Eater Atlanta - Tracking 2018’s Atlanta Restaurant ClosuresThe Atlanta Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2019-01-03T09:24:42-05:00http://atlanta.eater.com/rss/stream/167191712019-01-03T09:24:42-05:002019-01-03T09:24:42-05:00Feed Fried Chicken Shutters at Cobb County’s Battery Atlanta
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<img alt="A plate of Feed fried chicken." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aTF1S4-ZIrVutSs--xhfP5r2sR0=/0x240:960x960/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62774804/feed_fried_chicken.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Freed Fried Chicken shutters at the Battery | <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/eatatfeed/photos/a.824192571063559.1073741828.719511368198347/878651855617630/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Feed/Facebook</a></figcaption>
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<p>Lack of “organic” foot traffic on non-game days at Braves SunTrust Park blamed</p> <p id="s7Arzu"><strong>Feed Fried Chicken shutters at the Battery</strong></p>
<p id="uwEFga"><a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2017/8/30/16225802/feed-fried-chicken-atlanta-menu-hours">Feed Fried Chicken And Such</a>, <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/chicken-and-the-egg">Chicken and the Egg</a> chef Marc Taft’s restaurant at Battery Atlanta, closed Sunday, December 30, <a href="http://www.tonetoatl.com/2019/01/Feed-Fried-Chicken-Closed-Battery-Atlanta.html">Tomorrow’s News Today</a> reports. The restaurant opened in August 2017 at the Cobb County development, home to Braves’ SunTrust Park. Taft blames a “saturated market” and lack of “organic traffic” during non-game days at the Battery. [ToNT]</p>
<p id="OKKy1M"><strong>Savannah-based Daniel Reed’s Public Kitchen rebrands at Phipps Plaza</strong></p>
<p id="VSLJno">The Atlanta outpost of <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/3/6/17085232/savannah-daniel-reeds-public-kitchen-bar-open-phipps-plaza">Savannah’s Daniel Reed’s Public Kitchen & Bar at Phipps Plaza</a> is rebranding and reopening on January 4 as a “premiere lounge” and cocktail bar called Agency Socialthèque, <a href="https://whatnowatlanta.com/agency-socialtheque-phipps-plaza/">What Now Atlanta</a> reports. Public Kitchen opened in March 2018. The goal of Agency Socialthèque, according to its website, is to cater to “the city-dwelling professional class by providing a beautiful space.” This includes club memberships. Take a look at the <a href="https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/5e1d09_4406aea1a0ed4e758028f6bfdf186a2a.pdf">menu</a>. [WNA]</p>
<p id="6jXI9f"><a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/eat-me-speak-me"><strong>Eat Me Speak Me</strong></a><strong>’s Jewish Chinese food menu continues at the S.O.S Tiki Bar</strong></p>
<p id="7iqqTc">Miss out on Eat Me Speak Me chef Jarrett Stieber’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsIuRlMAivE/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=3ku3nwrodhec">Jewish Chinese menu offered</a> during <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/the-sos-tiki-bar">The SOS Tiki Bar</a>’s holiday bar makeover in December? The pop-up (<a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/13/18139728/jarrett-stieber-eat-me-speak-me-opening-restaurant-summerhill">soon to be permanent</a>) will offer the menu throughout January at the Decatur tiki lair on Church Street. [INSTAGRAM] </p>
<p id="9345Ff"><strong>Bellwood Coffee setting up shop at </strong><a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/jim-adams-farm-table"><strong>Jim Adams Farm & Table</strong></a><strong> in Bolton</strong></p>
<p id="ajr4qT">Upstart Westside coffee club and roaster, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJjI2XFr8t/">Bellwood Coffee, is setting up a mobile shop</a> inside Jim Adams Farm & Table in the northwest Atlanta neighborhood of Bolton. Bellwood will offer coffee, espresso, mochas, lattes, and sell their locally-roasted beans. Jim Adams’ menu includes soups, sandwiches, and burgers, and sells produce grown on owner Chuck Meadows’ University Avenue farm in its market. [INSTAGRAM]</p>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2019/1/3/18166593/feed-fried-chicken-closes-battery-atlanta-cobb-countyBeth McKibben2019-01-02T09:04:15-05:002019-01-02T09:04:15-05:00Brewpub 5 Seasons Brewing Closes Its Flagship Sandy Springs Location
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<figcaption>5 Seasons Brewing</figcaption>
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<p>The brewpub shutters at the Prado after 19 years, plus other closures from the long holiday weekend</p> <p id="momk2Y"><strong>5 Seasons Brewing closes its flagship restaurant</strong></p>
