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[UPDATE] Agency Socialthèque Has Closed at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead

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Agency Socialthèque at Phipps Plaza has closed.  The restaurant, located along Peachtree Road between Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, reportedly closed for good as of June 24.   Agency, originally opened as Public Kitchen, featured a chic mid-century modern interior, but was never able to garner a consistent following despite multiple pivots and reconcepts.  The roughly 6,000 square foot restaurant also featured an expansive patio.  

Savannah's Daniel Reed Hospitality, helmed by Managing Partner Jamie Durrence, hoped to recreate the success of the group's Savannah Public Kitchen in Buckhead, but the concept struggled out of the gate after its delayed February 2018 debut.  Durrence, Georgia Restaurant Association's 2016 Restaurateur of The Year, eventually "collaborated" with Dr. Paul Judge, fiancé of RHOA's Tanya Sam, and Ryan Glover, co-founder and chairman of Greenwood, a soon-to-launch mobile banking platform targeting "unbanked" Black and Latinx people and business owners.  Despite the work of Judge and Glover to market the space as more of a lounge, the concept was never able to emerge from the shadow of former occupant Twist.   

Marketing aside, Phipps Plaza has seen a significant decrease in occupancy (and foot traffic) while the greater Buckhead area has witnessed an uptick in crime and the continued nuisance of the so-called "water boyz" that has made driving around Phipps, Lenox Square and other destinations in Buckhead challenging, and at times, dangerous.  

Adjacent to Agency, local baker Alon Balshan is making progress towards his planned opening of a new bakery, café & market at Phipps Plaza in the remaining portion of the former Twist space.  ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported on Balshan's planned Buckhead opening in 2019. After a significant COVID-caused delay, it is finally making significant visible progress.  

Also at Phipps, the former Genuine Pizza seems to have been gobbled up by a Valentino expansion while the former Tavern at Phipps remains empty. Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse, which had been closed since last July, plans to reopen later this fall after completing a $250,000 renovation.

Daniel Reed Hospitality continues to operate several restaurants in Historic Downtown Savannah including Local 11ten, The Public Kitchen and Bar, Artillery Bar, and their most recent opening, Franklin's, a brunch eatery and café, which debuted this past January.    

What would you like to see open in the former Agency Socialthèque space?  Are you excited for the opening of Alon's and reopening of Davio's?  When was the last time you visited Phipps Plaza?

Please share your thoughts below.  


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