Agatha's A Taste of Mystery has closed for good. The popular downtown dinner theater has been closed since last March due to COVID-19's effects on its business and after a seemingly unsuccessful rescue campaign, will not reopen. When Agatha's opened in 1988, it operated from 693 Peachtree Street, a freestanding building, where the new luxury high-rise Lilli Midtown stands today. Agatha's current location was downtown at 161 Peachtree Center Avenue, where it occupied the street level of what was originally just a parking deck, but is currently under construction to be "topped" with a 345 unit luxury apartment building dubbed "Ascent Peachtree."
Agatha's downtown location likely hurt its prospects at continuing as a going concern given how hard hit the area was over the past year with many trade shows, concerts, sports games and other events were rescheduled, moved or cancelled altogether, and many downtown workers transitioned to primarily work from home schedules.
This past July, Agatha's co-owner Ricky Warren started a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising $120,000 to help the business stay afloat. Warren was rather transparent in sharing several of the expenses the funds would be used for: "Rent & Utilities for 6 months: $80,000, Redesign cost for upgraded safety and guidelines and compliance: $6000, PPE: $4000 and Employee retention: $30,000." A review of the site this week suggests the campaign fell well short of its goal having only received $10,600 in donations.
"Through the years, Agatha’s has showcased many actors who’ve gone on to star in acclaimed and cult television shows like “Archer,” “Doc McStuffins,” Key and Peele, Stranger Things, Ozark, Army Wives, and countless other movies and shows. We’ve also been a mainstay for entertaining celebrities when they come to town, with stars like Evangeline Lily, comedienne and Oscar nominee Monique, some of the housewives of Atlanta, and Hugh Jackman to name a few. We’ve also hosted many important governmental agencies when they’ve needed a laugh, most notably the honorable Senator John Lewis."
The restaurant is currently liquidating all furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).
Did you ever enjoy a show at Agatha's? If you did, what was your favorite? What longtime, but now closed Atlanta restaurant do you miss the most?
Please share your thoughts below.