<p id="vQ6Jh6">Brewpub 5 Seasons in Sandy Springs closed on New Year’s Eve after 19 years at the Prado, <a href="http://www.tonetoatl.com/2018/12/Five-Seasons-Closing-Prado-Sandy-Springs.html">Tomorrow’s News Today</a> reports. The restaurant made the announcement on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/5SeasonsBrewing/posts/?ref=page_internal">Facebook</a> only saying of the closure that the lease was up. The Marietta Street location in Westside plans to remain open. [ToNT]</p>
<p id="YD7wDj"><strong>Weekday brunch returns to 8Arm</strong></p>
<p id="BUD6qU">Weekday brunch is back at 8Arm starting January 2, 2019, according to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsHZ-7Og-GY/">Instagram</a>. Brunch is served Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant announced in September it would <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/9/25/17900312/8arm-changes-hours-renovating-coffee-cafe">no longer serve weekday breakfast and lunch</a>, followed by the news of the Japanese-style kanzume <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/10/16/17978572/ink-cocktail-bar-opening-8arm-ponce">cocktail bar Ink</a> opening inside 8Arm’s former coffee shop in October. [Official]</p>
<p id="3Uk0cE"><strong>King Barbecue at Avalon in Alpharetta closes</strong></p>
<p id="PROfmx">Seven months after converting <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/3/14/17117850/bantam-biddy-avalon-closed-king-barbecue-opening">Bantam & Biddy to King Barbecue</a> at Avalon, the restaurant owned by Shaun Doty and Lance Gunmere closed on Monday, December 24, <a href="https://whatnowatlanta.com/king-barbecue-avalon-closed/">What Now Atlanta</a> reports. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/kingbarbecueavalon/posts/?ref=page_internal">Facebook announcement</a> mentions opening a new restaurant this year saying, “...we will now be switching our focus to opening a new set of doors in early 2019.” [WNA] </p>
<p id="fphqvq"><a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/ribalta"><strong>Ribalta</strong></a><strong> pizzeria closes in Midtown</strong></p>
<p id="bPbbXL">Neapolitan pizzeria Ribalta on Peachtree Street in Midtown closed, Sunday, December 30, according to <a href="http://www.tonetoatl.com/2018/12/Ribalta-Closing-Midtown-Atlanta.html">Tomorrow’s News Today</a>. The New York-based restaurant was open for less than five years. [ToNT]</p>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2019/1/2/18164820/5-seasons-brewing-closes-sandy-springs-pradoBeth McKibben2018-12-27T11:43:49-05:002018-12-27T11:43:49-05:00Tijuana Garage Owner Responds to Closure Backlash in a Bizarre Statement
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<figcaption>Google/Tijuana Garage</figcaption>
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<p>Blame abounds in weirdly detailed explanation as to why he closed the Little Five Points Tex-Mex restaurant after 15 years</p> <p id="2uoxNe">The backlash from the sudden shuttering of and alleged holiday staff party firings at <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/26/18155949/tijuana-garage-closed-little-five-points-atlanta">Little Five Points Mexican restaurant Tijuana Garage</a> last week prompted owner Josh Sagarin to respond personally to the rumors circulating on social media. It seems a bizarre and lengthy explanation detailing why Sagarin closed the restaurant and how his employees were informed they were losing their jobs right before Christmas was sent to various Atlanta food news outlets, including Eater Atlanta. </p>
<p id="qjSXRM">To recap, Tijuana Garage closed on Moreland Avenue after 15 years this past Friday. Employees took to social media claiming they were fired during the restaurant’s holiday staff party. The restaurant claims employees were told during the regular monthly staff meeting.</p>
<p id="skzOBV">In his statement, Sagarin says he closed the restaurant after a “protracted attempt to save the business” by he and his managers, makes it clear the building is not being demolished, blames the development along the Beltline, <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/krog-street-market">Krog Street Market</a>, <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/ponce-city-market">Ponce City Market</a>, and “newer, shinier and honestly, excellent restaurants in the area” for the drop in sales at Tijuana Garage and for it feeling “dated” serving “basic Tex-Mex.”</p>
