharetta.) This being the case, the Brookhaven location of Total Wine is likely only to offer beer & wine but not hard liquor. Red's 2 Spirit & Wine in nearby Cherokee Plaza should be able to coexist with Total Wine as it does offer hard liquor.

Total Wine Brookhaven will likely be about 15-20,000 square feet and should open late this fall.

Stein Mart's planned opening would mark the chain's re-entry inside the perimeter (ITP.) While the chain operates a number of suburban locations in Alpharetta, Buford, Marietta and Dunwoody, among others, the chain vacated intown markets years ago. Two intown stores I recall were locations on Roswell Road in Buckhead (now Goodwill) and at North DeKalb Mall (now "Great Price Furniture.")

Stein Mart Brookhaven will likely be 24-29,000 square feet and should also open late this fall.

Brookhaven Plaza is also home to popular neighborhood eatery, Terra Terroir, as well as a Rite Aid and, of course, the obligatory Mattress Firm.

FroYo shop second to fail at same shopping center

Birmingham-based Yogurt Mountain has closed its franchised location at The Prado in Sandy Springs. The froyo shop opened at the tail end of the yogurt boom in Atlanta in 2012, and occupied quite possibly one of the worst locations in one of the most logistically challenging centers in metro Atlanta.

The parcel where Yogurt Mountain opened (after the center was redeveloped) sits essentially beside the now shuttered Staples, with limited parking and virtually zero visibility.

The Sandy Springs Yogurt Mountain had been offered for sale on a local real estate site with the asking price reportedly virtually "free." While I frequent the area and had monitored the location, a source indicates the location quietly closed "about two weeks ago."

Bruegger's Bagels signed a lease to open next to Yogurt Mountain, but wisely never built out their space and ended up leaving the market entirely.

Yoreka, another FroYo shop, previously closed in the lower level of The Prado near Genki. Today, the former Yoreka operates as a Subway.

A single Atlanta-area Yogurt Mountain remains in business at Johns Creek Village at Medlock Bridge & McGinnis Ferry Roads in Johns Creek.

Books-A-Million purchased Yogurt Mountain in 2011 and began to incorporate the brand into their bookstores. (The Books-A-Million at Sugarloaf Mills in Duluth is without a Yogurt Mountain.)

Yogurt Mountain is not alone in struggling to survive in the challenging froyo market.

Locally, Yoreka not only closed at the Prado, but closed in Little 5 Points as well. Cowlick's Yogurt & Floats also closed both of their locations, while other upstarts like Froyolo, Yoforia 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.

Both RaceTrac and Kroger have added frozen yogurt to their new and high volume locations, adding even more options to an already crowded field. One chain that has expanded recently is Irvine, California-based Yogurtland which just last week celebrated the grand opening of their new store at TOWN Brookhaven. (Swirll previously closed their location in a different space within the Brookhaven development.)

What are your thoughts on the current state of FroYo in Atlanta? What is your favorite place to feed you FroYo craving? What would you like to see open in place of Yogurt Mountain or Staples at The Prado?

Please share your thoughts below.

New Pollo Tropical locations in metro Atlanta should look similar to this location in Addison, Texas

Miami, Florida-based Pollo Tropical is planning three new locations with two others opening soon.

A new Pollo Tropical is planned for Woodstock. The new restaurant will be built at 188 Molly Lane in place of what is now an empty parking lot. The parcel sits near the corner of Molly Lane and Highway 92, adjacent to Steak 'n Shake and in front of Hacienda Vieja Mexican Restaurant. The Woodstock Pollo Tropical is slated to open "in the fall."

Approximate location of the upcoming Pollo Tropical in Woodstock

Another new Pollo Tropical is planned for an outparcel of Sam's Club in Buford on Buford Drive. The restaurant would be built between an existing Krispy Kreme and Champions Car Wash & Lube. At 3385 Buford Drive, the restaurant is located near the corner of Buford Drive and Gravel Springs Road. Buford's Pollo Tropical is scheduled to open "winter 2015."

Approximate location of the upcoming Pollo Tropical in Buford

In addition to the recently revealed locations, a Pollo Tropical previously proposed in East Cobb has been approved and should also open in the fall. Pollo Tropical East Cobb will replace a former Shell gas station in an out-parcel of the Kroger-anchored Parkaire Shopping Center on Johnson Ferry Road.

Pollo Troical plans to replace the former Shell shown above

Each of the new locations will be a little more than 3,600 square feet. Additionally, unlike the existing Pollo Tropical restaurants in Georgia, the two new locations will sport the chain's new look. Referred to as the "Caribbean Style" prototype, the new locations feature "wood framed walls and wood trusses" along with a more coastal exterior.

The Caribbean-style chicken chain has been performing especially well in its return to metro Atlanta. The chain has already opened a number of new locations. Current Atlanta area Pollo Tropical restaurants include locations in Alpharetta, Marietta, Cumming, Lawrenceville and Kennesaw.

