151 Restaurants We Found Opening Across Georgia in 2026 (So Far)
Here's an update on everything we've found this year in Georgia.
Business Debut has interviewed restaurant owners across Georgia throughout 2026, uncovering new restaurants, cafés, bars, bakeries, food trucks and other hospitality concepts in communities across the state.
Here’s a look at what we’ve found so far.
NOTE: We have sorted everything alphabetically via city name. Please also consider that opening dates and details may have changed since we spoke to each business.
Click "Read the full article" underneath each blurb to see when we last spoke to owners of the businesses.
Acworth
Tap Town
Owners Adam Silverberg and Jay Clark are bringing Tap Town to a roughly 9,000-square-foot space next to Acworth’s central park. The lakehouse-inspired restaurant is designed as an all-day gathering place with indoor and outdoor seating, a self-pour tap wall and a traditional full-service bar. Food will range from breakfast and coffee in the morning to burgers, sandwiches, salads and other casual dishes later in the day.
Alpharetta
Graze Craze
Husband-and-wife franchisees Scott and Sara McNabb are bringing Graze Craze to Alpharetta with a concept centered on charcuterie. Customers will be able to order grazing boards, boxes and larger spreads designed for everything from individual meals to corporate events and celebrations. The owners also plan to host classes and events while incorporating locally made products into the shop.
American Deli
Franchisee Steven Kim is expanding American Deli in Alpharetta. The fast-casual chain is known for a broad menu of wings, Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, gyros, fried rice and other American comfort foods. The restaurant is designed around quick-service dine-in and takeout rather than a more formal dining experience.
Atlanta
17th & State Restaurant and Bar
17th & State Restaurant and Bar is joining the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Atlantic Station with an elevated modern Southern concept that will also be accessible directly from the street. Owner Trimi Dauti told Business Debut the restaurant will seat more than 100 guests in its dining room with additional seating at a new bar. The menu includes dishes such as fried green tomatoes, steak frites and seafood, with brunch also part of the restaurant’s service.
Ben Hill Pub
Fredericka Jones is bringing the neighborhood-pub model behind Sandtown Pub to Atlanta’s Ben Hill community. Jones described her existing restaurant as a “neighborhood Cheers,” and Ben Hill Pub will follow a similar approach with wings, tenders, seafood, ribs, salads and other comfort food. The cocktail program will add a local twist, with drinks named for people and history associated with the Ben Hill neighborhood.
Big Fat Vegan
Mother-daughter team Tanetta Ellzey and Iyonna Poags are moving Big Fat Vegan from food trucks and pop-ups into a permanent Atlanta restaurant. The menu is built around plant-based comfort foods such as vegan Philly sandwiches, jerk Philly sandwiches, tacos, burgers, buffalo cauliflower and chicken and waffles. Much of the food relies on mushrooms and vegan meats developed in-house rather than simply using commercially available meat substitutes.
Black Pizza Bankhead
Selam Afeworki and Natnael Tekeste are among the founders behind Black Pizza Bankhead, a family-oriented pizzeria on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard. The restaurant specializes in New York-style pizza available by the slice or as whole pies, using a house-made sauce. Wings, fries and family-sized combinations will round out the menu, with the owners also emphasizing job creation and investment in the surrounding neighborhood.
Botanico
Botanico Hospitality Group is bringing back Botanico in Midtown after previously operating the brand in Buckhead. Partner Felipe Rivera described the restaurant as an upscale Latin concept with roughly 150 seats in the former Lure space. The menu will draw from several Latin American and Caribbean cuisines, with seafood, steaks, rice dishes, tamales and ceviche among the offerings.
Cafe in the City
Gloria and Marvin Smith, the owners behind Cafe Social House, are bringing Cafe in the City to West Midtown. The 80-to-100-seat restaurant will carry over the breakfast, brunch and comfort-food style of their existing business while extending the experience later into the day with a full bar. Lamb chops and fresh salmon are among the planned dishes, and the new location will also have a dedicated coffee counter serving espresso, coffee and pastries.
CocoLuxe Ice Cream & Sweets
Tonya Whitfield is taking CocoLuxe Ice Cream & Sweets on the road with a plant-based dessert trailer serving different areas of metro Atlanta. The concept is centered on vegan, dairy-free and allergy-friendly frozen desserts, including fruit-based novelty treats. Whitfield plans to expand the menu into scooped vegan ice cream and customizable dessert bowls while maintaining a focus on lower-sugar and family-friendly alternatives.
Cotto Italian
Alexis and Scott Kinsey’s Fork U Concepts is expanding Cotto Italian into the former Stockyard space in Vinings. The restaurant will follow the model of the group’s Gainesville Cotto location with an upscale Italian menu and full-service atmosphere. Ownership plans to renovate the front of the house while maintaining the existing brand’s approach to Italian dining.
Delilah’s Everyday Soul
Delana Reeves is bringing Delilah’s Everyday Soul into its first standalone restaurant in downtown Atlanta. The fast-casual restaurant will serve familiar dishes from its food-hall locations, including fried chicken, mac and cheese and fried green tomatoes, while the larger kitchen will give Reeves more flexibility to develop additional dishes. The restaurant will also include a bar, adding another component that the smaller food-hall locations cannot offer.
Eggscape
Nahom Mekonnen is developing Eggscape as a breakfast and brunch restaurant and bar with locations planned for Atlanta and Lawrenceville. The concept is built around breakfast and brunch dishes alongside mimosas and other alcoholic drinks, with some global and African influences worked into the menu. Mekonnen told Business Debut the restaurants are intended to work equally well for a traditional breakfast visit or a more social brunch outing.
