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| A vintage shot of Petite Auberge from the 1970s |
Fallout from center's new owner continues
Petite Auberge, one of Toco Hills shopping center's longest standing tenants is relocating. In an email distributed earlier today, the restaurant announced that they would be moving from Toco Hills to Clairmont Road near Sam's Club. It had reportedly been ownership's desire for many years to find a freestanding building "of our own."
Petite Auberge, one of Toco Hills shopping center's longest standing tenants is relocating. In an email distributed earlier today, the restaurant announced that they would be moving from Toco Hills to Clairmont Road near Sam's Club. It had reportedly been ownership's desire for many years to find a freestanding building "of our own."
The space to which Petite Auberge will relocate is currently home to Violette, another French restaurant. Violette, located in a freestanding building at 2948 Clairmont Road, first opened in Atlanta in 1988 before its then owner Chef Guy Luck designed and constructed its current home (much of it with his own hands) on Bastille Day, July 14, 1995. Luck, a native of Strasbourg, France, grew the restaurant to become one of the more popular in the area. Tragically, in 2003, Luck was abducted in his vehicle from his Atlanta home and subsequently taken to Chattanooga where he was murdered. (Luck's captors/murderers were brought to justice in 2008.) Luck's friend and business partner, Stephanie Belcher, continued to carry on his legacy, running the restaurant since then.
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| The current Violette Restaurant |
Wolfgang Gropp opened Petite Auberge at Toco Hills shopping center in 1974. In the decades since, the restaurant has changed in many ways, but has remained family owned. It is now run by Chef Gropp's sons Michael & Anthony. The current restaurant measures about 9,000 square feet. They will downsize in their new location to just under 6,000 square feet. The Olive Oil and Vinegar Boutique, which was added to the restaurant in 2013, will reportedly make the move as well, but perhaps in a smaller version.
Petite Auberge invites its patrons to "continue to join us in Toco Hills for the last of our traditional events in 2016 like Oktoberfest, Dinner and a Diva, Thanksgiving Dinner, and New Year's Eve Dinner--our final bow at this location." The new restaurant, located in the City of Brookhaven, is expected to open "January 2017."
Petite Auberge's departure from Toco Hills, while unfortunate, is not altogether surprising. Edens, a Columbia, South Carolina-based real estate firm which signed a 35-year ground lease on Toco Hills earlier this year, is in the midst of a significant renovation of the center. Much like Edens did in Andrews Square (and surrounding parcels) in Buckhead, many smaller, local tenants are being priced out of their spaces by the firm's rent increases and efforts to appeal to higher paying, national tenants.
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| Petite Auberge at left, now vacant Shoe Center at right |
Petite Auberge's relocation from Toco Hills comes on the heels of Shoe Center's closure at the center earlier this summer. Local sources indicate that Edens is keen on re-leasing both the 20,000 square foot Georgia Department of Labor space and a portion of the 20,500 Office Depot space to other, higher paying tenants. While a renovation is great, all Edens has done thus far is tear up the parking lot, reduce the number of parking spaces, refuse to comment on anything and price-out a number of longstanding tenants.
What are your thoughts on the changes at Toco Hills? Do you think Petite Auberge has chosen a good location for their new home? In your opinion, what is the beat French restaurant in metro Atlanta?
Please share your thoughts below.
***I apologize I did not make this clear in the original post. According to representatives at both Violette and Petite Auberge, the two restaurants are "merging." The new restaurant will reportedly adopt the Petite Auberge name with Petite Auberge ownership managing and owning the building and the business. Existing employees at both restaurants will be offered employment at the new restaurant. There are currently no plans to reopen Violette elsewhere.
***I apologize I did not make this clear in the original post. According to representatives at both Violette and Petite Auberge, the two restaurants are "merging." The new restaurant will reportedly adopt the Petite Auberge name with Petite Auberge ownership managing and owning the building and the business. Existing employees at both restaurants will be offered employment at the new restaurant. There are currently no plans to reopen Violette elsewhere.