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Restaurateurs continue to enhance intown dining
Atlanta Business Chronicle
By Tonya Layman, Contributing writer
A dinner out in Atlanta used to mean a trip to Buckhead.
Today, patrons need to head a little farther south. During the past year, a number of new establishments have been firing up fashionable flavors that attract even those with the most discerning of palates.
One of the most recent is the slightly delayed but much anticipated Trois, which opened its doors just days ago.
Bob Amick of Concentrics Restaurants Solutions opened this three-story, 15,000-square-foot modern French restaurant in the 1180 Peachtree building. The ground-floor component is a sophisticated bar. The main restaurant will face the future front door of the proposed Symphony Hall. A three-sided, curved glass wall gives diners a view of Midtown.
Above Trois, a 175-seat private events facility, occupies the top floor and provides the same panoramic views as the main dining room.
"All three floors go together but they are also three very unique spaces that read differently. It is a much-needed restaurant concept for Midtown," Amick said.
Amick is also opening the 5,000-square-foot Tap at 1180 Peachtree in early spring at the east end of the 1180 Peachtree building. An 1,800-square-foot patio at the corner will help bring together the energy of the street and the building.
"A little more casual and more fun, but it will still offer great food built around a very cool bar," Amick added.
During the planning of 1180 Peachtree, Hines developers saw an opportunity to provide space for new restaurants that will attract people to Midtown.
"1180 was focused on bringing in high-end tenants that could serve as not only an amenity for the building but could also pull people into the area," said John Robbins, project manager with Hines.
Trois and Tap will do just that.
"I think they will add more to the Midtown experience," Robbins said. "We have a great base that is growing every day with outstanding office tenants, a good residential base and visitors to the area, especially with all of the arts venues there. Now these new establishments will help define Midtown as the center of Atlanta."
Amick, who also owns ONE. midtown kitchen, among others, has opened a lot of restaurants in Midtown over the years. "I have a long history here. If you want city life, Midtown is where you want to be. It is exciting and it thrives on the live-work-play concept," he said. "Midtown has a great sense of place," he said, adding he is excited about all of the new restaurants in the area.
Of course, like a true restaurateur, he puts it in food terms.
"The more an area can have multiple places to go, it becomes more of a destination, and the strong will survive. The cream rises to the top. Competition makes everybody healthy."
Tom Catherall, owner of Here to Serve Restaurants, is building off the success of Shout, a 16,000-square-foot restaurant he opened at Colony Square in 2004. This spring he opened Strip at Atlantic Station, a 13,000-square-foot steak and sushi place.
According to Catherall, business is higher than projected at both restaurants and he doesn't foresee any competitors taking away from that.
"We welcome all competitors. The more places in one location, the more people come to the area," he said. "They may go to dinner at Trois but come to the rooftop at Shout for drinks afterwards."
One well-known restaurant group in Atlanta that is not new to the Midtown market, but is definitely taking advantage of the area's growth, is Fifth Group Restaurants.
Fifth Group has owned South City Kitchen in Midtown for 14 years. The company added Ecco at the corner of Cypress and Seventh streets earlier this year to its portfolio, said Robby Kukler, partner with Fifth Group.
"It has been, both from a sales standpoint and how we have been received, an incredible opening," he said.
To date, it is the busiest of any of Fifth Group's restaurants, even though it is only open for dinner.
The group's South City Kitchen has held its own in Midtown for years. This year has been its busiest yet.
"I think there is always room for good businesses of any kind. If you do well and do good work, you will succeed regardless of the competition that you have," Kukler said. "As Midtown continues to grow, it will be known as one of Atlanta's places to go to find good food."
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