El Tesoro
Alan Raines and Shan Holler are expanding El Tesoro with larger restaurants in the West End and South Downtown. The new spaces will preserve familiar dishes from the popular Mexican restaurant while giving the culinary team more room to explore regional Mexican cooking, including moles, Baja-influenced dishes and rotating specialties. The South Downtown location will also include a private dining area and overflow mezcal bar downstairs.
French Toast ATL
Dolapo Erinkitola is expanding French Toast ATL from Marietta into Atlanta’s Cheshire Bridge area. The full-service restaurant specializes in breakfast, brunch and lunch and will largely mirror the menu that built the original location’s following. The larger Atlanta restaurant also includes a bar, extending the experience beyond a traditional breakfast café.
Glide Pizza
Rob Birdsong is expanding Glide Pizza into South Downtown with a significantly larger version of the Atlanta pizza brand. The approximately 3,000-square-foot restaurant will have more than 70 indoor seats, courtyard seating and a double-sided bar serving both spaces. Pizza remains the focus, joined by wings, salads, appetizers and cocktails, while a vinyl booth and DJs will give this location more of a nightlife atmosphere.
The Grotto
Shema Fulton is developing The Grotto as a Latin-inspired, open-air restaurant near Centennial Olympic Park. The tropical space is designed around a large patio for roughly 100 guests with a much smaller indoor bar, giving the restaurant a deliberately outdoor-focused identity. Street tacos, including seafood tacos, will anchor the food menu alongside margaritas and cocktails made with fresh ingredients.
Heritage Supper Club
Chef Demetrius Brown and Bellevue Hospitality are turning Heritage Supper Club from a pop-up into a permanent Atlanta restaurant. Brown plans a seven-to-10-course tasting menu that explores cuisines from across the African diaspora rather than focusing exclusively on the Caribbean. Meals will finish with an ice cream dessert bar, while guests who are not doing the full tasting menu will have access to an à la carte bar program.
High Noon Brunchery
Porche Perryman and Lorenzo Wyche are relocating High Noon Brunchery’s flagship restaurant to Buckhead. The brand bills itself as Georgia’s first all-pink café and has built a destination following around both its visual identity and hearty brunch food. Pancakes, French toast, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, vegan plates and Southern-inspired dishes make up much of the menu.
Honey & Challah Cafe
Patricia Kapusta is developing Honey & Challah Cafe as a kosher dairy café on Powers Ferry Road. The fast-casual restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch, with dishes including omelets, shakshuka, salads, salmon wraps, falafel, bowls, flatbreads and a house-made salmon burger. Kosher requirements mean many components, including pizza dough and sauces, will be made in-house rather than purchased prepared.
Hungry AF
Chris Berry and his team are expanding Hungry AF with locations in Atlanta and McDonough. The brand has grown around a broad comfort-food menu that includes wings, pasta, hibachi, Philly cheesesteaks and other indulgent dishes. The Atlanta restaurant is positioned near the Atlanta University Center, placing it close to students and staff from Morehouse, Spelman and Clark Atlanta.
Ikara
Ikara is bringing a large upscale Indian restaurant to Atlantic Station with several experiences inside one concept. The approximately 215-seat restaurant will include a casual bar, a fine-dining section and a smaller tasting room offering multi-course interpretations of regional Indian cuisine. Its cocktail program will also lean into Indian herbs and spices rather than simply following a conventional bar menu.
Illusion Sports Bar and Grill
Nahom Mekonnen, Amanuel Kassaye and Yonathan Kassaye are bringing their Lawrenceville sports bar into Buckhead. The restaurant will show soccer, football, basketball and other major sporting events while largely replicating the existing Illusion format. Wings, loaded nachos and tacos will anchor the food menu, with Mekonnen describing the tacos as one of the brand’s signature items.
Incognito
Botanico Hospitality Group is also developing Incognito in West Midtown as a modern interpretation of a dive bar. The concept will be cocktail-driven but intentionally more relaxed than a formal cocktail lounge, incorporating pool tables, DJs and outdoor seating. Food will be handled through an El Santo Gallo food truck, separating the bar experience from a traditional restaurant kitchen.
Island Seafood Market and Oyster Bar
Ingram Boykins is turning his mobile seafood business into Island Seafood Market and Oyster Bar at Upper Westside Market. One half of the concept will sell fresh fish and seafood for customers to prepare at home, while the other will operate as a sit-down raw bar. Boykins plans to make oysters the undisputed centerpiece, with an ambition to carry more than 100 varieties from across the United States and Canada rather than filling the menu with burgers, wings or other unrelated dishes.
Jagger Suite
The Restaurant People are bringing Jagger Suite to the rooftop of downtown Atlanta’s Moxy Hotel. Inspired in part by the famous image of Bianca Jagger riding a white horse at Studio 54, the lounge combines skyline views, cocktails, music and a glamorous nightlife atmosphere. The project also includes The Powder Room, a smaller reservation-focused speakeasy element within the overall concept.
Jamaican Jerk Biz
Ayanna Chambers is expanding Jamaican Jerk Biz into Buckhead after building the brand from a table setup into a food truck and then brick-and-mortar restaurants. The menu includes Jamaican staples such as jerk chicken, oxtails and rasta pasta. Beer, wine and rum-based drinks will complement the food program at the Buckhead restaurant.
Khao Thai Isan
Pok Aiemprig and partners are developing Khao Thai Isan near Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a large Thai restaurant with the energy of a sports bar. The roughly 4,700-square-foot restaurant is expected to hold close to 190 guests across its indoor dining room and patio. The kitchen will focus on cuisine from Thailand’s northeastern Isan region, while the bar will incorporate Thai ingredients and flavors into its cocktails.
