‘One Happy Sandwich’ Shop and Dive Bar Opening Near Ponce City Market

Bantam Pub owners Tim Lance and Richard Baum will open a divey sandwich bar called Motorboat in the former Marco’s Pita space, located between The Bookhouse Pub and The Local on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Motorboat is divided into two distinct spaces: a dive bar on one side and a “casual” sandwich shop specializing in New York, Italian, Jewish, and Middle Eastern deli sandwiches on the other.

The “Blade Runner 2049 build-out” includes a rooftop deck overlooking Ponce. The shop also plans to serve soups, salads, blue plate specials, and include vegetarian and vegan super food options on its menu. Motorboat is to be an “everyman’s bar,” with affordability being a key factor.

Before jumping to conclusions regarding the rather ambiguous name, a representative for Motorboat tells Eater Atlanta the shop’s moniker simply refers to “the affluence of time” because, “most people riding a motorboat on the ocean are rich in time.”

One thing is clear, it’s unlikely most passersby will forget the name or its tagline, “one happy sandwich,” after that first walk-by or glance from the car whilst crawling along in traffic — a good thing on an increasingly car-clogged and restaurant-heavy stretch of road like Ponce de Leon Avenue.

If this futuristic bar theme seems familiar, Beltline founder Ryan Gravel is also opening a Blade Runner-esque bar and restaurant called Aftercar nearby in the Telephone Factory Lofts. However, Aftercar is more a means to an end; the end being steady funding for Gravel’s civic-based, non-profit think tank, Generator — much like Staplehouse is for Giving Kitchen.

In addition to the divey sandwich shop, the Bantam Pub team plan to open the “sportsman club” Big Game at Anthem on Ashley on Ralph McGill Boulevard in the Old Fourth Ward. The hunting and fishing lodge-style restaurant includes bison, reindeer, elk, and “trophy fish” as well as chicken wings and hot dogs on its menu.

752 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta.

• New Restaurant Will Serve ‘Sustainable Herd’ Like Reindeer and Bison [EATL]