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Charleston-based coffee shop and cafe the Daily opens Wednesday, January 19, along Trabert Avenue on the edge of the Berkeley Park neighborhood. It’s the same street on which both Floral Park Market and brewery Monday Night Brewing reside, just off of Howell Mill Road.
Located in a small retail complex with children’s clothing shop Seed Factory and upscale furniture store Bungalow Classics, the Daily serves coffee, seasonal lattes, and cold-pressed juices paired with hearty breakfast burritos, pita sandwiches, and grain and vegetable bowls created by chef Jacob Hunter.
This is a homecoming for Hunter and the Daily owners Michael and Melody Shemtov, the couple behind Butcher and Bee in Charleston and Redheaded Stranger in Nashville. Michael Shemtov, who was born in Israel, moved to Atlanta when he was nine, living here until he was 18, before moving to Charleston. Both Hunter and Melody Shemtov are natives of Atlanta. Hunter grew up in the Toco Hills neighborhood.
Now back living in Atlanta with their families, Hunter and the Shemtovs are ready to debut a second location of the King Street cafe in their hometown.
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An Atlanta location has been in the works since before the pandemic, which saw the Shemtovs relocate to the city during the summer of 2020 to focus on scouting new locations for the Daily. Michael Shemtov says the couple finally landed on the Trabert Avenue space after consulting with chef and friend Anne Quatrano (Bacchanalia, Star Provisions).
They were instantly drawn to the industrial and railroad history of the neighborhoods in the area and, in particular, to Trabert Avenue.
“We started Butcher and Bee and the Daily in areas off the beaten path in Charleston. This area of Atlanta gives us that same feel,” Shemtov says. “You don’t need to always be on the corner of Main and Main. What Anne did on the west side nearly 20 years ago, she just knew this place was right for her, and she told us, if you have something great to offer and focus on what your guests want, people will find you,” he adds.
For the neighborhoods of Berkeley Park and Underwood Hills, and apartments located along Northside Drive near 17th Street, the Daily also offers a casual cafe and coffee option within walking distance, and beyond fast food, Waffle House, or Starbucks. Those visiting the future park planned for the Waterworks complex nearby, where Howell Mill meets 17th Street, will be able to walk to the Daily for coffee and sandwiches, pick up picnic provisions and wine at Floral Park Market, or grab beer and tacos from Monday Night Brewing. The last portion of the Beltline, scheduled for completion by 2030, will eventually flank the Waterworks.
Designed by Atlanta-based Square Feet Studios, and at twice the size of the Charleston location, the Daily on Trabert features seating for around 60 people between dining tables and a 12-seat chefs counter. Expected to open later this spring, a patio will offer additional seating for around 20 people.
With the larger space, look for a slightly expanded food and drink menu in Atlanta, too. This includes a selection of juiced-to-order cold-pressed juices, alongside the Daily’s popular breakfast burritos and BEC sandwiches and seasonal lattes, like the black sesame and molasses spice.
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“[Melody is] responsible for creating the juice and smoothie program [and] for the addition of adaptogens to the menu,” says Shemtov. “Melody and I have collaborated before, and while she’s project managed elements of our build-outs in the past, she really led many aspects of this one, and the result is a true partnership between the two of us, and the bigger Butcher & Bee management team,” he says.
While wine and beer are served at the Charleston location, Shemtov says they’re taking a wait-and-see approach in Atlanta, basing the final decision to serve alcohol on demand.
Plans are to expand the Daily to more locations in Atlanta over the next two years. A second location opens this fall in the former Proof Bakeshop space at the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Hurt Street in Inman Park. A third cafe should open in 2023 in an undisclosed location near Northside Parkway in Buckhead, Shemtov tells Eater.
“Seeing all of these new businesses moving to Trabert and people frequently visiting the market and brewery gave us confidence to open the Daily here,” says Shemtov. “Sure, we get the tourists in Charleston, but what drives our daily business there is really the same people every day coming in and starting their day with us.”
“That’s what I want here. I hope people from these neighborhoods embrace us and become our regulars, too.”
Take a look at the menu for the Daily below:
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763 Trabert Avenue, Atlanta. shopthedaily.com.
Public transit information: Accessible via MARTA bus #12 along Howell Mill Road.
Open: Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Moving to seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., in February.
Disclaimer: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here. It is highly advised people wear masks indoors or when in crowded situations, regardless of vaccination status, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.