Mama’s Pizza
Jimmy Vavaroutsos is expanding Mama’s Pizza into Brookhaven with a restaurant at the Amli development. The new location will include indoor dining, a sizable patio, beer taps and a garage-style opening connecting the dining room with outdoor counter seating. Pizza remains the core of the operation alongside Italian dishes and familiar pizzeria offerings.
Oasis Garden
Ashley Jones is creating Oasis Garden as a large outdoor restaurant and entertainment destination in Buckhead. The resort-inspired property will include roughly 140 seats, covered outdoor areas and a separate speakeasy-style lounge available for private events. The grill-driven menu includes dishes such as barbecue lobster mac and cheese, filet mignon, salmon, snapper, ribs, sausages, kebabs and a signature loaded hot dog.
Odoms and Sons BBQ
Quay Odoms is taking Odoms and Sons BBQ from pop-ups and a food truck into its first permanent restaurant. The counter-service operation will focus on smoked meats, with smoked oxtails, brisket and ribs among its signature dishes. Sides including sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese and spicy cabbage will accompany the barbecue, while the business will continue catering and mobile operations.
Palate Paradise
Charles Warren is moving Palate Paradise from social-media plate sales and a food truck into a permanent takeout restaurant on McDaniel Street. Seafood is the foundation of the business, with garlic-butter blue crabs among the items that helped build its following. Warren’s Mr. Incredible combination brings together snow crab, shrimp, corn and potatoes for one of the more substantial seafood offerings.
Pataaka
Anish Nair is developing Pataaka in Midtown as a contemporary interpretation of Indian fine dining. The roughly 113-seat restaurant will include a mezzanine for private dining and a 14-seat bar in addition to its main dining room. Small plates and shareable dishes will explore regional Indian flavors with an emphasis on technique and presentation rather than simply labeling the concept as fusion.
Pelicana Chicken
Franchisee John Suh is bringing international Korean fried chicken chain Pelicana Chicken to the Emory area. Korean fried chicken and the brand’s signature sweet, spicy and tangy sauces will lead the menu, but Suh also plans tacos, salads, pizza, fried rice and several side dishes. The full-service restaurant will seat roughly 60 to 70 guests between its dining room and patio while also being positioned for a busy lunch trade.
Pour Intentions Wine Bar
Sommelier Joseph Dennis and David Sylvain are developing Pour Intentions near the Fox Theatre. The wine program will highlight smaller producers and sustainable vineyards from around the world rather than relying only on familiar mass-market labels. Charcuterie, shareable dishes and desserts will be designed to complement the wine list and encourage guests to use the bar for both quick drinks and longer evenings.
Read the Room
Michael Copenhaver is combining a vinyl shop, restaurant and cocktail bar with Read the Room on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue. The split-level Art Deco space will put the bar and kitchen upstairs while the downstairs “Assembly Area” centers on vinyl records ranging from popular releases to obscure West African disco-funk. Handheld foods inspired by dishes such as arepas, samosas and West African puff-puffs will accompany craft cocktails, and customers will be able to order downstairs while browsing records.
Rosetta Bakery
Italian bakery brand Rosetta Bakery is expanding to the High Street development with a sizable indoor dining room and covered patio. The menu includes croissants, bomboloni, panini, mini cakes and other baked goods and savory café items. Its existing Buckhead location will function as a production hub supporting the new shop, helping the brand maintain consistency across its Atlanta locations.
Sagra
Former Bacchanalia sommelier Eric Di Nardo is developing Sagra as a neighborhood wine bar in East Atlanta Village. The food menu will lean Italian and take inspiration from Venice-style osteria snacks, giving guests the option to stop for something small or build the dishes into a fuller meal. Italian grape varieties will receive significant attention on the wine list, but the program will not be limited to Italy and will range from affordable glasses to splurge-worthy bottles.
SKOL Brewing Company and Valhalla Gaming Lounge
Gray Lane and Drew Tull are dramatically expanding downtown Atlanta’s Nordic-themed SKOL Brewing Company with Valhalla Gaming Lounge. The addition will bring approximately 30,000 square feet of entertainment space featuring more than 40 gaming options, including golf simulators, arcade games, billiards, darts and bocce. Live music, large televisions, private events and an expanded kitchen will push the brewery toward a full-scale eatertainment destination.
Some Luck
Talat Market partners Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang are developing Some Luck in Virginia-Highland. The bar-forward concept is intended to fill a neighborhood need for reliable late-night food, combining bar seating, standing room, booths and limited outdoor tables. The food and drink program will function alongside the Highland Ballroom event space, which will continue hosting private gatherings separately.
Spice
Brothers Nana and Baff Atakora-Bediako are expanding Charlotte-based Spice into Midtown Atlanta. The restaurant combines global-fusion cooking with a dark, design-forward dining room intended for date nights, birthdays and other social occasions. A private dining room and varied seating arrangements will help the Atlanta restaurant balance regular dining with celebrations and larger groups.
Stars Cafe
Stars Cafe is bringing a modern interpretation of the American diner to Decatur Street. The approximately 60-seat restaurant will serve burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, fries, wings and other recognizable handheld foods while also operating a full bar. Ownership sees the straightforward diner menu as a way to serve students, neighborhood residents and the steady pedestrian traffic surrounding the Pencil Factory area.
Trap Wingz
Damico Green is expanding Trap Wingz with additional Atlanta-area restaurants after starting the business from his apartment in 2018. Crispy wings anchor a deliberately indulgent menu that also includes burgers, fried fish, Philly cheesesteaks and loaded fries. The concept is heavily takeout-oriented and will also work with delivery platforms such as DoorDash and Grubhub.
