Bits & Bites

The new Mercedes-Benz showroom and retail shop is now open at Lenox Square in Buckhead.  ToNeTo Atlanta reported exclusively on the automaker's planned opening at the popular Buckhead mall last month, and the store quietly opened earlier this week. The Mercedes-Benz showroom is located near the front of the mall, close to Panera Bread. 

Tutti Express nail salon is coming to the second floor of the Luxury Wing at Lenox Square in Buckhead.  According to permits filed with the City of Atlanta, the nail salon will open in place of Connaisseur Paris, a men's boutique from Maryland.  The "express" location will serve as a satellite of Tutti's recently opened Tutti Spa & Nails salon on the second floor of Phipps Plaza.  Tutti Express is expected to open early next year.  


Bishops Barbershop, a Portland, Oregon-based franchise, is now listed as a tenant in the new 365 by Whole Foods Market anchored North Decatur Square near Decatur.  The barbershop is shown to be occupying a roughly 1,300 square foot space next to Cold Stone Creamery along the North Decatur Road portion of the center.  The Bishops website does not yet list the Decatur location, but does list one in "Chamblee," which is likely located in the new Parkview on Peachtree development on Peachtree Boulevard.  

The new Solis Two Porsche Drive hotel is accepting reservations starting November 1.  The new 214 room luxury hotel overlooks the 1.6 mile track at the Porsche Experience Center close to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  The hotel features two on-premise  food options, Apron and Overdrive Lounge.  Apron is the hotel's signature restaurant and features "innovative seasonal dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, presenting an inspired take on Mediterranean cuisine."  Overdrive Lounge is located on the roof of the eight-story hotel and features cocktails and small plates.  It is believed that chef Derrick Green, formerly Executive Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, will lead the culinary team.  Guests of Overdrive Lounge will also enjoy panoramic views of the Porsche Experience Center handling track and the runways of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  Solis, part of Capella Hotel Group, is designed "for travelers and meeting planners who seek luxury accommodations characterized by exceptional service, quality finishings and meticulous attention to detail."  Capella, formerly West Paces Hotel Group, was started by Horst Schulze, who made a name for himself as President of The Ritz-Carlton. 

Duck Donuts will celebrate the official opening of their first intown location  at Tuxedo Festival in Buckhead today.  Brooklyn native Andre Walters purchased the franchise rights to metro Atlanta and in addition to the Buckhead location, has another in the pipeline at Toco Hills.  Walters told ToNeTo Atlanta that he has plans for "others," but is not yet in a position to disclose where or when they will open. The Toco Hills location, as previously reported by ToNeTo Atlanta, will be between Taziki's and Menchie's in the Publix anchored center, in a space that has been vacant for years.  

***ToNeTo Atlanta and friends are competing to win Duck Donuts for a year.  If you enjoy ToNeTo's FREE content, please take a moment and like the Duck Donuts Buckhead facebook page and leave a comment on the pinned post at the top of their page using hashtag #MightyDucks ***

From the Earth Brewing Company, a new brewpub plans to open at the Connexion shopping center on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell on October 20. 

A new body care business called Lilly Sage Apothecary plans to open at 1097 Alpharetta Street in Roswell in mid-November.  The freestanding 1,800 square foot pie-shaped building is not far from historic downtown Roswell and a few doors down from where American Pasta Factory plans to open in a converted Burger Chef restaurant.  Co-owner Carol McEwin and her business partner both come from corporate retail backgrounds and will bring their experience and quality standards to their new Roswell business. McEwin describes Lilly Sage as a "craft soapery," with small batch, artisanal soaps and other related products. McEwin says of the importance of quality soap, "What laughter is to soul, soap is to the body."  The shop will also offer soap making classes as well as corporate gifting options. 

Frontgate recently reopened their store at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.  The 19,400 square foot store in the Nordstrom wing is almost double the size of the retailer's previous location nearby.  Key features of the store include a dedicated bistro and café space offering light bites and sips, an 1,800 square foot outdoor patio space, and on-site, same-day monogramming.  As previously reported by ToNeTo Atlanta, the former Frontgate space will open next year as Grand Lux Cafe.  

