Popular Midtown Spot Cowtippers to Close at the End of January [Updated]

Updated:
According to a source associated with Metrotainment Cafes, Cowtippers has not been sold to a developer. The company still owns the property at 1600 Piedmont Avenue NE and will likely turn the space into an events venue following the restaurant’s closure while the company weighs its options.

An official statement from Metrotainment Cafes CEO Jeff Landau reads,
Metrotainment Cafes can confirm that Cowtippers will unfortunately be closing at the end of this month. The restaurant has been a part of our restaurant group for a very long time, and we’re proud of the more than 20 years we have been in business, but with the changing climate of the city, we are going to close the restaurant and turn our attention to our other successful concepts including Hudson Grille, Einstein’s, Joe’s on Juniper, Hudson FC and Guaco Joe’s.

Metrotainment Cafes still owns the property and we are weighing several options including selling the restaurant and property. In the interim, we will use the space for private events handled by our catering company, Epic Events. We are thankful for the many years of patronage from Atlanta and looking forward to continued success with our other concepts as we continue to grow in this city.

A representative for Metrotainment Cafes wants it to be “perfectly clear” that there are currently no plans in the works for the property to be redeveloped into an apartment complex.

The original story
The popular Midtown honky tonk and steak house Cowtippers Steaks & Spirits on Piedmont Avenue is set to close on Sunday, January 28 after 25 years, according to Tomorrow’s News Today.

While Eater Atlanta has confirmed the closure with Metrotainment Cafes, the umbrella company that owns Cowtippers and other restaurants like Hudson Grille, Joe’s on Juniper, and Einstein’s, the reasoning behind the shutter has yet to be verified. However, it is likely the building and land surrounding Cowtippers which has been a longtime gathering spot for the city’s LGBTQ community, could be redeveloped.

Project Q reported on the future of Cowtippers back in 2015 when the land next door to the restaurant that includes Smith’s Olde Bar, another Atlanta institution, was sold at auction. However, the pub and live music venue remains open after brokering a deal with the new owners and extending its lease on the property it has occupied for over 25 years.

Eater Atlanta is working to gather more information on Cowtippers closure, including the exact reason for the sudden shutter, and will update this story when more becomes available.