Value Village, a local thrift store that claims to be "A Treasurer Hunter's Paradise" and once had more than a dozen locations around metro Atlanta, will soon close three more stores leaving the group with just seven stores in operation.   The organization announced via Facebook in recent days that they are having a 50% off, later increased to 75%, sale at Value Village stores in Atlanta, Sugar Hill, and Douglasville.  Although not explicit in their post, we visited the stores to confirm that the sale is to clear the stores to close them permanently.   The stores tha ..read more

Another soup, salad and sandwich concept is entering the Atlanta market.  Z!EATS, which was founded in 1998 in Southfield, Michigan, is opening a new location at Westside Village (2250 Marietta Boulevard), a development along Marietta Boulevard in the so-called "Upper Westside."  The location has been in the works for about a year and is finally set to open in just a few days.   Joining existing eateries in the complex including Ted's Montana Grill, The Woodall, Cravewell Kitchen (formerly Clean Juice), Desta, and Gezzo's Coastal Cantina, among others, Z!EATS will be amon ..read more

ToNeTo Atlanta has been your number one source for updates on the Atlanta market entry of Raising Cane's and we are pleased to report that another Raising Cane's is in the works!  A new Raising Cane's is being proposed in Dunwoody where it would replace a former Wells Fargo bank.  The new Raising Cane's is planned for 4570 Ashford Dunwoody Road, between existing locations of McDonald's and North Italia.  (Wells Fargo previously downsized and relocated to the new Publix-anchored Perimeter Marketplace nearby.)   Carl Jenkins, real estate manager for the Baton Rouge-bas ..read more

The owners of UrbanTree Cidery took to Facebook Monday morning to announce that they will be closing their Tasting Room May 19.  The locally owned business has been a fixture on Atlanta's Westside since April 2016 and billed itself as "Atlanta's First Cidery." The cidery was opened by Atlanta dentist Tim Resulta, his wife Maria, and Maria's sister, Jackie.  In the post, the Resutas said they had decided not to renew their lease. The Resutas went on to say: "We want to thank everyone again for all of the support over the past 8 years, and will miss seeing y'all in the tasting r ..read more

Chicken Salad Chick, the popular chicken salad chain which in 2021 moved its headquarters from Auburn, Alabama to metro Atlanta, will soon open its 41st location in Georgia.  According to newly updated signage, Chicken Salad Chick will open a new location just off Highway 92 in Woodstock.   The new Chicken Salad Chick will open in the roughly 3,600 square foot space left vacant this past December when Joella's (188 Molly Lane) finally decided to give up the ghost and closed their last remaining Atlanta area restaurant.   Joella's, a Louisville-based hot chicken chain ..read more

Iron Hill Brewery, which entered the Atlanta market in late 2020 with a restaurant in Buckhead and in 2021 added a second location in Dunwoody, will soon close both locations, according to employees at the chain.  The restaurants, located in "The Block at Phipps" and Twelve24 are about 7,800 and 7,500 square feet, respectively, and are expected to close in the coming weeks.   No reason was given for the closures, but customers suggest neither location was ever as busy as they likely should have been given their size and location.   The restaurants featured an on-site ..read more

A Florida-based taco joint which abruptly closed its two metro Atlanta area locations as well as multiple locations in its home market, has opened a new location in Newnan.  Capital Tacos, which closed its Atlanta area locations in Johns Creek and Peachtree Corners in early March, both after less than a year in business, opened a new restaurant in Newnan on March 30.   We knew of the planned Newnan restaurant at the time of the Atlanta closures but never imagined it would open, but alas, it did.   The Newnan location, situated in a 2,500 square foot former Moe's Sout ..read more

Viva Chicken has closed its two Atlanta area restaurants in Kennesaw and Alpharetta.  The quick-serve rotisserie chicken restaurants opened in late 2022 and early 2023, respectively, and closed earlier this week, according to ToNeTo Atlanta readers.  By Thursday evening, all permanent signage was gone and the majority of the restaurant's interior furniture and equipment had been removed.   Sources close to the Charlotte-based chain indicate that neither Atlanta location ever met corporate expectations with both lagging far behind the financial performance of the chain's t ..read more

The owners of Blue Ribbon Grill have found a new home for their restaurant.  In a Facebook post early Thursday, the restaurant, owned since 2021 by Jennifer and Eric Greene, revealed they have leased space in North Hills shopping center to not only reopen Blue Ribbon Grill, but debut a second concept, too.   The Greenes did not reveal a timeline for opening but suggested that additional information would be forthcoming.  Blue Ribbon Grill closed in its original location as of February 25.     The new restaurant, in a center today anchored by Big Lots, is ab ..read more

A new location of Boot Barn is coming to Cumming.  The Wichita, Kansas-based retailer has leased the 18,000 square foot former Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in Cumming Town Center (2475 Market Place Boulevard) in Forsyth County for its new store, according to sources familiar with the retailer's plans.  The center's site plan has not yet been updated to reflect the new store. The new Boot Barn marks the sixth in Georgia for the growing retailer joining others in Columbus, Commerce, Gainesville Valdosta, and their newest in Augusta which opened this past September.   The com ..read more