[EXCLUSIVE] Dolce to Shutter in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta

Sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that New York-based LDV Hospitality plans to close Dolce Italian at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta on Saturday December 30.  The restaurant, located on the second floor of the project at the corner of Buckhead Avenue and Bolling Way, opened in August 2015.   

Dolce Italian at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta 

LDV will continue to operate their American Cut and Regent Cocktail Club concepts and is reportedly "doubling down" on making them both successful with menu updates and improvements planned for both.

This past August, LDV closed their upscale coffee shop, Corso Coffee, also located in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta.  "The Mourning Dove," a new coffee concept from the owners of Revelator Coffee, opened in place of Corso last week.  

ToNeTo Atlanta has been told by multiple people for over a month that Dolce was closing "soon" and that employees were aware of the pending closure.  Only this week were we able to confirm an expected closing date.  Given what is surely a complicated leasing situation, LDV said that they were "unable to comment at this time" when ToNeTo Atlanta reached out to their local representative regarding the closure. 

If the closure does happen as expected, Dolce would be the fourth restaurant and at least the ninth tenant overall to close in the posh Buckhead center.  

Previous restaurant closures include American Food+Beverage, Thirteen Pies and Corso Coffee.  Retailers that have closed in the project include Scoop, Kit + Ace,Denim & Soul and Helmut Lang.

Urbana Wellness Spa also closed in the center last year, after about six months in business.  

Local sources in the center indicate that there are a number of retailers that are likely to bow out of the project next year with Brunello Cucinelli a leading candidate.  Well placed retail sources indicate that Cucinelli's Buckhead outpost is the worst performing store globally for the Italian brand. 

San Diego-based developer OliverMcMillan, which owns and manages the Buckhead Atlanta project, has in recent months added a number of "pop-up" and temporary tenants to the project, but many fear it's simply not enough to move the needle.  Local pesto, seasoning and salt purveyor Bella Cucina recently opened a temporary holiday shop at the project, as did Miracle Two, a Christmas-themed cocktail bar. 

One specialty the project is not lacking is in the fitness area, where it includes the likes of F45 Training, Flywheel, Highland Yoga and newcomer Barry's Bootcamp.  

Overall, OliverMcMillan seems unwilling to loosen their grip on the center as exclusively for luxury retailers.  Retailers like H&M, Spain's Mango or Canada's Aritzia would likely be draws to the project, but are not especially "aspirational" or "luxury" and for that reason, may not fit the mold of what OliverMcMillan has in mind for the project.  That said, it could also be that many retailers, at all levels, are hesitant to open in such a challenged project where Hermes and Christian Louboutin are reportedly among the only retailers doing "well."  French restaurant Le Bilboquet leads the pack as far as restaurants go, with Shake Shack performing well too.  

What are your thoughts on The Shops Buckhead Atlanta? What would you like to see open in place of Dolce if they do close at the end of the year? What tenant could be added to The Shops Buckhead Atlanta to make you want to go [spend] more often?

Please share your thoughts below.  

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