Owner of Wrecking Bar Brewpub Steps Down From the Restaurant

Bob Sandage, owner and former brewmaster of Wrecking Bar Brewpub in Little Five Points, announced on Facebook today he’s moving on from the restaurant and microbrewery.

He and Kristine Sandage opened Wrecking Bar in the basement of a Victorian mansion along Moreland Avenue in 2011. All of Sandage’s restaurant shares transfer to longtime managing partner Stevenson Rosslow.

In the departure statement posted to Wrecking Bar’s Facebook page, Sandage writes, “What started as a thought in college, turned into a rough business plan during the tech downturn of 2000-2001 and became a full blown reality when the Wrecking Bar property went in foreclosure three days before selling my company in 2009. The Wrecking Bar was everything I thought it would be, and then some.”

It seems Sandage plans a return to his engineering roots. Before opening the brewpub, he owned engineering firm DAQTron, which he sold in 2009 in order to pursue his dream of opening Wrecking Bar.

Since 2011, the brewpub has accumulated a number of awards and honors. They include a place on Eater’s 38 Essential restaurants, being one of America’s top ten brewpubs for the last seven years, spots on several “best of” lists from Atlanta’s major publications, being featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and an award from Georgia Historic Preservation. Wrecking Bar won a silver medal last year from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) for Ye Olde Sprinklerhead English barleywine.

“It’s been my great privilege to work alongside Bob Sandage and make the Wrecking Bar Brewpub the first class establishment you know and love,” Rosslow states in a separate Facebook post. “I’m honored to further this dream. I can assure you the Wrecking Bar Brewpub will continue to deliver the best in beer, food, beverage and service.”

In addition to a menu of dishes filled with fresh ingredients from the restaurant’s farm Wrecking Barn in Loganville, Wrecking Bar includes a seven-barrel (BBL) brewing system and a brewery tasting room next door to the restaurant serving beers ranging from lagers and stouts to porters, barrel-aged brews, and sours.

Eater Atlanta reached out for further comment and details on Sandage’s departure.

Wrecking Bar Brewpub chef Terry Koval and Jenn Koval open their new restaurant the Deer and the Dove in the former Cakes & Ale on Sycamore Street near Decatur Square later this summer. The Kovals are partnering with Farm Burger’s George Frangos, who will assist with the coffee and wine programs for the restaurant.

• All Wrecking Bar Brewpub coverage [EATL]
• New Restaurant Takes Over Former Cakes & Ale in Decatur This Spring [EATL]
• The 38 Essential Atlanta Restaurants, Spring ‘19 [EATL]