In Snellville, a previously approved location at the corner of Dogwood Road and Scenic Highway, has been "abandoned" in favor of an unspecified "alternate location," also in Snellville.

Two other Pollo Tropical restaurants are opening soon in Johns Creek and Austell. The Johns Creek location is located not far from Whole Foods Market on State Bridge Road and will celebrate its grand opening February 27th. The Austell location is located in an outparcel of Brookwood Square Shopping Center near the intersection of East-West Connector and Brookwood Drive. The Austell location is slated to open in late March.

The Johns Creek, Austell, Buford and Woodstock locations are all likely to sport the chain's "Caribbean Style."

In the mid 90s, during its previous stint in Atlanta, Pollo Tropical had a number of locations in metro Atlanta. One was in the Toco Hills area, at intersection of LaVista and North Druid Hills Roads. Einstein Bros. Bagels occupies the space today. Another of their locations was at 2271 Peachtree Road in South Buckhead. The restaurant closed and became MacArthur's Chop & Crab House, which in turn failed and after sitting vacant for years, was razed for the construction of Mezzo, home to Varasano's Pizzeria. The chain left Atlanta in 1996.

Whereas their 90s development was by franchise, their re-entry is under corporate ownership.

A north Buckhead location was proposed in 2010, but amidst backlash from the neighborhood, the chain abandoned its plans. Today, the parcel is home to a AAA Auto Care Center.

Pollo Tropical, along with Taco Cabana, are owned by Addison, Texas-based Fiesta Restaurant Group.

Cookie company coming back to Buckhead

Atlanta-based Great American Cookies is returning to Lenox Square after just a few months on the sidelines. When I broke news in late December that the longstanding cookie vendor had left Lenox Square, the response was overwhelming. Customers, owners, competitors, Atlantans: everyone had a thought about or memory of the popular store. One comment came from Chris Dull, President and CEO of Global Franchise Group, the franchisor of Great American Cookies.

"Great American Cookies and Global Franchise Group have a wonderful partnership with Simon Properties and Lenox Square Mall. I’m happy to announce that our relationship is continuing as we are busy finalizing the details for a new Great American Cookies at Lenox Square Mall. The previous franchisees, who currently operate eight locations in four malls throughout the South East and are also opening a new store in ~~Polar~~ Pooler, are valued members of the Great American Cookies family. We look forward to continuing to provide Lenox Square Mall shoppers with our delicious and fresh cookies and Cookie Cakes. We hope to open the new location this spring and will keep the public informed of our plans. A special thank you to our loyal Great American Cookies fans for their love and support of our brand.” – Chris Dull.

I spoke to Dull by phone earlier today and confirmed the chain's return to Lenox Square. The new Great American Cookies will open in Kiosk "107A" on the mall's second floor. Located at the top of the escalator near Godiva and Brooks Brothers, the new location will be slightly larger than its predecessor. With limitations on space, the new shop will bake their cookies in the same dedicated kitchen within the mall that they used previously. The new Lenox Square Great American Cookies will sport a new, more updated look, similar to the appearance of the GAC at North Point Mall in Alpharetta.

According to Dull, Simon Property Group was not obliged to offer a lease renewal in the former space, and the previous franchiees were unable to come to terms on a relocation to the second floor.

I contacted Valerie and Stewart Applebaum, former operators of GAC at Lenox Square, who issued the following statement:

"We were offered another location above the escalators and accepted it. Unfortunately, we could not come to terms on a new lease and so we had to leave the mall."

Not wanting to completely vacate the mall, GAC made the Lenox Square location available to existing qualified franchisees in the GAC network. According to Dull, the Lenox Square location will be operated by a franchise group that already operates GAC locations at Cumberland Mall and Town Center at Cobb.

Dull lamented that unfortunately the store is not scheduled to open until April 1st, effectively missing the robust Valentine's Day holiday business.

Burger joint coming to Emory Village

Roswell's Lucky's Burger & Brew is opening a new location in Emory Village. Lucky's plans to open later this summer in the former Starbucks Coffee on North Decatur Road. Lucky's ownership will soon begin renovations on the roughly 2,000 square foot space with plans to be open late this summer.

Starbucks closure is believed to have resulted from their Barnes & Noble location on Emory's campus being so close as well as the chain's plans to open a new location, with a drive thru, at nearby Suburban Plaza.

The original Lucky's opened in 2010 in Roswell on Alpharetta Street. Owners Ernie & Diane Geyer named the restaurant after their golden retriever, "Lucky." A second Lucky's opened last year in the former Slack's near LA Fitness at TOWN Brookhaven.

Lucky's serves a menu of assorted burgers, salads, wings and other non-beef sandwiches.

Amazingly, even with seemingly endless burger joints in town, Emory Village has been without a burger-centric restaurant since the closure of Wonderful World Burger Burger & Fry in 2012.