<p id="4IUs8r">He goes on to say the restaurant’s decline ramped up around 2016 when “the rapidly rising cost of in-town living and the national crackdown on immigration gutted” his “employee pool.” Sagarin explains that “hiring experienced and motivated kitchen staff, servers, and bartenders became far more difficult.” Even Atlanta’s weather wasn’t spared blame in the statement. The only party seemingly exempt from responsibility in the explanation is Sagarin. </p>
<p id="1BxAf4">There was apparently a last ditch effort to save the restaurant and employees’ jobs right before Thanksgiving in the form of a “manager led buyout.” It fell through at the last minute. </p>
<p id="UBhmKF">Sagarin attempts to quash the holiday party firing rumors saying they were done during the monthly employee meeting, which is “traditionally festive and includes a “white elephant gift exchange” in December. He admits it wasn’t an ideal scenario but, the alternative was “letting the employees know by email or a note on a locked door.” He reiterates most of his employees were placed in positions at his other restaurant, Front Page News, next door and at neighboring restaurants. People not placed were apparently provided job leads. </p>
<p id="c3D6cq">Read Sagarin’s full statement below:</p>
<p id="21VM3q"><em>I want to fill in blanks and dispel rumors about the closing of Tijuana Garage. Tijuana Garage finally closed after a protracted attempt to save the business. </em></p>
<p id="X0KbmM"><em>All of the private events that were planned for Tijuana Garage including the Atlanta Beer Festivals, “ New Beer’s Eve” event on Dec 31, 2018 will go on as scheduled. </em></p>
<p id="dRTB8i"><em>Despite baseless rumors, there are no plans to demolish any of the buildings, or to build condos on site. 351 group, LLC, the landlord, has listed the restaurant space for lease with the Shumacher Group. There is already strong tenant interest in opening a new restaurant in the Tijuana Garage space, with a goal of opening by Mid-summer 2019. </em></p>
<p id="74Lo8v"><strong>Note: a search on the Georgia Secretary of State website indicates </strong><a href="https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch/BusinessInformation?businessId=1755118&businessType=Domestic%20Limited%20Liability%20Company"><strong>351 group, LLC is registered to Sagarin</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>
<p id="iaL6rc"><em>Back in 2003, when we opened Tijuana Garage, we wanted to build a place we could walk to and have a drink the patio with our friends and our kids ---that’s why we did it. I always said when it stopped being fun it was time to let someone else have the space. After fifteen years, of good food, great drinks and parties on the patio that time has arrived. That time really arrived six months ago, but the managers and I really tried to stave off the inevitable for too long.</em></p>
<p id="ONOolT"><em>As a neighborhood staple Tijuana Garage served simple basic, old school Tex-Mex and Tacos in a family friendly atmosphere for over a decade. By 2016, with the development along the Belt Line, the opening of Krog Street, and Ponce City Markets, and the addition of so many newer, shinier and honestly, excellent restaurants in the area, Tijuana Garage began to feel dated. Basic Tex-Mex was no longer the draw it had been ten years earlier. Tijuana Garage was never chef-driven, it was always a neighborhood pub with good food, as time passed, our guests were looking for new and different culinary experiences. Month by month, a slow but steady loss in business had begun, especially in our core neighborhood and family business.</em></p>
<p id="Fk64uE"><em>Beginning at about the same time, the rapidly rising cost of in-town living and the national the crackdown on immigration gutted our employee pool. Hiring experienced and motivated kitchen staff, servers, and bartenders became far more difficult, a trend that continues today. Throughout 2015 and 2016 we tried various promotions, music, trivia nights and menus changes. Nothing stopped the decline in sales. I tried recruiting staff from various websites, schools, even running ads OTP, the talent pool continued to dry up. Juggling increased competition, staffing and management challenges was draining, in late 2017, I decided to make one final shot at reviving Tijuana Garage in 2018.</em></p>
<p id="kIDVEY"><em>My staff and I had invested a lot of sweat, time, and hard work into rebuilding sales and retaining loyal fans. We owed it to our customers, and I owed it to the people working for the company both front and back of house. Sales in 2018 started off strong, but as a pleasant spring turned in to a rain drenched summer, killing our patio business, sales resumed their steady decline.</em></p>