Urban Tea Party
Sherolyn “Inde” Sellers is bringing Urban Tea Party back to Atlanta with a tea lounge, retail shop, tasting room and event operation in Sweet Auburn. More than 100 teas will be available across categories including white, green, oolong, black, pu-erh, matcha, rooibos and wellness blends. Tea flights and food pairings will be accompanied by cultural programming, wellness events and ticketed tea parties featuring music, poetry and other performances.
Wah Gwaan Naunie’s Yard to Grill
Sharmele Smiley and Evrol Rambo Smith are launching Wah Gwaan Naunie’s Yard to Grill as a mobile Jamaican and American food business serving metro Atlanta events and festivals. Smith brings traditional Jamaican cooking influenced by his upbringing in Clarendon, while Smiley adds American touches to the menu. Jerk chicken, pork, wings, ribs, oxtails and rasta pasta will be joined by sides including collard greens, cabbage, baked mac and cheese and rice and peas.
Wyld Bird
Thomas Syfan and Tony Seichrist are turning Home Grown into an entirely different restaurant after the breakfast-and-lunch institution closes for the day. Wyld Bird draws on Seichrist’s Miami background, with bone-in chicken brined, seasoned, cooked over charcoal and finished with a mixture including pineapple and orange juices. Rice and beans, plantain chips, guacamole and cocktails will accompany the chicken, while lighting, music and signage will transform the familiar Home Grown dining room for evening service.
Augusta
SUEA Thailicious
Arisa Thongsri and Jessie Wongkaew are bringing SUEA Thailicious to downtown Augusta as an Asian-inspired restaurant and bar. The approximately 40-seat dining room will serve both authentic Thai food and more playful fusion dishes, including Thai-flavored tacos and a massaman curry-inspired burger. The bar will receive significant attention as well, with an experienced bartender from Thailand developing cocktails using Asian flavors.
Surcheros Fresh Mex
Franchisee Madison Tuten is expanding Surcheros Fresh Mex in Augusta. The fast-casual concept centers on customizable burritos, quesadillas, nachos and other Tex-Mex dishes assembled for each guest. The format is built for quick service while still allowing customers to personalize proteins, toppings and other components of their meals.
Ball Ground
Cheez’d & Confuzed
Daniel Ray is giving Cheez’d & Confuzed a regular home after years of operating the award-winning grilled-cheese business on the road. The concept serves its cheese-heavy sandwiches from a converted 1964 Shasta Airflyte camper supported by an onsite commissary kitchen and outdoor picnic seating. Ray’s path into the business accelerated after winning the Atlanta Grilled Cheese Festival in 2019 and eventually leaving the medical field for food entrepreneurship.
Empire Steak South
Ray is also launching Empire Steak South as a second food-truck concept operating alongside Cheez’d & Confuzed. The menu is intentionally more focused, with hanger steak served over french fries as the central offering. Sauces including chimichurri will add variety, while the additional truck will also give Ray more capacity for catering and special events.
La Cantina Off Main
Guillermo Pomares, Freddy Benitez and Ramon Benitez are expanding their Canton restaurant with La Cantina Off Main in Ball Ground. The full-service concept specializes in authentic northeastern Mexican cooking rather than Tex-Mex, with dishes including aguachile de ribeye, cachetadas, campechanas and wood-fired meats. Pomares told Business Debut that specific cheeses, peppers, spices and produce are important to recreating the regional food he grew up eating.
Baxley
Mutt’s on Main
Kristi and Shaun White are transforming a historic downtown Baxley building into Mutt’s on Main. The small bar and grill will seat roughly 60 guests and retains historic features including original woodwork and the old metal-tile ceiling from the building’s days as Barnes Pharmacy. Wings and hand-patted burgers made with locally raised beef will anchor the casual menu, with the owners also considering supper-club-style steaks and thick-cut pork chops.
Bethlehem
Killer Crust Pizza
Justin Kamishlian is expanding Athens-based Killer Crust Pizza into Bethlehem. The pizzeria specializes in New York-style pizza, including 12- and 18-inch pies and oversized slices cut from 22-inch pizzas. Subs, salads, calzones and cannoli will round out the menu, and Kamishlian was adamant that beer belongs alongside a proper pizza offering.
Bremen
Hungry Vegan
Tanika Renee is turning years of restaurant and kitchen experience into her first brick-and-mortar business with Hungry Vegan. The restaurant will focus on plant-based comfort foods rather than exclusively health-oriented vegan dishes. Oyster mushroom sliders, buffalo and barbecue cauliflower wings and loaded potato skins are among the planned items, with the menu expected to expand as the business grows.
Brookhaven
Dish’s Bagels
Chad Dishner is bringing a New York-inspired bagel shop to Brookhaven. The family-operated concept will offer bagels alongside bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, lox and cream cheese and deli sandwiches piled with corned beef or pastrami. Although designed around grab-and-go service, the shop will have indoor and patio seating so customers can stay and eat.
Larita Cafe
Mohammed Saleh is developing Larita Cafe as a family-friendly café combining house-made gelato with pastries, sandwiches and coffee. Gelato will be made fresh in-house daily, while desserts include items such as eclairs, Paris-Brest, tiramisu, crème brûlée, tarts and San Sebastian cheesecake. Savory offerings such as focaccia sandwiches, avocado toast and pan bagnat will make Larita more than a dessert shop, while espresso drinks and Italian hot chocolate round out the café side.
Mama’s Pizza
Jimmy Vavaroutsos is expanding Mama’s Pizza into Brookhaven with indoor dining and a sizable patio. The restaurant will carry over the brand’s pizza and Italian-food menu while adding draft beer and a garage-style opening facing outdoor counter seating. Televisions positioned for patio viewing and nearby green space are intended to make the restaurant particularly suited to neighborhood gatherings.