In addition to Lucky's, a number of new restaurants are relatively new to Emory Village including Doc Chey's Dragon Bowl (fka Doc Chey's Noodle House), Slice & Pint, Ink & Elm and most recently, Ali's Cookies.

When completed, the Hollister at Lenox Square may look like this renovated store in south Florida

Hollister is spending nearly $140,000 to update their exterior at Lenox Square.

A new Dollar Tree is planned for a vacant Rite Aid in Stone Mountain. The former Eckerd / Rite Aid which had more recently been a RE/MAX "Premier" office, is located on Memorial Drive near Rays Road. The nearly 11,000 square foot building will be renovated and should reopen by summer.

Figo Pasta has closed its location on North Point Parkway near North Point Mall in Alpharetta. Mama's Pizza will reportedly take over the space. Sources indicate this may only be the beginning of Figo closures.

Mirko Pasta has closed at Medlock Crossing in Duluth. The fast casual pasta eatery was located in the Regal Cinemas-anchored center at the corner of Medlock Bridge and State Bridge Roads.

Robert Graham plans to open a new store at Phipps Plaza in July. The roughly 1,200 square foot space will occupy the current Jimmy Choo boutique near Tiffany & Company on the main level. Jimmy Choo plans to close in late April and reopen in early May in Buckhead Atlanta. Robert Graham is already available at department stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's but this will be the brand's first stand-alone store in Atlanta.

NOCA (NOrth CAnton) on Canton Street in Roswell was sold with plans to keep the business the same.

Tin Lizzy's Cantina plans to open their newest location next month in Augusta. The new Tin Lizzy's will be located at 2821 Washington Road. The new Tin Lizzy's was previously home to Roadrunner Cafe and before that, another restaurant called Flyin' Cowboy. A previously announced location in East Cobb has been scrapped and will no longer open in Woodlawn Square on Johnson Ferry Road. A new location on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth recently opened.

D. Geller & Son is growing again with plans to open a new location in Sandy Springs. The Atlanta-based jeweler plans to open in the former Tailfeathers restaurant space at Hammond Springs Shopping Center, near the corner of Roswell Road and Hammond Drive. D. Geller currently operates locations in Smyrna and Kennesaw. A Duluth location on Pleasant Hill Road near Gwinnett Place Mall closed a couple of years ago.

Hi-Five Diner is now open in midtown. Hi-Five replaced Villains, the sandwich shop and has the same owner, Alex Brounstein of Grindhouse Killer Burgers. Hi-Five is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Radio Shack recently announced it will close 1,784 stores, about half of their overall network. The electronics and gadgets retailer, which dates from 1921, filed for bankruptcy last week following years of struggle and financial troubles. Among the local closures are stores at Buckhead Crossing, near the Mall of Georgia, and in Northlake, Perimeter, and Arbor Place Malls. A longtime location in Toco Hill near Emory University will be staying open.

Coach is renovating their existing Lenox Square location. Described as "Minor tenant improvement of existing retail space work to include Architectural and Electrical," the work will cost a reported $154,000.

New Indian restaurant coming to Toco Hills

Ricky Walia, managing director of Cafe Bombay Indian Bistro, has leased the former Osteria Cibo Rustico in Toco Hills Promenade.

Osteria Cibo Rustico opened in place of Mirko Pasta at Toco Hills Promenade in November, 2013. The restaurant closed this past October after less than a year in business. The space was reportedly considered by a number of restaurants, but Walia was able to make the deal happen.

(Sources say that both Bhojanic and NaanStop, two other local Indian restaurants, have previously looked at space in Toco Hills Promenade.)

Walia plans to open "Masti - Fun Indian Street Eats" in early March. Masti will be similar to Decatur's Chai Pani and offer a variety of Indian street food in a modern, colorful, yet approachable environment. Masti translates to "fun" in Hindi.

Cafe Bombay, located on Briarcliff Road near Target, has been a popular Indian eatery since its inception in 2004. According to a recently installed billboard on I-85, Cafe Bombay is "Rated #1 Indian Restaurant in Atlanta."

Prior to opening Cafe Bombay in 2004, Walia and his parents operated another Indian eatery in Tucker. All told, the Walia's have been in the Indian restaurant business for over 25 years. In addition to Cafe Bombay, the Walia's operate "CB Catering," one of the most popular Indian caterers in the country. The restaurant and catering business are included in "Walia Hospitality Group."

At roughly 2,500 square feet, Masti will be slightly smaller than Cafe Bombay.

Are you excited about the opening of Masti? Where is your favorite place for Indian food? What dish must Masti serve?

Please share your thoughts below.

A new LongHorn Steakhouse coming soon?

The fire-damaged LongHorn Steakhouse on North Druid Hills Road was finally demolished earlier this week. LongHorn Steakhouse, part of Orlando, Florida-based Darden Restaurants, burned last June, and up until this week had sat fenced in, caved in, and abandoned.