<p id="lttVIr"><em>By late August of 2018, the writing was on the wall. We planned to close Tijuana Garage following our last hurrah, The Little Five Points Halloween Festival and Parade in October.</em></p>
<p id="9ZLwOX"><em>Just days before the festival, a new possibility arose, a long-term employee brought forth the idea of a manager led buy-out and take over Tijuana Garage. The manager and his contacts had access to “diamond in the rough” investor funds, and wanted to put together a plan to purchase the restaurant. Letting me to exit the business with no loss of jobs seemed worth hanging on for a few more weeks. We prepared documents to execute a sale to the new operators, only to have the group vote to not move forward just after Thanksgiving.</em></p>
<p id="cYbXc9"><em>After Thanksgiving the restaurant and I were totally tapped out. We had run through all of the restaurant’s funds, and an additional $100,000 of personal funds, by the end of the month wouldn’t be able to make payroll. On top of payroll, food, beer, rent, utilities and over $10,000 in licenses and permits would be due by January first. It was insurmountable, We made the decision to finally close Tijuana Garage the first week of December. </em></p>
<p id="mH5c5L"><em>A review of our calendar showed we had already booked a number of large holiday events for December 18-21. Out of loyalty to our guests who booked the events, which would be difficult to relocate on short notice, and with the consensus being our tipped employees could most certainly use the money they would make from the holiday events, we pushed the final closing date to Friday, December 21st, 2018.</em></p>
<p id="Q7grek"><em>At the December monthly employee meeting, we announced Tijuana Garage would not reopen after our Christmas break. The December meeting is traditionally festive and includes a “white elephant gift exchange.” It wasn’t an ideal time to break the news to the staff, but the alternative would have been letting the employees know by email or a note on a locked door. By letting everyone know in person, we were able to find positions for most of our employees at neighboring and affiliated restaurants, and provided leads to other restaurants currently hiring in the area for those we couldn’t place. </em></p>
<p id="6o5ful"><em>Tijuana Garage will reopen for one final event, the previously scheduled Atlanta Beer Festival, “New Beers Eve” party, on Dec 31st. After 15 years, and an incredibly stressful 2018, when I the lock doors to Tijuana Garage for the last time on December 31, it will be bittersweet. While I am moving on, Tijuana Garage has a great location, in a great neighborhood. I am confident the landlord will find a great new restaurant, with a new operator, with the confidence and optimism I had back in 2003. The Tijuana Garage space will be filled with laughter, great food and happy guests in no time.</em></p>
<p id="H1FrQi"><em>Again, I just want to thank all of our great patrons and employees over the last 15 years. It has been a privilege. </em></p>
<p id="RQXGmb"><em>Thanks for the memories,</em></p>
<p id="lV2qSD"><em>Josh Sagarin</em></p>
<p id="0F8Wlb">No word as to the restaurant replacing Tijuana Garage or if the L5P Front Page News faces a similar fate. Sagarin closed the midtown Front Page News on Crescent Avenue in 2017, now home to <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/47087/publico-atlanta">Publico Kitchen and Tap</a>.</p>
<p id="qLmvER"><em>351 Moreland Avenue NE, Atlanta. </em><a href="http://tijuanagarage.com/"><em>tijuanagarage.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
<ul><li id="Vaau0C">
<a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/26/18155949/tijuana-garage-closed-little-five-points-atlanta">Little Five Points Mexican Restaurant Closes Over the Long Holiday Weekend</a> [EATL]</li></ul>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/27/18157635/tijuana-garage-closed-josh-sagarin-statement-little-five-pointsBeth McKibben2018-12-26T07:45:05-05:002018-12-26T07:45:05-05:00Little Five Points Mexican Restaurant Closes Over the Long Holiday Weekend
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<figcaption>Tijuana Garage</figcaption>
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<p>Tijuana Garage shutters on Moreland after 15 years</p> <p id="2uoxNe">Mexican restaurant Tijuana Garage closed after 15 years in Little Five Points (L5P) on Friday, December 21, according to its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/tijuanagarageatl/posts/?ref=page_internal">Facebook</a> page. Employees were supposedly told the restaurant was closing during a staff meeting. However, there’s speculation employees may have actually learned the fate of the restaurant and their jobs during the holiday staff party. </p>
