Atlanta Breakfast Club Owners Purchase Kirkwood Breakfast Staple Le Petit Marche

Osiris Ballard and chef Anthony Sanders, the pair behind Atlanta Breakfast Club and ABC Chicken and Waffles, are now the new owners of Kirkwood breakfast staple Le Petit Marche, Decaturish first reported. A grand reopening is planned for Tuesday, June 1.

Marchet Sparks closed her popular breakfast restaurant last month after 13 years in downtown Kirkwood. Sparks said the lease was up and her decision was a “matter of timing and opportunity.” She plans to return to real estate and pursue voice work in Atlanta.

In a video announcement posted to social media, Sparks says she reached out to Ballard and Sanders around the time of the closure to gauge their interest in opening a location of Atlanta Breakfast Club in the space. Instead, Ballard and Sanders will pick up where Sparks left off, taking over operations of the restaurant and retaining Sparks as Le Petit Marche’s “brand ambassador”.

“I am thrilled to pass the torch to such incredibly dear friends,” Sparks says. “They own the Atlanta Breakfast Club, an iconic restaurant here in Atlanta, and they are committed to keeping Le Petit Marche exactly as it is: so it’ll be the same place that you know and love! And you’ll see me stopping by frequently!”

When Le Petit Marche reopens later this spring, Sparks says people can expect to see the same mismatched tables and chairs in the dining room, chipped plates, and favorite dishes on the menu.

“Our goal is to keep everything the same. Not even the grass on the sidewalk will change,” Ballard says in the video. “Marchet has done a great job over the last 13 years giving everyone here in Kirkwood such inspiration, something to look forward to — a staple — and it’s our pleasure to keep that staple going.”

Sparks opened Le Petit Marche in 2008 during the recession. Prior to the health crisis, lines on the weekends often snaked out the door. The restaurant is known for its French toast sandwiches, grit stacks, salmon croquettes, and welcoming staff. Despite the difficulties brought on by the pandemic over the last year, Sparks was able to sustain the restaurant on takeout.

Atlanta Breakfast Club opened in 2016 along Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard in downtown Atlanta. It quickly gained a loyal local following and captured the tourist market from nearby hotels for serving hearty brunch dishes like chicken and waffles, build-your-own biscuits, peach cobbler French toast, and breakfast tacos.

Last September, Ballard and Sanders opened ABC Chicken and Waffles and nitro coffee bar inside the Freedom Corner building adjacent to the Madam C.J. Walker Museum on Auburn Avenue. The Sweet Auburn restaurant features a menu centered around its eponymous dish and coffee and nitro beverages from Duluth-based Phoenix Roasters.

Eater reached out to Ballard and Sanders for comment and more details regarding plans for Le Petit Marche.

• Longtime Kirkwood Breakfast and Brunch Spot Le Petit Marche Closes [EATL]
• ABC Chicken and Waffles and Nitro Coffee Bar Opens This Saturday in Sweet Auburn [EATL]