The LongHorn building, which locals say dates to the 70s, was originally a Sambo's, and later a Skeeter's Mesquite Grille, a predecessor to LongHorn.

It remains unclear why over eight months have passed since the fire, and only now is the site being cleared.

Heidi Schauer, Media Representative for LongHorn Steakhouse, provided the following yesterday:

"Our landlord for the Toco Hills restaurant began the demolition of the building this week. We expect the demolition process to take two weeks."

"The landlord is in the planning phase of rebuilding the restaurant. That’s all the information I have at this time."

With other "nearby" LongHorn locations in Tucker on Hugh Howell Road and on Piedmont Road near the Lindbergh MARTA station, many locals are eager to have THEIR LongHorn open once again.

A new ALDI store is coming to Columbus, Georgia. The new, roughly 18,000 square foot Aldi store will be built in place of the former Bill Heard Chevrolet dealership. In addition to the Aldi, three other adjoining storefronts are planned for the property totaling another 28,000 square feet.

A new business called "Express Food & Pharmacy" plans to open soon at the corner of Briarwood Road and Buford Highway in Brookhaven. An existing building was heavily renovated for the new business. The structure had previously served as a Sonic restaurant but was most recently Tijuana's, a 24-hour "taco-mex" restaurant.

Buckhead's new bartaco restaurant plans to open by the third week in March. The former home of Dunkin' Donuts at Powers Ferry was completely demolished and rebuilt for use as the popular taco joint. Atlanta's first bartaco is on Howell Mill Road on the Westside. A third bartaco is planning to open by the end of the year at Inman Quarter, a new apartment complex near the corner of Elizabeth Street and North Highland Avenue.

Diner will supposedly open at Atlantic Station within the next two weeks, but don't hold your breath.

A new High Country Outfitters is coming soon to Ansley Mall in midtown. At only 2,003 square feet, the midtown store will be the the smallest of the chain's three locations in Atlanta. Existing locations are on Roswell Road in north Buckhead (the flagship) and on Roswell Road at The Avenue East Cobb. The midtown store was most recently home to Radio Shack, who if you did not hear, will be closing over 1700 locations in the coming weeks. Plans call for the new Ansley Mall location to open "in the Spring."

Intermix plans to open its new store at Buckhead Atlanta February 27th. The brand's current store at Phipps Plaza will reportedly stay open for an undetermined amount of time.

Tony Conway of A Legendary Event plans to repurpose the former Paul Light Buckhead Jeep Eagle Chrysler Plymouth dealership into a special events venue. Dubbed "Flourish," the venue could open as soon as this fall if all goes well. Tentative plans call for primary access to the facility to be from Maple Drive via a tree lined entryway. The existing building would be heavily renovated to create a space ideal for events and parties. Flourish would join The Estate (in the former Anthony's) as unique special event options in Buckhead owned and operated by A Legendary Event.

Topshop plans to open its new 15,000 square foot store at Lenox Square March 12th.

Wild Wing Cafe is slated to open February 20th in Dunwoody. The new restaurant opens in place of a shuttered Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ashford Place on Ashford-Dunwoody Road.

The Southern Club fka Peachtree Tavern has again been renamed. Less than a year after its most recent conversion, the club / bar has changed names once again, now known as Red Martini.

Mexican restaurant switcheroo on the westside.

La Urbana Tequila & Mezcal Bar has closed. A Facebook post claims the restaurant will reopen in March as Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. Restaurateur Jesus Oñate Jr. opened La Urbana last February on Huff Road near Bone Lick BBQ and Corner Tavern at Apex West Midtown. (La Urbana was originally slated to open August 2013, but was reportedly "plagued by delays.")

Oñate's "O Restaurant Group" also includes Zapata Tacos & Tequila Bar in Norcross, as well as Monterrey Mexican Restaurant, of which his father is a co-founder. The elder Oñate opened the first Monterrey Mexican Restaurant in Doraville on Buford Highway in 1973. Since that time, the restaurant expanded to include nearly eighty locations throughout Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota, and Virginia.

Today, Monterrey operates about fifty locations in fewer markets than they once did. Locations remain open locally on Buford Highway in Doraville and LaVista Road in Tucker, among others.

Chicken chain headed to new intown project

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A plans to open a new location in the upcoming Fuqua project at Glenwood Avenue and Bill Kennedy Way in Glenwood Park. Glenwood Place will be anchored by a 114,000 square foot Kroger grocery store, and will include some 25,000 square feet of additional restaurant and retail space. The project will also reportedly include 230 "luxury multi-family units."

The new Chick-fil-A would open in a freestanding outparcel within the complex and would also have an all important drive-thru.

I originally heard talk of the planned location in the Glenwood project late last year, but only recently has someone close to the project confirmed it.