Unkie’s Pizza + Bar
Richard Gazaway and Michael Colombo are developing Unkie’s Pizza + Bar around a thin, crispy pizza style. The owners plan to begin with a streamlined pizza-and-salad operation before expanding into a fuller restaurant with an indoor-outdoor bar, patio seating, appetizers and sandwiches. Gazaway told Business Debut he has spent months developing the dough recipe, making the pizza itself the centerpiece rather than treating it as one item on a giant menu.
Brunswick
El Rey Tequilas Bar & Grill
Arturo Sanchez and Luis Montalvo are developing El Rey Tequilas Bar & Grill as a Mexican restaurant, bar and sports-watching destination. The menu will move between traditional Mexican dishes, Tex-Mex and American bar foods such as burgers and wings, giving groups with different preferences plenty of choices. Cocktails, beer and wine will be joined by possible late-night programming such as salsa nights and karaoke.
Buford
Porterhouse Grill
Porterhouse Grill is expanding its steakhouse brand to a large former O’Charley’s near the Mall of Georgia. The approximately 7,500-square-foot restaurant will hold around 300 guests, making it the group’s largest location. Steaks will remain central to the menu, with the restaurant positioning itself for business dinners, celebrations, date nights and family occasions.
Xochitl Mexican Restaurant
Susana Zarate is developing Xochitl Mexican Restaurant with several members of her family and family friend Ramon Ortega. The full-service Mexican restaurant will have a substantial dining room and a full bar, creating a larger-format experience than a small taqueria. Zarate described the project as multigenerational, with siblings and children involved in bringing family cooking traditions into the restaurant.
Calhoun
Canyon Creek Coffee and Co.
Noah North is bringing Canyon Creek Coffee and Co. inside RAK Outfitters in Calhoun. The counter-style coffee shop will serve espresso drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos and Americanos alongside matcha, chai, smoothies, frappes and “dirty sodas.” North also plans protein coffees, other health-oriented beverages and baked goods including gluten-free options.
Casa Brasa
Evelyn and Ysmel Cruz are opening their first restaurant with Casa Brasa, a full-service Peruvian concept. Fish and steak will be prominent, with Nikkei and other Japanese influences reflecting the connection between Japanese and Peruvian cooking. A specialized charcoal rotisserie brought from Peru will be used for Peruvian chicken, while a full bar and cocktails complete the sit-down experience.
Camilla
Sip City Nutrition
Taylor James is expanding on the model of Hive Nutrition in nearby Pelham with Sip City Nutrition. The compact shop will focus on herbal teas, healthy drinks, protein shakes and waffles in a primarily grab-and-go format. Morning delivery to nearby businesses is also part of the model, giving customers an option when they do not have time to visit the storefront.
Carrollton
Workhorse
Carter Williamson is developing Workhorse as a multi-use destination built around a historic 1906 structure in Carrollton. The ambitious project combines a distillery, biergarten, cigar lounge, event spaces and a rotating food program rather than operating as a conventional standalone restaurant. Regional dishes such as beef on weck and crawfish Monica are among the types of food Williamson has discussed for the concept, allowing the menu to shift and explore different culinary traditions.
Columbus
Breakfastology
Logan Henderson is developing Breakfastology as a full-service breakfast and brunch restaurant with about 74 seats. The concept is deliberately built around less conventional sweet-and-savory combinations rather than simply duplicating a traditional diner breakfast menu. New York-style bagels and creative brunch builds will be part of the offering as Henderson tries to give Columbus diners dishes they do not see everywhere else.
Commerce
Bagels and Board Games
Alexandra Adams and John Kalina are combining a café with a collection of more than 200 tabletop games at Bagels and Board Games. New York bagels will serve as the foundation of the food menu, including breakfast sandwiches, pizza bagels and dessert-style creations. Coffee drinks including cappuccinos, cortados, cold brew and iced coffee will accompany the food while customers play board and card games.
Conyers
The Pour House
Rachel and Brad Smith are transforming the former Old Town Awards building into The Pour House. The European-influenced coffee shop will have a dark, intimate atmosphere with coffee, tea and French-style pastries during the café portion of the day. Beer and wine will give the business an evening identity as well, helping it operate as more than a morning coffee stop.
Dawsonville
Southern Sassy BBQ
Tina Everett is establishing a permanent commissary and food-truck base for Southern Sassy BBQ in downtown Dawsonville. Pulled pork and smoked chicken are the foundation of the barbecue menu, with Everett making her own sauces and dry rub for pork, leg quarters and wings. The location will support catering and events in addition to serving as the operational home for the mobile business.
Doraville
Banh Mi 135
Minh Le, Tony Le and Dung “Sushi” Le are expanding Banh Mi 135 with locations in both Doraville and Norcross. The fast-casual concept centers on Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches accompanied by Vietnamese coffee, sugar cane juice, snacks and a limited boba program. The owners’ own experiences growing up in Vietnam shaped their mission to make banh mi as immediately associated with Vietnamese cuisine as sushi is with Japan.
D’Pana
Astrik Nataly Rodriguez Rincon is developing D’Pana as a Venezuelan-American restaurant and sports bar on Buford Highway. Guests will be able to choose between a quicker counter-service visit or a traditional sit-down meal, making the service model more flexible than a standard full-service restaurant. Arepas, cachapas, hamburgers and tostadas are among the planned dishes, with a bar component adding to the sports-watching atmosphere.
Duluth
Barcito Sushi
Wilson Giovanny Perez and Melina Castan are moving Barcito Sushi from a tiny gas-station setup into a standalone restaurant. The larger space will seat roughly 50 guests and give the business a proper sushi bar after several years of operating through smaller formats. Sushi will blend Japanese technique with Latin and Peruvian influences, with several ceviches and tacos also planned.
