Zaxby's plans to open a new restaurant on Buford Highway in Doraville.
Athens-based Zaxby's will replace what was for many years a Krystal and most recently was operating as French's Boots, a Nashville-based boots & shoes shop. Zaxby's had historically been a restaurant most often found in the suburbs, but more recently has made progress in getting locations open closer to and even inside the perimeter in some cases.
Over the past few years, Zaxby's opened a new location on North Druid Hills Road near North DeKalb Mall and also added locations in Buckhead and Chamblee. In Buckhead, Zaxby's opened on Roswell Road across from The Fresh Market and in Chamblee, Zaxby's (eventually) opened in a previously undeveloped outparcel of Lowe's Home Improvement.
A new location on Ponce de Leon Avenue in midtown is currently under construction.
The Doraville site sits at the corner of Longmire Way and Buford Highway, in an outparcel of the Buford Highway Farmers Market / Marshalls-anchored shopping center, just outside 285. The center was the home of one of the first Home Depot stores, but has since gone through plenty of tenants, large and small. About two or so years ago a freestanding Waffle House was added to the front portion of the center, providing some casual dining fare.
A few weeks ago, I broke news that a McDonald's restaurant was opening at the corner of Buford Highway & McElroy Road, about a half mile from where the new Zaxby's will open. The new McDonald's will open in an outparcel of the Burlington Coat Factory-anchored center on land most recently home to an abandoned bank.
The area is already home to a number of fast food options such as Chick-fil-A and Burger King, but is also home to former Wendy's, Hardee's, Taco Bell and Long John Silver's restaurants.
Do you think Zaxby's will do well among the ethnically diverse offerings of Doraville? Will the truck drivers of the nearby gas storage facilities keep the chicken frying? Does yet another chain ruin the dynamic of Doraville? What are your thoughts?