While a Chick-fil-A opening in East Atlanta is a big deal, I doubt it will get the same kind of excitement that Cook-Out got for its new location on Moreland Avenue or that Zaxby's got for their newish location on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

According to a permit filed with the city of Atlanta last week, the Chick-fil-A building is expected to cost $1.1 million to construct.

As I've previously announced, Chick-fil-A is also opening new locations in Dunwoody by Perimeter Mall and in west midtown on Northside Drive.

Current plans call for the Dunwoody and Northside Drive locations to open late this fall, while the Glenwood Chick-fil-A is slated for an early 2016 opening.

Brookleigh Market nearly fully leased

Coro Realty Advisors' upcoming "Brookleigh Market" has landed a number of new tenants. The new mixed-use project is currently under construction on Johnson Ferry Road in Brookhaven. In addition to previously announced tenants Pure Taqueria and Primrose School, a number of new leases have recently been executed.

The newly signed tenants will share the new building circled in red. The lower center portion of the image is the upcoming Pure Taqueria, while the multi-level structure behind it is the completed Primrose school. The upper left corner shows an undeveloped parcel that Coro has not yet confirmed its plans for.

Glaze Doughnuts will occupy a 1,724 square foot space within the project and will sell fresh doughnuts as well as gourmet coffee and assorted other pastries and beverages. Sources say that the concept's owner has an extensive background at other businesses but that this is her first solo endeavor. It's likely that Glaze will try to do for Brookhaven what Revolution and Sublime have done for Decatur and Home Park respectively.

Burn Cycle Studio will occupy a 4,534 square foot space and will provide Brookhaven residents with their very own local version of Flywheel. New York-based Flywheel has area locations in Alpharetta, Buckhead and midtown, while local upstarts like Torq Cycle have opened on the westside.

Brookhaven Family Dentistry will relocate from nearby Kroger-anchored Cambridge Square. Currently in a 900 square foot space, the new location will be 1,542 square feet.

Luxury Nails & Spa will occupy 3,404 square feet and is the latest location for local owners of a handful of salons in metro Atlanta.

The owners of Cafe at Pharr plan to open a new concept dubbed "Brookhaven Provisions."The business is described as a blend of Cafe at Pharr and Star Provisions. Brookhaven Provisions will occupy a 3,476 square foot space and may very well bring an end to the failure that was Baci and later Cafe at Pharr at nearby TOWN Brookhaven.

A new salon called Balance Hair Salon will occupy 1,895 square feet.

According to Robert Fransen, partner and chief investment officer at Coro, the plan is to "deliver the spaces to tenants by mid April." With varying degrees complexity and permitting regarding the interior buildouts, some tenants may open as soon as mid July while others may take longer.

Rock's Chicken & Fries plans to open Friday on the top floor of Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. The quick serve eatery will feature assorted chicken salads and sandwiches as well as fresh cut fries and a few custard options. Rock's is being opened by Steve Snyder Jr., current franchisee of adjacent Phipps Plaza eateries Moe's Southwest Grill and Johnny Rockets. Rock's gets its name from Steve Snyder, Sr., whose nickname was "Rock."

Memphis-based Gus's Fried Chicken plans to open a new location at Peachtree Center downtown later this year.

Goodwill of North Georgia plans to open its 52nd store March 19th. The new Goodwill will open near the intersection of Lower Roswell and Davidson Roads in Marietta, behind Parkaire shopping center.

A little less than three years after opening, Beer Growler Nation in Oak Grove has announced its closing. The family owned business celebrated with a "farewell bash" this past weekend, but will continue to operate until existing inventory is sold. Beer Growler Nation's closing comes just a few short months after a similar operation, Draft Filling Station on Briarcliff Road near LaVista, also closed.

A new next generation RaceTrac is coming soon to Newnan on Amlajack Boulevard.

lululemon athletica looks to be the latest retail addition to Ponce City Market. The Canada-based athletic wear retailer filed plans with the city of Atlanta on Monday to spend nearly $350,000 to build out their space at the mixed-use project. Currently, lululemon operates Atlanta area locations on the Westside at Westside Provisions District, in Buckhead at The Shops Around Lenox, in Dunwoody in Perimeter Mall, and in Alpharetta at Avalon. Lululemon is returning home in a way, as their first presence in Atlanta was a small, now closed showroom not far from PCM in Morningside.

A new Taco Bell is being built on Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Parkway Plaza. The center is already home to freestanding Wendy's and Arby's restaurants as well as a Goodwill thrift store. The 2,400 square foot Taco Bell is being built in place of parking and will likely sport the chain's new look. About two and half miles away, at the intersection of Peachtree Industrial and Jimmy Carter Boulevards, a former Taco Bell sits vacant and ripe for redevelopment.