Blue Polar
Eunae Yu is developing Blue Polar as a dessert café combining sweet treats and drinks in Duluth. Gelato will be joined by coffee, smoothies, teas, lattes, cakes and cookies, giving the shop a broad menu for both dessert visits and casual café stops. Light sandwiches will add a savory component so the business does not rely entirely on sweets.
Brick City Ice Cream Bar & Grill
Eliijah Pennix is bringing New Jersey food culture to Duluth with Brick City Ice Cream Bar & Grill. The concept combines a conventional bar and open kitchen with a cold-stone-style ice cream counter where customers can choose their own mix-ins, including alcoholic ice cream options for adults. Italian hot dogs and Italian cheesesteaks made with a specialty pizza-style roll will highlight the food side of the business.
Chingate Un Taco
Brayan Romero is developing Chingate Un Taco next to his existing Barberco shop on Buford Highway. Romero told Business Debut the restaurant will intentionally focus on authentic Mexican cooking rather than the Tex-Mex and Americanized dishes he sees throughout the area. Street tacos will be the primary attraction, supported by a smaller lineup of traditional dishes in a casual dine-in, takeout and delivery format.
Sugarphin
Duc Tran is developing Sugarphin as a 3,400-square-foot restaurant and social gathering space aimed at a younger crowd. Rather than building around alcohol, Tran described the beverage side as a “treat bar” serving visually interesting nonalcoholic drinks. Asian street food and finger foods will pull influences from Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean cooking while the interior takes a trendy, upscale approach.
Evans
Nordhavn Rustik
Dr. John Bojescul is creating Nordhavn Rustik as two European-inspired concepts sharing one building and kitchen. Nordhavn will operate as a Nordic and Scandinavian-influenced fine-dining restaurant with seafood at its center, while Rustik will function as a bakery, café and European-style deli. The café space can also become overflow or private dining for Nordhavn in the evenings, allowing the business to use the building differently throughout the day.
Smalls Sliders
Madison Tuten, Doug Puryear and Brian Smith are bringing Smalls Sliders into the Augusta-area market with an Evans restaurant. The brand operates from its distinctive bright-orange shipping-container-style “can” and keeps the menu deliberately narrow. Cheeseburger sliders, seasoned fries and shakes make up the heart of the concept, helping the restaurant maintain a simple drive-thru-friendly operating model.
Fayetteville
Santa Maria
Chef Mario Garcia is expanding Santa Maria with a large full-service Latin tapas restaurant in Fayetteville. The food will pull from Peruvian, Colombian, Venezuelan, Mexican and Andean traditions rather than representing just one country. Seafood will receive particular attention through a raw bar, while smoked meats and craft cocktails broaden the menu and beverage program.
Forsyth
Treats with Lenise
Lenise Leknes is transforming Treats with Lenise from a pop-up bakery and custom-cake business into a broader breakfast and lunch restaurant. Breakfast will take an American contemporary base and layer in Latin and French influences, taking advantage of the bakery’s existing experience with breads and croissants. Lunch plans include soups, salads and sandwiches alongside South Florida-inspired items such as tostadas and croquetas with a Southern twist.
Gainesville
Atlas Pizza
Vic Jordan is expanding longtime Gainesville restaurant Atlas Pizza with a smaller location designed more heavily around pickup and delivery. The new shop will still have roughly 35 dine-in seats, but its simplified menu eliminates subs and wraps in order to concentrate on pizza, salads and appetizers. Wings, breadsticks and cheese bread will support the pizza program, while Jordan emphasized consistency, generous toppings and service as the principles behind the brand’s longevity.
Roma New York Pizzeria
Javier Cruz is bringing Roma New York Pizzeria into the former City Park Pizza space on Riverside Drive. Thin-crust New York-style pizza is the focus, with Sicilian pies also available by the slice or as whole pizzas. Pasta, sandwiches, salads and wings round out the menu, and Cruz told Business Debut the food will be made from scratch rather than relying heavily on preprepared components.
Southern Touch Cafe
Southern Touch Cafe is joining Gainesville’s Harbour Point community with a Southern-focused restaurant concept. The menu is built around familiar Southern food and comfort dishes rather than a narrowly specialized cuisine. The restaurant is intended to serve both residents of the surrounding development and the broader Gainesville community.
Taqueria El Viajero
Taqueria El Viajero is taking over the former Brandon’s Cafe space on Candler Road. The restaurant will serve Mexican food including tacos and burritos while also offering burgers and breakfast dishes. That broader menu gives the business a mix of traditional taqueria items and accessible options for customers stopping in throughout the day.
Grayson
Wings & Seafood 102
Kevin Tran is developing Wings & Seafood 102 as a fast-casual restaurant built for both limited dine-in and substantial takeout business. Wings share the spotlight with an extensive seafood selection including crawfish, snow crab, blue crab, oysters and mussels. Po’boys, burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and chicken and fish sandwiches give the menu additional options beyond the seafood boils.
Hampton
The Energy Station
Samuel Bustamante is expanding his nutrition-shop business with The Energy Station in Hampton. The menu is built around quick, lighter alternatives including protein shakes, energy refreshers, fruit bowls, waffles and donuts. Bustamante already operates related nutrition concepts in Riverdale and Forest Park, making Hampton the group’s third shop.
Hiram
Shawarma Queen
Shawarma Queen is bringing a Middle Eastern fast-casual concept to Hiram. Shawarma and other familiar Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes will form the core of the menu, with the business designed primarily around approachable everyday dining. The restaurant adds another internationally influenced option to the growing restaurant mix in the area.