Front Page News has shuttered its popular restaurant on Crescent Avenue in Midtown.  Signage at the restaurant indicates that the closure is only temporary, "for renovations," and that it will reopen in 2018.  

Ponko Chicken tells ToNeTo Atlanta that they plan to open their new Chamblee Tucker location November 1.  

Mediterranean eatery Cafe Posh is opening at Hanover Buckhead, the new mixed-use residential tower adjacent to the Buckhead Theater, in the Buckhead Village.  The new eatery will be about 1,400 square feet and will join Tiff's Treats and The Iberian Pig in the new development.  The original Cafe Posh is located in Kroger-anchored Fountain Oaks shopping center on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.  The new Buckhead location will be slightly larger than the Sandy Springs restaurant.  Cafe Posh will compete in some ways with Buckhead favorite Al's Cafe Agora, but the menu at the Sandy Springs import is more diverse than the Agora Mediterranean menu.  Cafe Posh Buckhead will likely open spring 2018. 

Esteemed real estate developer and businessman Charlie Ackerman passed away late last month at age 84.  Ackerman established Ackerman & Co. in 1967, now one of the Southeast's largest full-service real estate firms. Ackerman's vision forever changed the skyline of Buckhead Atlanta with the construction of the first high rise office building, Tower Place, built in 1973. This was followed by other projects including the Swissotel, now the Westin Buckhead Atlanta; the former Rio shopping center in Midtown (award-winning but ahead of its time, and replaced with boring apartments, a Publix and a Walgreens) and Crowne Pointe in Central Perimeter.  "A large part of Ackerman's real estate success was his desire to not only build a great property but to create an atmosphere that catered to the needs of its tenants. He was instrumental in developing a tenant representation business that won the respect of his peers in the real estate world."  After receiving life-threatening injuries following a robbery in his home in the late 70s, Ackerman was inspired to found Ackerman Security Systems Inc.  After great success regionally, the company was sold in 2015 to a Canadian investment firm, Imperial Capital Group, and continues to grow nationally under the Ackerman moniker.  

A new location of Flying Biscuit Cafe is coming to Evans, near Augusta.   The 2,700 square foot restaurant will open in The Market at Riverwood at 3118 Willam Few Parkway. The new location will be the Atlanta-based chain's 11th in Georgia, and the 15th overall.  According to the Flying Biscuit website, there are also new locations coming to Dallas and Richardson, Texas, both new markets for the chain.  


Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group announced earlier this week that an affiliate of their firm purchased UK-based International Car Wash Group from TDR Capital LLP.  "ICWG is the largest car wash operator in the world, washing more than 35 million cars every year through more than 900 locations in 14 countries across Europe, the United States, and Australia." In the U.S., ICWG operates under the banners of Car Wash USA Express, Goo-Goo, Zippy's, Car Wash Express, and Supersonic Car Wash.   With the acquisition of ICWG, affiliates of Roark have acquired 61 multi-unit brands which combined, generate annual system revenue of approximately $25 billion from 28,000 locations in 50 states and 78 countries.  Roark's current brands include Anytime Fitness, Arby's, Atkins Nutritionals, Batteries Plus Bulbs, CKE Restaurants (the owner of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's), Corner Bakery, Driven Brands (the owner of Maaco, Meineke, CARSTAR, 1-800-Radiator and Take 5 Oil Change), Drybar, FOCUS Brands (the owner of Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon, McAlister's Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky's), Great Expressions Dental Centers, Il Fornaio, Jimmy John's, Jim 'N Nick's, Massage Envy, Miller's Ale House, Naf Naf Grill, Orangetheory Fitness, Pet Retail Brands (the owner of Pet Supermarket and Pet Valu), Primrose Schools and Waxing the City.


Record crowds greeted Whole Foods Market as they opened their highly anticipated Kennesaw location early yesterday morning.  The opening meant the closure of the Harry's Farmers Market in Marietta. 

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