The Cook's Warehouse is closing their store on Peachtree Road in Brookhaven when their lease expires on March 31st. Sherlock's, purveyors of fine wines, spirits and beers, shares the space with Cook's Warehouse, and is reportedly working with the landlord on staying in at least a portion of their current space. Until their closure, Cook's Warehouse will reportedly be functioning as a clearance center of sorts having been sent sale / clearance merchandise from other stores to liquidate. According to a sales associate at the store, there will be no "closing sale" but there may be isolated savings on certain everyday merchandise. Parking issues were attributed as the main contributing factor in closing the store. Mary Moore, founder of The Cook's Warehouse, is reportedly already seeking a new location for her business in Brookhaven, but has thus far been unsuccessful in locating a space that meets her needs.

A proposed21 unit townhome development from PulteGroup in the 2600 block of LaVista Road near Oak Grove Road has been abandoned. After facing significant opposition from the neighborhood, the proposal was officially withdrawn earlier this week.

CH Carolina Herrera just opened in December at Lenox Square, but is seemingly already renovating. According to a building permit filed with the City of Atlanta, $50,000 will be spent to redo the store's exterior. "Demolition of portion of exterior wall to accommodate new exterior facade, new stone facade, window display and awning, raised parapet and new exterior lighting." This new signage would seem to be in an effort to provide the store more visibility from shoppers not yet in the mall. Neighboring Tesla has quite the display and perhaps CH felt overlooked.

Frank Ski

South Buckhead restaurant on the market

Frank Ski's Restaurant & Lounge is currently listed for sale on The Shumacher Group's website. The freestanding 8,000 square foot restaurant is being offered at the "blow out price" of $395K. The restaurant reportedly features "below market rent" and is "turnkey."

The reason cited for the sale is so that the owner can "focus on out of state business."

Frank Ski's space was for many years a location of Atlanta-based Mick's, before closing in 2007. After sitting vacant for about a year, VITA, an Italian restaurant, opened. VITA did not last long, converting to "The Thirsty Dog Tavern" less than two years later. Frank Ski's opened in late 2011.

According to the sales flyer, over $1,000,000 was spent renovating the space.

While the restaurant is located on Peachtree Road in south Buckhead (an area known as Brookwood Hills) the sales listing describes the location as follows:

"This is a sale of a well known, well established full service restaurant in the heart of Buckhead. This super hot Buckhead location is surrounded by Midtown, Downtown and the Perimeter marketplace affording an amazing middle to hi income, hi density residences, tons of retail, restaurants, office hi rises, hotels, convention centers, stadiums, concert halls, etc and two regional malls Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza."

Frank Ski was a popular DJ on Atlanta hip hop station V103 for over fourteen years before leaving in 2012. Currently, The Frank Ski Show can be heard in Washington, DC on WHUR, a station formatted as "Adult Urban Contemporary," and owned by Howard University.

Longtime Asian restaurant shutters in Sandy Springs.

The Real Mandarin House, a casual restaurant serving traditional Chinese & Vietnamese cuisine in Sandy Springs, has closed. The restaurant was located to the right of Trader Joe's in Sandy Springs Plaza on Roswell Road. The restaurant reportedly closed without warning over a month ago. The 4,500 square foot space is currently listed as available by property owner Regency Centers.

The Real Mandarin House had been a popular Sandy Springs restaurant since 1986. More recently, the eatery seemed to have nosedived in quality and popularity with some pretty terrible Yelp reviews.

This past May, Kobe Steaks, also a Sandy Springs institution, closed at The Prado after nearly 40 years in business. Recently, Fujiyama, a restaurant similar to Kobe Steaks, opened in their space.

FroYo and Cupcake business goes belly up

Gainesville, Georgia-based Sweet Monkey Frozen Yogurt & Cupcakes has seemingly ceased all operations. The franchise concept started in Gainesville in 2011. While the Gainesville location on Dawsonville Highway is no longer listed on the company's website, three other locations in Buford, Cumming, and Atlanta at Emory Pointe are. Despite their presence on the website, all locations have closed. Strangely, in the case of the store at Emory Pointe, there is no signage alerting patrons to the closure and the store looks like it could reopen at any time. While there is signage up at the location in Cumming, it's been up for months and hints at temporary closure where they "hope to reopen again before Christmas."

According to the Sweet Monkey website, the chain had distribution (through unknown channels) nationwide.

"Keeping with our mission to create unique, one of a kind experiences for our customers, we created the world's first Cupcake Push Up (and of course received a patent for it!) You can now find our cupcakes all over the country, from locations like the MGM and Wynn Casinos in Las Vegas, Nickelodeon Universe in Minnesota, Gatorland in Florida, and around 100 other stores and locations around the country and still counting!"

The website goes on to say...

"Sweet Monkey has grown into one of the most recognized neighborhood brands and a favorite with those that have visited us or tried our products! Since 2011, we have opened several more Sweet Monkey stores around metro Atlanta, and with help from our Franchising partners, we are actively expanding into other cities around the country. Look for a Sweet Monkey near you!"