Johns Creek
Amorino
Italian gelato brand Amorino is joining the Medley development in Johns Creek. The company is especially recognizable for arranging scoops of gelato into flower-shaped cones, giving the product a distinctive presentation. Gelato-filled macarons, coffee and other sweets will complement the traditional gelato selection.
Cookie Fix
The Chunara Group is bringing Alabama-founded Cookie Fix to Medley. The concept specializes in thick, gooey cookies that are baked in-store throughout the day rather than sitting pre-baked for long periods. Hot chocolate, frozen yogurt and other desserts will broaden the menu, while the Johns Creek shop becomes another location in the brand’s growing franchise system.
CT Cantina & Taqueria
Ricardo Jaime is expanding CT Cantina & Taqueria to Medley with what will be the brand’s sixth location. The restaurant will retain the existing concept’s authentic Mexican menu rather than substantially changing the food for Johns Creek. The design will be unique to the development, however, with a possible ordering window facing Medley’s green space for margaritas and other items.
Fat Shack
Videsh Kumar is expanding Fat Shack into Johns Creek after operating another franchise location in Acworth. The brand is known for oversized, indulgent late-night comfort foods built around sandwiches, fried sides and other calorie-heavy combinations. The Johns Creek shop will also serve beer and wine while keeping a casual dining-room setup.
Knuckies Sandwiches and Sips
Founder Todd Broderick is bringing an updated version of Knuckies Sandwiches and Sips to Medley. Cheesesteaks and the original Italian sandwich remain important, while more chef-driven dishes such as a crab cake sandwich, lobster roll and rotating Sunday quiches will broaden the food menu. The “Sips” side will feature the company’s Sparkraft line of dirty sodas and craft sodas.
Lily Sushi Bar
Lily Susana is bringing the third Lily Sushi Bar location to Medley with about 50 indoor seats and additional covered patio seating. Sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiri will anchor the full-service restaurant, joined by hibachi entrées, teriyaki dishes, bento boxes and appetizers such as gyoza and edamame. Beer, wine and sake will make up the beverage side of the concept.
Nonna Lucia Italian
Rome native Alexander Richards and chef-partner Andrea Privitera are developing Nonna Lucia Italian around authentic Roman cuisine. Carbonara, cacio e pepe and amatriciana will be joined by dishes such as oxtail alla vaccinara, osso buco, supplì and calamari. Richards is also sourcing Italian olive oil, cured meats, truffle products, ceramics and art to extend the restaurant’s connection to Italy beyond the food itself.
Playa Bowls
Franchisee Nicholas Ransom is bringing Playa Bowls to Medley with a storefront positioned along the development’s central green space. The brand specializes in açaí bowls, smoothies, juices, cold brew and other fruit-forward items. A pass-through window and indoor-outdoor design will connect the beach-inspired shop with Medley’s concerts, festivals, yoga and other outdoor programming.
Rocky Claws
Sean Kim is bringing Seoul-born Rocky Claws to Johns Creek for the Cajun seafood concept’s first U.S. restaurant. Seafood boils featuring lobster tails, snow crab, shrimp and mussels will be served with signature sauces that incorporate Korean culinary influences. Fried seafood baskets and po’boys made with shrimp, oysters, soft-shell crab and cod will expand the menu beyond traditional boils.
LaGrange
El Callejón GTO
Juan Pablo Sanchez and Aldo Adrian Ramirez are developing El Callejón GTO as a fast-casual taqueria inspired by the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Street tacos, quesadillas and burritos will provide the traditional foundation of the menu. More contemporary dishes such as birria ramen will add experimentation without moving the restaurant away from the owners’ regional Mexican roots.
Lawrenceville
Alta Brasa Tacos
Marlene Servin and her partners are blending Brazilian and Mexican influences at Alta Brasa Tacos. Prime meats prepared with Brazilian techniques will be used in a deliberately streamlined taco menu rather than an oversized selection. The roughly 80-seat full-service restaurant will also have a bar serving cocktails, beer and liquor.
Burger Factory
Burger Factory is bringing its Canadian fast-casual burger concept to Lawrenceville. Fresh-ground burgers will anchor the menu, supported by indulgent sides and other casual food designed around quick service. The Georgia restaurant represents another market expansion for a brand that has already developed a following outside the state.
Chipoco’s Cuisine
Mayra Chipoco is opening Chipoco’s Cuisine with her sister Martha and parents George and Sandra. The full-service restaurant will focus on traditional Peruvian dishes and street foods prepared from scratch rather than relying on an Americanized interpretation of the cuisine. Rotating weekend specials and breakfast offerings will give the family additional room to showcase dishes beyond the regular weekday menu.
Kuyen
Jhonathan Moreno is blending his Venezuelan background and Peruvian family ties at Kuyen. Arepas and ceviches will be two of the restaurant’s signature categories, with additional dishes combining traditional recipes and contemporary street-food ideas from both cultures. The full-service restaurant is intended to feel like a casual “social kitchen,” with a bar and presentation that can also work for date nights.
NY Prime Fried Chicken
Manvir Singh has taken ownership of NY Prime Fried Chicken on Five Forks Trickum Road. Fried chicken is served in several formats including wings, tenders, drumsticks and sandwiches, keeping the menu straightforward and centered on the restaurant’s name. The change gives Singh an existing restaurant framework to build on while reworking the business under new ownership.
Queen P’s Soulfood Kitchen
Patrice Hill is building Queen P’s Soulfood Kitchen as a takeout restaurant, ghost kitchen and operating base for her food truck. Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad and collard greens are among the scratch-made soul-food staples, with dishes such as turkey and spinach lasagna adding variety. Hill will also use the kitchen for rotating meal-prep services, allowing the business to serve families, athletes and customers seeking prepared meals with different dietary needs.
