As much as they might hate to admit it, our earlier report has proven accurate, and it seems Simon is starting to see the error of their ways and has quietly switched out a bland out of town coffee shop for a local operator at their floundering Citizens Culinary Market at Phipps Plaza. Cultivate Food + Coffee has replaced Ella Mia in Citizens and is likely the first of many such moves for the struggling operation.
Additional locations were previously announced to be opening at The Battery Atlanta at the "beginning of 2023," Woodstock in "summer of 2023" and Alpharetta in "summer of 2023," according to the Cultivate website, but none of them opened last year and all have reportedly been pushed to "2024."
According to Cultivate:
"Simple & Modern Served from the Heart. CULTIVATE is a trend-forward brunch & coffee concept & experience built on a foundation of farm-to-table culinary principles, truly world-class customer service, and an aesthetically positive atmosphere for all customers. We are a made fresh from scratch southern kitchen."
All of this sounds good but it's incredibly difficult to deliver this level of service from a small counter. Try as they might, it will also be darn near impossible to replicate the authenticity, vibe and ambiance of the West Buckhead outpost in the middle of a stale, contrived food hall in the middle of a mall. Let's not forget too, that Alon's is also in the mall and is no doubt looking to capture a similar customer but has the advantage of its own dedicated space.
Simon, which has a financial position in Citizens Market, also this past September saw Starbucks close its longstanding outpost in the mall, a move that a representative claimed would avoid cluttering one of the mall’s wings, which would “enhance the common area.” After the closure Simon worked though signage and messaging to push business to Cultivate's predecessor, Ella Mia.
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| Grab & go coolers were removed in favor of additional seating |
At the end of the day, one of the biggest issues with Citizens is that is simply does not resonate with shoppers or residents. More than eight months after opening and with eight different food concepts, the entire market has received only 56 reviews on Yelp.com with an overall rating of just 3.5 stars. Based on our visits to the market, the most popular element is the bar, but with 25,000 square feet and an outdoor area, a popular bar is not going to keep this place in business.
Have you been to Citizens Culinary Market? Do you think adding Cultivate will "save" the business? What local food hall do you think delivers the best overall experience?
Please share your thoughts below