<p id="BSwXfQ">On the same Facebook post, Tijuana Garage responded to commenters angry over the alleged holiday party firings saying, “The announcement was made at a Staff Meeting and most of the staff were transferred to Front Page News and other neighborhood restaurants.” </p>
<p id="kK6qQC">Tijuana Garage is owned by Josh Sagarin, who also owns the New Orleans-inspired restaurant Front Page News next door on Moreland Avenue.</p>
<p id="0F8Wlb">No word as to the name or type of restaurant replacing Tijuana Garage in the coming months or if the L5P Front Page News faces a similar fate to that of its sibling in the future. Sagarin closed the midtown Front Page News on Crescent Avenue in 2017. It’s now home to <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/47087/publico-atlanta">Publico Kitchen and Tap</a>. </p>
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<p>All good things must come to an end. Sadly, after 15 years serving the Inman Park, Candler Park and Little 5 Points...</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tijuanagarageatl/">Tijuana Garage</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tijuanagarageatl/posts/10156987786269670">Saturday, December 22, 2018</a>
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<p id="dKmuyk"><em>351 Moreland Avenue NE, Atlanta. </em><a href="http://tijuanagarage.com"><em>tijuanagarage.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/26/18155949/tijuana-garage-closed-little-five-points-atlantaBeth McKibben2018-12-18T14:57:31-05:002018-12-18T14:57:31-05:00Cowtippers in Midtown Is Really Closing for Good This Time
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<figcaption>Cowtippers Steak & Spirits</figcaption>
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<p>The longtime LGBTQ restaurant and bar on Piedmont Avenue closes on December 27</p> <p id="ELukvs"><a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/cowtippers-steaks-spirits">Cowtippers Steaks & Spirits</a> on Piedmont Avenue in Midtown closes for good on Thursday, December 27, after 25 years. The popular LGBTQ restaurant and bar <a href="https://cowtippersatlanta.com/">officially announced the closure</a> on its website — finally answering the year-long question of <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/1/29/16944548/cowtippers-delays-closure-midtown-atlanta">will it or won’t it shutter</a>. </p>
<p id="nd9XdF">The Midtown restaurant is likely being demolished to make way for a <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/10/18134193/cowtippers-midtown-atlanta-closing-chase-bank">Chase bank</a>. <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/1/29/16944548/cowtippers-delays-closure-midtown-atlanta">Cowtippers was saved</a> — albeit temporarily — last winter following an outpouring of public support to keep it open. </p>
<p id="5lcu9s">Rumors are circulating that Metrotainment Cafes, which also owns <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/31193/joe-s-on-juniper">Joe’s on Juniper</a>, Einstein’s, and <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/hudson-grille">Hudson Grille</a>, isn’t ruling out the possibility of reopening Cowtippers in another location at some point. However, nothing has been confirmed. </p>
<p id="kI6CHz">In the meantime, Cowtippers will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for one more round of holiday steaks and cocktails, before closing its doors after dinner on December 27. </p>
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<ul>
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<a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/10/18134193/cowtippers-midtown-atlanta-closing-chase-bank">Chase Bank Could Replace LGBTQ Restaurant Stalwart Cowtippers in Midtown </a>[EATL]</li>
<li id="nZY0Oe">
<a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/1/29/16944548/cowtippers-delays-closure-midtown-atlanta">Community Support Delays Closure of Beloved Midtown Restaurant </a>[EATL]</li>
<li id="I4zPUk">
<a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/1/10/16873308/popular-midtown-spot-cowtippers-steaks-spirits-closing-end-of-january">Popular Midtown Spot Cowtippers to Close at the End of January</a> [EATL]</li>
<li id="tCYp8o">
<a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/atlanta-best-gay-lgbtq-bars">Atlanta’s Essential Gay Bars and Restaurants</a> [EATL]</li>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/18/18146881/cowtippers-midtown-atlanta-closingBeth McKibben2018-12-17T09:35:37-05:002018-12-17T09:35:37-05:00Parking Problems Force Popular Roswell Barbecue Restaurant to Close
