The owners of Atlanta based Ted's Montana Grill have permanently closed two Atlanta area locations. The restaurants, located at Cumberland Mall near Smyrna and at the corner of West Ponce de Leon Avenue & Commerce Drive in Decatur, are still marked as "temporarily closed" on various sites, but have both been confirmed closed and have been removed from the Ted's Montana Grill website. The closures leave the chain with eleven locations in Georgia, which is still its largest market. Three of the chain's remaining metro locations are in Cobb County: in West Cobb, East Cobb and Kennesaw.
Ted's Montana Grill, founded by LongHorn Steakhouse founder George McKerrrow Jr. and media mogul Ted Turner, has always been based in Atlanta, but opened its first restaurant in Columbus, Ohio in 2002. Eventually the chain grew to 55 units but several waves of closures have left the company with just 41 restaurants today. In late 2010, the chain closed nine "under-performing" units, primarily in the Midwest. Subsequent closures have included locations in Austell, Fayetteville and Newnan, Georgia. Over the past few years, the chain also closed restaurants in Indianapolis (2017), Dublin, Ohio (2018) and Boulder, Colorado (2019), among others.
Ted's, like other restaurant chains we have reported on previously, is likely taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to shed under-performing units from its portfolio. Atlanta-based Southern Proper Hospitality Group, as well as Austin, Texas-based Chuy's have also made similar moves in metro Atlanta which should create greater financial flexibility for their respective restaurant groups moving forward.
ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported this past October that Ted's will be "moving" their flagship Peachtree Road location to the "Upper Westside." The move, which has been in the works for some time, is due to the fact that the Shepherd Center purchased in late 2018 the land on which both Ted's and neighboring restaurant Uncle Julio's are located. Shepherd Center paid roughly $20 million for the 2.7 acre site where it plans to expand its housing program for patients’ family members.
The closure at Cumberland leaves a restaurant opportunity in the front of the mall where fellow casual dining establishments Buffalo Wild Wings, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's Little Italy, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, and Stoney River Steakhouse & Grill all remain open.
Are you surprised to see Ted's Montana Grill close two restaurants in Atlanta? What is your favorite casual dining restaurant in metro Atlanta? What would you like to see open in the now former Ted's at Cumberland Mall and in Decatur?
Please share your thoughts below.