Boneheads stops the bleeding with planned closure in Brookhaven.
A franchised location of Atlanta-based Boneheads in Brookhaven is set to close in the coming days.
Franchisees Ron and Nancy Moore, who both came from pharmaceutical sales after being laid off in 2009 and 2011 opened the Brookhaven location in late 2012. Even before the restaurant opened, I questioned its opening as the brand has been in decline for many years and the food is just not all that good.
Raving Brands (now known as Big Game Brands), the restaurant's original owner, started Boneheads in 2005 and sold the concept to Ron Barber's BH Acquisition, LLC in late 2009. At the time of the sale, the chain consisted of eight locations with the new owners expecting the concept would take off in "multiple markets in the second half of [2010]"
25-year restaurant & hospitality industry veteran Sheri Miksa was named CEO of Boneheads in January 2013 but just four months later had stepped down. The official reason provided at the time of her departure was Miksa left for “new opportunities where her experience would better serve a larger food-service company.”
Today the Boneheads restaurant network consists of nine locations in four states (including Brookhaven) with an additional three listed as "coming soon." One of the newest Boneheads to have opened is in Buckhead at the Eclipse condo building on Pharr Road. Boneheads opened what it calls its "flagship" restaurant in Buckhead this past April. The restaurant replaced Aqua Bistro and includes both a typical Boneheads eatery as well as a partially hidden speakeasy bar in the rear of the restaurant.
Tom Catherall and his Here To Serve restaurant group who have been building a small empire at TOWN Brookhaven, could have interest in taking over the space. Catherall opened a sister location of his popular Noche Tequila & Tapas bar at TOWN Brookhaven in early 2011. Since then, Noche has proven to be the most popular eatery in the center. Stir Crazy closed its location at TOWN Brookhaven in August 2012. Tom opened Smash Kitchen & Bar in its place this past September. T he Cup, a cupcake and coffee shop, closed at TOWN Brookhaven in April 2013 and reopened as Shucks Oyster & Wine Bar, another Here to Serve concept, shortly after Smash.
While Tom has let the shuttered Treza pizza eatery sit idle and seemingly did not pursue the former Slack's where Lucky's Burgerrecently opened, the Boneheads location, towards the front of the complex, could be appealing. As opposed to the large potential restaurant spaces opposite Smash and opposite Cinebistro, the Boneheads space is built and could be virtually "turn-key" for the right concept.
What would you like to see open in place of Boneheads? Why do you think only certain restaurants seem to thrive in TOWN Brookhaven? What is your favorite TOWN Brookhaven eatery?
Please share your thoughts below.