According to a franchise offering on a third party website, "Sweet Monkey Frozen Yogurt & Cupcakes is currently the leading self-serve frozen yogurt chain in the Southeast."

Sweet Monkey was one of a handful of Atlanta area concepts to marry two popular dessert items: cupcakes and frozen yogurt. Cloud 9, based in Roswell also married the two. Cloud 9 expanded from their flagship Roswell location to smaller food court operations in both Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall. Today, all have closed.

Sweet Monkey also attempted to extend their business with the addition of "Mobile Monkey," essentially a food truck version of their business. The reportedly patented unit was designed to be made available to patrons at high traffic events like fairs, sporting events and other outings. Attending the IAAPA Show in Orlando in 2012, I witnessed the "Mobile Monkey" at work, but questioned the viability of the unit. I was unable to confirm the whereabouts of the Mobile Monkey.

Breakfast eatery plans Atlanta area expansion

Destin, Florida-based Another Broken Egg Cafe plans to open at least six additional Atlanta locations over the next two years. Another Broken Egg Cafe entered the Atlanta market in 2011 with a single location in Peachtree Battle shopping center. Since then, additional metro area locations have opened in Vinings, Dunwody, Alpharetta and Johns Creek.

According to the chain's corporate website, new locations are planned for Decatur, Peachtree Corners, East Cobb, Mall of Georgia(Buford), Kennesaw and Roswell.

I contacted Bryan Fitzsimmons, Atlanta Territory Manager for Another Broken Egg Cafe's Atlanta franchise Double R Restaurant Group, who indicated that "no leases have been signed as of yet."

Fuqua Development is working on over a half dozen projects around the city, including sites in Decatur, Peachtree Corners and Kennesaw, so perhaps ABEC is looking at those.

Another Broken Egg Cafe is not alone in expanding their operations in Atlanta.

Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Egg Harbor Cafe also entered the Atlanta market in 2011 with a location in Johns Creek. Since then, a pair of additional locations have opened in Sandy Springs and most recently in south Buckhead.

By comparison, Atlanta-based Flying Biscuit Cafe operates a total of nine locations in metro Atlanta with a tenth coming soon to Johns Creek.

Also Atlanta-based, J. Christopher's operates twenty locations in Georgia, including restaurants in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Midtown and Athens.

University Park, Florida-based First Watch entered the Atlanta market in 2012 by acquiring two J. Christopher's locations. Since then, the chain has added four additional area locations.

Among the above breakfast options, where is your favorite? Do you prefer one of Atlanta's many local joints, if so which one? Which part of town or neighborhood is in need of a breakfast joint?

Please share your thoughts below.

Warrendale, Pennsylvania-based rue21 plans to open a new approximately 7,000 square foot store on the first floor of North Point Mall in Alpharetta. The store will be located in the Sears wing and will take the place of two storefronts. Currently, plans call for the store to open early this summer. In addition to the North Point store, rue21 also plans to open a new store at The Shoppes at River Crossing in Macon. Both centers are owned and managed by General Growth Properties. (GGP)

Last August, I announced that a new Hudson Grille would be opening in Kennesaw. Now, over six months later, the restaurant is reportedly hoping to open April 1st. Hudson Grille Kennesaw will be 10,500 square feet and will occupy the former Bailey's Pub & Grille in an outparcel of Barrett Pavilion on Cobb Place Lane.

A new business called "Bubble Cafe & Bakery" appears to be close to opening on Northside Drive at tenside near Georgia Tech. As its name suggests, Bubble is slated to serve bubble tea, coffee and assorted baked goods.

Also at tenside, Three Dollar Cafe plans to open what will be its ninth Georgia location. The 2,700 square foot restaurant has reportedly been slowed by permitting / construction issues but plans to open within the next 30-60 days.

A new Dunkin' Donuts has opened just off exit 14 of I-575 on Marietta Highway in Canton. The new roughly 2,000 square foot Dunkin' occupies an endcap of the newly constructed Canton Ridge shopping center, and includes a drive-thru.

Einstein Bros Bagels has closed its location on Powers Ferry Road near Wildwood office park. The bagel shop, along with neighboring former Caribou Coffee, are both now vacant but the space could be more appealing now that the two spaces could likely be combined into one.

Georgetown Cupcake plans to open its new Buckhead Atlanta location March 7th. The 2,700 square foot cupcake shop is located adjacent to Qing Mu and Doraku Sushi on East Paces Ferry Road.

A Lockhart Popcorn kiosk is coming back to Lenox Square.

A new Applebees is coming to Macon. The new restaurant will be built on Zebulon Road just off I-475 in an outparcel of the Kohl's-anchored Plantation Village shopping center.

