 |
| A view of the building today |
Haven and Valenza owner planning new restaurant in Chamblee.
Michael Arnette, Buckhead Life alum and proprietor of Valenza and Haven on Dresden Drive, plans to open a third concept. The new, as-yet-unnamed eatery will open at the site of the former Brown Auto Service station on Peachtree Road in Chamblee.
Michael Arnette, Buckhead Life alum and proprietor of Valenza and Haven on Dresden Drive, plans to open a third concept. The new, as-yet-unnamed eatery will open at the site of the former Brown Auto Service station on Peachtree Road in Chamblee.
Michael Arnette spent twelve years managing Buckhead Life concepts Buckhead Diner and later Pricci, before opening Haven and Valenza in Brookhaven in 2003.
Arnette, along with his wife Tanya and their now adult son, have lived in the "ChamHaven" (my word, not his) area for years and Michael had always admired the old gas station.
According to Arnette, the restaurant will be "upscale casual" and will likely feature classic favorites like burgers, fries and malts. Arnette said he plans to harken back to the days of the "classic American restaurant" with elements of a traditional diner as well. Arnette told me the prices will be moderate with likely nothing priced more than twenty bucks.
Arnette told me by phone that he's actually had the property leased for a year but has been working behind the scenes to make sure everything comes together. Arnette plans to honor the 50s era history of the building, renovating it for use as a restaurant, but maintaining the structure's style and appearance.
 |
| Remnants of the former auto shop sit idle inside |
According to property records, the 2,370 square foot structure was built in 1953 and sits on about a half acre. One of Arnette's last remaining punch list items (pre the start of renovation) was getting the building on sewer rather than septic, as it is now. According to Arnette, he has been working for months with both the city of Chamblee and DeKalb county and a plumbing resolution should be in place in the coming weeks.
If the plumbing change goes as planned, current projections call for the restaurant to be open sometime late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter of next year.
 |
| Looking north, the new restaurant is located just inside the City of Chamblee |
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner and will have plenty of onsite parking.
This would not be the first time a former service station was turned into a restaurant. Leon's Full Service and Taqueria del Sol in Decatur and Grindhouse Killer Burger in Midtown were opened in former service stations.