Guests No Longer Thankful As T.G.I. Friday's Closes In Buckhead

Following the recent closures of ESPN Zone, Wolfgang Puck Express, Roy's Hawaiian and the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, T.G.I. Friday's on Peachtree has closed too. Located just north of Piedmont Hospital on Peachtree Road, their Buckhead location was one of only a few locations left locally when they ceased operations as of 9/28. At the same time, the Marietta location on Powers Ferry closed as well. With the closure years ago of the location at Friday's Plaza off Peachtree Industrial Blvd near Tilly Mill, the remaining locations are scattered around town in suburbs like Kennesaw, Duluth and Morrow. Friday's was a landmark of sorts, and while it may not have been the best food, it was good for giving directions on Peachtree: "Have you passed Fridays?" "What side of the road was it on?" Guess it still works in that function minus the signage. Certainly isn't as significant a loss as the Ritz Carlton Dining Room but nonetheless another closure in Buckhead, and most likely not the last. Repeat Atlanta!

"Big Ass Sale" Going On As LUXE Atlanta Closes

LUXE Atlanta of West Midtown's Brickworks development, has announced they will be ceasing operations no later than October 31. Currently they have a "Big Ass Sale" in progress with 50% savings on everything in the store. (Assorted furniture, display units and a fax machine are also being sold during the sale.) Open since 2007, the store was the brainchild of Jenn Ripley and opened in partnership with Lanny West, Leslie Fram and Carole Davenport. At first, basically a permanent sample sale, a boutique T.J. Maxx of sorts, the store was one of the first to open in the development. With a solid clientele built up from its earlier incarnations, the store seemed destined for every Buckhead Betty's Saturday shopping list much like Loehmann's is for some.

Offering a boutique setting while still maintaining the highest possible quality and customer service, LUXE Atlanta partnered with numerous charitable organizations and hired interns from local colleges. Sadly though, as much as everyone wanted the store to succeed, the surrounding area never grew the way it was expected to. Rather than additional complementary retail in the area, specifically in the Brickworks, restaurants, galleries, offices, studios and a grocery were the only tenants to materialize. As good as the PR and the offerings were, LUXE Atlanta was unable to succeed with such limited additional offerings in one of the worst recessions in generations.

As for Jenn, she now runs a similar operation, once again a traveling business known as Archive Agency. Leslie is now co-host and Program Director of WRXP, New York's Rock Experience. Lanny will continue to assist in the operations of Studio 1*FIVE*O. Carole Davenport can most likely be found cheering on her grandchildrens' various sporting activities, watching UGA football or on rare occasions, shopping! Repeat Atlanta!

Atlantans Not So Crazy For El Pollo Loco, Fiesta Brands Faces Forclosure!

El Pollo Loco corporate has taken over operations of its restaurants in Atlanta as of last Thursday. Fiesta Brands, its franchisee for the Atlanta market apparently was facing foreclosure and corporate assumed control of the stores rather than shuttering them all. Closing five of nine, the most successful stores, including locations on Cobb Parkway and Buford Highway were saved, for now. In late 2007 Fiesta Brands signed a franchise agreement that gave them the rights to open 50 units within the 53-county demographic area over six years, but clearly that will no longer happen.

Repeat Atlanta had the pleasure of speaking with Fiesta Brands COO, Joe Uhl last year at the Buford Highway location and he expressed then that the brand was experiencing an identity crisis of sorts. The units in Atlanta were state of the art, all built from the ground up with the food was served to your table, the line between fast food and quick serve restaurant seemed blurred. Not knowing how best to market the line may have lead to their downfall. Perhaps Atlantans were not quite ready to think "Outside The Bell?" With Willy's Mexicana Grill at a slightly higher price-point and Taco Bell lower, it seems El Pollo Loco just wasn’t able to carve out a big enough niche to make a go of it.

The build-outs and equipment of the Atlanta locations were quite expensive as well, with some nearing $2 million. This past June, locations in Cumming, Hiram and were rebranded "The Crazy Chicken" (El Pollo Loco) but it seems even that could not save them as just a few months later they were the first to be shuttered. Repeat Atlanta!