According to Eater Atlanta, Abbatoir will close March 28th after a seven year run. In its place, Ford Fry plans to open a new, as yet unnamed, restaurant. This will mark Fry's third restaurant on the westside and eighth overall in metro Atlanta. Most recently, Fry opened Superica, a "Mex-Tex" restaurant, at Krog Street Market. My sources indicate that Fry plans to better utilize the existing patio / fireplace at Abbatoir and that the restaurant may be "Mediterranean influenced." The concept is reportedly still being developed as Fry assembles his culinary team that will run the restaurant. Early word is that foodies will flock to the new concept (regardless of concept, service, or wait) and all press, food bloggers and journalists will call it the greatest thing since sliced bread...er well, since the last Fry concept opened.

Two former car dealerships have been demolished on Church Street in Decatur to make way for hundreds of new apartments. The parcel is sandwiched between Patel Plaza and Nalley Nissan and across the street from the new Tesla dealership. "The Reserve Church Street" will be comprised of two U-shaped buildings consisting of 330 apartments. Atlanta-based Atlantic Realty Partners is developing the property as well as a similarly named project "The Reserve at The Ballpark." The Reserve at The Ballpark will be comprised of 605 units and will be located at the new Braves stadium complex in Cobb county. Atlantic Realty is also nearing completion of their "Cyan on Peachtree" apartment building. Cyan is a 23-story tower in Buckhead consisting of 330 units...built on land that was previously the home of Dante's Down the Hatch for over 40 years.

Villagio Italian Kitchen getting a new lease on life

C&M Gastronomy Group, owner of midtown's Publik Draft House and Baraonda, has assumed ownership of Villagio Italian Kitchen in Decatur. The restaurant, located on Clairmont Road, opened as Villagio in 2013. Before Villagio, the space operated for a number of years as Capozzi's.

While I was hoping this might mark the rebirth of C&M's "Fig Jam Kitchen & Bar," my hopes were partially dashed. According to a source at C&M, plans call for the restaurant to be rebranded as "Villagio Gastro Italian." The same source indicated that the menu will feature "a number of items from the Fig Jam menu." Fig Jam opened in early 2012 in the former Wolfgang Puck Express at Brookwood Place in south Buckhead. A little over a year later, the restaurant closed, promising to reopen in the fall (2013) at 77 12th in midtown. For reasons never made public, those plans failed to materialize and the reopening never happened.

I only visited Villagio once, and that was one time too many. The food could have been from a frozen box from Sam's Club, the bread from a Colonial Bakery Outlet for all I know. I'm excited for what the rebranding will bring, and am hopeful for their success. The center where Villagio is located is also home to Bhojanic, Community Q, Pyng Ho and Mint 2, among others.

Also in the center, a new concept, Mason's Tavern, is being created in partnership with Concentrics Restaurants and is currently under construction.

If all goes well, Villagio should reopen in about a week.

New fast casual pizza chain enters Georgia

Fort Worth, Texas-based Pie Five Pizza Co. plans to open its first location in Georgia later this year. Pie Five will occupy a 2,400 square foot space within Newnan Festival, a small new center not far from Ashley Park in Newnan, with Dillard's, Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods and others.

Newnan Festival will be located in the 300 block of Bullsboro Road and will also include an Einstein Bros. Bagels, Which Wich?, and an Original Mattress Factory. (Never fear, there's already a Mattress Firm a stone's throw away.)

Pie Five Pizza Co. was launched in Fort Worth in 2011 but comes from an established pizza brand: Pizza Inn. Both Pizza Inn and Pie Five Pizza Co. are owned by RAVE Restaurant Group Inc., a publicly traded company.

Fast casual pizza has been one of the most popular segments within the QSR industry. Metro Atlanta is already home to two homegrown operations: Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint and Your Pie.

I wrote a piece this past November detailing the numerous players in the quick serve pizza market, including Pie Five.

Uncle Maddio's recently announced they have signed agreements with franchisees to open at least eight additional units. One franchisee, Mike Haines, plans to open new Uncle Maddio's in Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, DeKalb and Cobb counties. Another franchisee, Al Brown, plans to open units in Douglasville, Hiram, Carrollton and Villa Rica.

Pie Five promises customized individual pizzas in five minutes, while while Uncle Maddio's promotes their pizzas in six minutes. At a time when more and more diners are demanding faster food, will a one minute difference make Pie Five a success locally?

What are your thoughts on the current and soon to arrive fast casual pizza options? Have you been to a Pie Five Pizza Co.? Where else should Pie Five open?

Please share your thoughts below.

Pigs Fly! Brookhaven Plaza Getting Two New Anchors

Yogurt Mountain Falls Flat in Sandy Springs

Pollo Tropical Planning New Prototypes in Metro Atlanta

Sweet! Great American Cookies Returning to Lenox Square.

Lucky's Lands a "Doggone" Good Location in Emory Village

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Radio Personality Lists Restaurant For Sale

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Monkey Business Goes Sour

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Ciao! Villagio Italian Kitchen Changes Hands and Changing Menu

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