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<img alt="Meating Street Barbecue closes in Roswell" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o1Du3vo27YBY-uMc4Fdvv0g7wAY=/0x35:934x736/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62693265/o_1.1545057337.jpg" />
<figcaption>Meating Street Barbecue closes in Roswell | Meating Street Barbecue</figcaption>
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<p>Meating Street Barbecue on Alpharetta Street closes just shy of a year in business</p> <p id="7YBmjJ">Meating Street Barbecue on Alpharetta Street near downtown Roswell closed on Saturday, December 15, <a href="https://scoopotp.com/meating-street-bbq-closes/?fbclid=IwAR0R32E5gumuXM5Vc0Yqko2eM3Camr2t-OrxvwHnwosL-rYG_UXahPkylkY">Scoop OTP</a> reports. Lost revenue due to lack of parking is supposedly the culprit. The restaurant opened in January 2018 in a former Domino’s Pizza store along Alpharetta Street — a four lane, divided highway.</p>
<p id="9W3izP">In an email to customers, owners Brian Keenan and Joanna Keenan stated:<br><em>On Saturday, December 15th, Meating Street BBQ will be serving its final lunch at 1294 Alpharetta St. in Roswell. We are so extremely grateful for the support you, our customers, have shown us, as well as the encouragement of the entire Roswell Community. </em></p>
<p id="RkHJQF">Brian Keenan further expounds on the closure with Scoop OTP, telling the suburban lifestyle site the lack of parking “drained” them this past summer and they were unable to recover lost sales “to disappointed customers who couldn’t park after careful plans to visit.” </p>
<p id="pm-custom-section-3077">Meating Street includes a parking disclaimer on their website stating,” As is the case in most of Roswell, parking is limited. There are many lots nearby for overflow, or consider taking Uber or Lyft.”</p>
<p id="47D41I">The small space also meant the restaurant sold a limited quantity of barbecue each day, often selling out. This lead to Meating Street closing early or having unpredictable hours. Brian Keenan tells <a href="https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/north_fulton/news/meating-street-bbq-closing-brick-and-mortar-location-in-roswell/article_5613467e-ffc4-11e8-b886-c7908d5c6a95.html">North Fulton Neighbor</a> newspaper, “tweaking” the “cooking schedule” to “intentionally sell out before 3 p.m.” coupled with parking problems were challenges for the restaurant. </p>
<p id="k9QKrC">However, the Keenans may be looking to reopen elsewhere, and Brian Keenan continues to cook his barbecue for private parties and events. </p>
<p id="wvTBG5">Downtown Roswell has battled parking problems since its dining scene began taking off on Canton Street over a decade ago. Calls for a parking deck or viable solutions by local business people, including <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/table-and-main">Table & Main</a> and <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/osteria-mattone">Osteria Mattone</a> <a href="https://www.northfulton.com/alpharetta_roswell/roswell-parking-now-business-owner-talks-canton-st-parking-issues/article_aa26c7fa-83b3-11e8-9d32-ff01bfe09246.html">restauranteur Ryan Pernice</a>, to be built near the heavily trafficked corridor have been met with resistance by Roswell officials and some residents. </p>
<p id="T6HAka">Pernice, a founder of the Historic Roswell Business Association, has been spearheading parking solution discussions in the north metro Atlanta city. He spoke to the <a href="https://www.northfulton.com/alpharetta_roswell/roswell-parking-now-business-owner-talks-canton-st-parking-issues/article_aa26c7fa-83b3-11e8-9d32-ff01bfe09246.html">Alpharetta-Roswell Herald</a> in July about the lack of parking harming area businesses, “Retail is leaving Canton Street in droves. I get that it’s expensive [parking deck,] but that’s sort of our own fault for making this area so attractive and then not actually solving the problem from the beginning. We still need to solve it.”</p>
<p id="V9iTUI">Roswell city hall, located across from the quaint downtown dining district, offered a quick fix to the conundrum — parking in its lots. Parking at city hall would force people to cross busy Alpharetta Street (Highway 9) with few crosswalks and, in the evenings, few lighted walkways on the city hall campus. The city did approve building a <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/local/roswell-upgrades-downtown-parking-lot/3JKrWxhK8SzyQL0U3rexgL/f">parking lot on Green Street</a>, which parallels Canton, with 70 spaces. The lot was completed in May. </p>
<p id="mvI9bS">There are alternatives to driving in the area. MARTA offers bus service throughout the city, and includes a few stops walkable to and from Canton Street and Alpharetta Street, which becomes Alpharetta Highway upon crossing Holcomb Bridge Road. Lyft and Uber are also more readily available in Roswell now. </p>
