The General Muir Team Is Replacing The Spence With 'The Canteen'

The Spence, the Tech Square eatery that was launched by Concentrics Restaurants and celebrity chef Richard Blais in 2012, shuttered late last month. The rumormongers indicated a potential takeover of the space by The General Muir team was in the works, and now we have official word. Jennifer Johnson tells Eater Atlanta she and her partners will open a "micro-food hall" called The Canteen at 75 Fifth St. NW.

The new venture will include second outposts for Fred's Meat & Bread and Yalla, which Johnson and her husband Ben, along with Shelley Sweet and chef Todd Ginsberg, opened at Krog Street Market in November 2014. A couple of new concepts will take up residence at the space too: a spinoff of The General Muir called TGM Bagel and a watering hole called Square Bar.

As the name suggests, TGM Bagel will offer The General Muir's bagel selection, baked on-site, plus a menu of "quick and healthy breakfast items" and Batdorf & Bronson coffee. Square Bar will serve juices, energy shots, and smoothies during morning hours, and later in the day it will transform into a full bar with beer, frozen drinks, and "a focused selection of classic cocktails and wine."

"Our idea behind The Canteen is to create a casual, comfortable community hub that can be used by different folks in the neighborhood in different ways: a bagel sandwich on the way to class, a smoothie and pastry while studying, a quick falafel lunch on the plaza with coworkers, a business meeting over coffee, a cheesesteak and a beer at dinner, a round of drinks with friends after work," Ginsberg said in a prepared statement. "We will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a variety of foods and a variety of price points that we think will have wide appeal to the neighborhood."

Renovation of the Georgia Tech-adjacent space is expected to take six months, and ownership hopes to open The Canteen in early 2017.

In addition to the aforementioned restaurants, Ginsberg, Sweet, and the Johnsons operate TGM Bread, a bakery located next door to The General Muir in Emory Point, and West Egg Cafe in Westside.