A longtime Einstein Bros. Bagels will soon close. The Einstein Bros. at 2240 North Druid Hills Road is slated to close Saturday April 5 after more than twenty years in business. There was no reason provided for the closure, but the constant roadwork likely hurt their business, as did the reworked entrance due to the new Children's Health Care of Atlanta campus.
Einstein Bros. is today part of Panera Brands, a restaurant group controlled by German Private equity firm JAB Holding Company, that also includes Panera Bread and Caribou Coffee.
The closure of Einstein Bros. follows the July 2024 closure of the longstanding McDonald's at 2210 North Druid Hills Road. ToNeTo Atlanta surmised then that the McDonald's may have closed for similar reasons and that it could one day be incorporated into the Children's campus, which still seems likely. A Bank of America branch also closed across the street from the McDonald's and is expected to reopen soon in the former Mattress Firm at the corner of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Roads.
A dry cleaner next to Einstein Bros. reportedly has three years left on their existing lease, but if they leave at lease end, the two-unit space could also be of interest for Children's and their ever-growing campus.
Given the changes in the area including the recent opening of Zaxby's in place of the shuttered Boston Market, one has to wonder if something more exciting is in store for the nearby Burger King, which sits on more than an acre and was first built in 1966, according to DeKalb County property records.
Following the closure, Einstein continues to operate 26 locations around Georgia, making it the chain's sixth largest market by unit count. The company has previously closed locations on Clairmont Road in Decatur and on Peachtree Road in Buckhead where the first-ever Moe's Southwest Grill would later open in 2000.
The next closest location to the closing Druid Hills bagel shop is the other North Druid Hills location at Toco Hills, less than two miles away.
Are you surprised to see Einstein Bros. Bagels close on North Druid Hills near Children's? Who in Atlanta do you think makes the best bagel? What are your thoughts on the road and access changes around the Children's campus?
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