<p id="Ghrf1H"><em>1294 Alpharetta Street, Roswell. </em><a href="http://meatingstreetbbq.com"><em>meatingstreetbbq.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/12/17/18144412/meating-street-barbecue-roswell-closedBeth McKibben2018-10-29T15:15:39-04:002018-10-29T15:15:39-04:00Sage Woodfire Tavern Closed Its Windy Hill Steakhouse Over the Weekend
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<p>The Windy Hill location was put up for sale in August after the restaurant group filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy </p> <p id="9W8r9m">Beleaguered Atlanta steakhouse chain <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/8/16/17693272/bon-ton-midtown-atlanta-bans-plastic-straws">Sage Woodfire Tavern</a> closed its Windy Hill Road location on Sunday, October 28, according to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/sagewoodfiretavernwindyhill/about/?ref=page_internal">Facebook</a>. The restaurant, located just outside the Perimeter near SunTrust Park, was put up for sale in August after Sage Woodfire’s owners and investors filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and spent $2 million on a <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/3/19/17139502/sage-woodfire-tavern-open-buckhead">two-story Buckhead</a> location on Peachtree Road. </p>
<p id="TQSewr">The Facebook “About” page for the Windy Hill restaurant reads, “This location is permanently closed as of October 28, 2018. Please visit our other locations in Buckhead and Dunwoody.” Sage Woodfire-Windy Hill opened in the former Houston’s space in the summer of 2017.</p>
<p id="N1YkZh">The Haynes Bridge Road restaurant in Alpharetta closed on September 16 for renovations. No words when, or if, that location will reopen for business. </p>
<p id="i4fkrB"><em>3050 Windy Hill Road SE, Atlanta. </em></p>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/10/29/18039342/sage-woodfire-tavern-windy-hill-road-closedBeth McKibben2018-10-29T09:14:17-04:002018-10-29T09:14:17-04:00Decatur Breakfast Staple Blames Skyrocketing Rents for Their Closure
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<p>Thumbs Up Diner closes on West Ponce de Leon and Decatur Market closes on East Howard </p> <p id="Q8Rr5q"><a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/thumbs-up-diner-2">Thumbs Up Diner</a> on West Ponce de Leon Avenue closed Sunday after a decade in downtown Decatur, <a href="https://decaturish.com/2018/10/thumbs-up-diner-in-decatur-closes-urges-customers-to-protest-high-rents/?fbclid=IwAR33Htvzkroz9lL6DXkTgDNeYOALukex3MWMPvlZMi8hG2LAakQxvopof2k">Decaturish</a> reports. The restaurant’s owners blame rising rents in the city just east of Atlanta as the reason for their decision and urge residents to speak out against the recent rent hikes. </p>
<p id="djuPpE">A sign posted to the door reads:</p>
<p id="BcEvmR"><em>“I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for the last 10 years. I know I speak for the rest of the staff when I say we feel very lucky to have been able to get to know all of you and making memories that we will cherish for a lifetime.</em></p>
<p id="prDTBg"><em>We urge everyone to use their voices to protest the rising rents in this area. Unfortunately, it’s too late for us but you may be able to save other local businesses.” </em></p>
<p id="lfzNHW">In the same story, Decaturish reports that DaVinci’s Pizza broke its lease earlier this year due to the high rent at the Decatur location, which owner Jason Black claimed was nearly $11,000 a month — more than his store in Midtown on West Peachtree Street. </p>
<p id="pmJwHR">Thumbs Up Diner was not the only closure in Decatur. Decatur Market also closed on East Howard Avenue, across from <a href="https://atlanta.eater.com/venue/kimball-house">Kimball House</a>. The windows of the market are papered over and a note taped to the door reads, “We are unfortunately closed. Thank you for your support.” The market was only open for nine months. It’s unclear why it closed or if Decatur’s rent increases lead to the decision. </p>
<p id="s59u6G">Eater Atlanta has reached out for more details on both closures. </p>
<p id="YJ0rkT">Thumbs Up has five other locations in Westside, Old Fourth Ward, East Point, Roswell, and Douglasville. </p>
<p id="gTYvPO"><em>Thumbs Up Diner, 174 West Ponce De Leon Avenue, Decatur. </em><br><em>Decatur Market, 308 East Howard Avenue, Decatur.</em></p>
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https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/10/29/18037496/thumbs-up-diner-decatur-closedBeth McKibben