Lilburn
Bite Theory
Obada Karaki is combining ideas from two restaurant businesses he operates in the Midwest with Bite Theory. The fast-food concept will specialize in fried chicken and seafood, including Nashville-style preparations, alongside rice bowls, lemonade and desserts. A drive-thru gives the restaurant a convenience-oriented model more closely aligned with quick service than a sit-down seafood restaurant.
Noori Food Hall
Brothers Hameed and Hamid Noori are turning a former restaurant into a roughly 6,000-square-foot halal food hall. Four service windows will divide the menu into concepts including wings and burgers, pizza, shawarma, ice cream and a café serving bakery items and coffee. Fresh juices and desserts will further broaden the lineup, while the owners also envision the dining room as a place where families can spend time rather than simply pick up food.
Unnamed Restaurant and Convenience Store
Mohamed Mazid is converting the former Loco Peppers space on Indian Trail Lilburn Road into a restaurant paired with a convenience store. At the time Business Debut spoke with him, the restaurant’s final branding and menu were still being developed. The project nevertheless represents a combined retail and food-service operation rather than a conventional standalone restaurant.
Locust Grove
The Gin Mill
Quinn O’Neill is creating The Gin Mill as both a permanent home for Quinn’s Catering and a dedicated events venue. The property includes a banquet hall accommodating around 150 guests, a covered patio and an outdoor garden intended for ceremonies and receptions. Weddings, private events and community gatherings will allow the catering company to host customers in its own space rather than working exclusively off-site.
Loganville
Coach’s Corner Tavern and Table
Coach’s Corner Tavern and Table is replacing Jersey Peach Bar and Grill in Loganville. Ownership is converting the existing restaurant into a new tavern-and-table concept rather than simply reopening the previous business under the same format. The project will focus on casual restaurant and bar service intended for the surrounding community.
Hummus Republic
Sushmitha Konduru is bringing Mediterranean fast-casual chain Hummus Republic to Loganville. Bowls such as the Gyro Garden, Fire Shawarma and Falafel Fusion highlight the healthier Mediterranean side of the menu. Chicken sandwiches, burgers and fries give the restaurant options for customers looking for more familiar American fast-casual food.
Macon
Cafe Del A Bru
Larry Brewer is turning his years of catering and military travel into Cafe Del A Bru inside a Shell station on Pio Nono Avenue. The carryout restaurant combines soul food with seafood, Cajun and Asian influences rather than limiting itself to one regional style. Brewer also wants nostalgic touches such as pound cake and red or grape Kool-Aid to make the food feel familiar and home-cooked.
Everything Wafflez
Tyrone and Takesha Grayson are developing Everything Wafflez as a counter-service breakfast and lunch restaurant. Waffle-based sandwiches lead the concept, but the menu also includes grits bowls topped with items such as catfish or oxtail. Smashburgers, hot dogs, salads and breakfast burritos give the restaurant a surprisingly broad menu beyond its waffle-focused name.
S&S Cafeterias
S&S Cafeterias is rebuilding its longtime Riverside Drive flagship after a 2024 fire. Ownership plans to modernize portions of the dining room while preserving the cafeteria-style service and historic identity of the restaurant. Most importantly, the company says the recipes and food itself will remain unchanged, maintaining the Southern cafeteria dishes customers have known for decades.
Marietta
Antika
Su Mentes and Busrag Ozanlimen are developing Antika near Marietta Square as an intimate Mediterranean small-plates restaurant. Spain, Italy and Greece are among the culinary influences, but the owners are intentionally avoiding restricting the menu to one specific national cuisine. Craft cocktails and wine will complement the small plates, while a large patio with a historic magnolia tree is planned as an important part of the restaurant.
Asher & Rose Grocers
Greg Lipman and Betty Bahl have converted their longtime Piastra restaurant into Asher & Rose Grocers, a specialty market, café and bar. In-house production is central to the concept, with a butcher, bakery and prepared-food program producing items for the counter as well as refrigerated and frozen cases. Local meat and produce, seafood, gluten-free breads and pastas and select Piastra favorites give the market a much broader identity than a conventional grocery store.
Honey’s Po’boys and Gumbo
Angela Randolph and her brother Lionel Thomas are turning more than 20 years of catering experience into Honey’s Po’boys and Gumbo. The restaurant honors their late mother, whose nickname was Honey, and reflects the siblings’ Louisiana upbringing. Po’boys, gumbo and other Louisiana dishes lead the menu, while traditional New Orleans snowballs made with an ice shaver purchased in New Orleans provide dessert.
Small’s Sliders
Rocky Moore is bringing Small’s Sliders to Marietta in one of the brand’s distinctive bright-orange “cans.” The streamlined menu centers on cheeseburger sliders, seasoned waffle fries and shakes rather than trying to compete with full-menu burger restaurants. Moore’s franchise group is planning additional restaurants along the I-75 and I-575 corridors, making Marietta part of a broader Georgia expansion.
West Park Sports Club
Alexis and Scott Kinsey are developing West Park Sports Club as an elevated two-story sports bar on Marietta Square. The upstairs will feature a darker atmosphere, plenty of televisions and the primary dining experience, while a downstairs bar can function for private events and later-night drinks. Oysters, wings and burgers illustrate the food philosophy: familiar sports-bar dishes prepared with a more chef-driven approach.
Martinez
Griffin’s Steakhouse
Sisters Diane McCall and Paula McCall are behind Griffin’s Steakhouse, which takes its name from their maiden name. Lunch will emphasize sandwiches, salads and appetizers before the menu transitions into a more traditional steakhouse offering at dinner. Steak will be the centerpiece, accompanied by chicken, fish, pasta and appetizers in an approximately 80-seat upscale dining room.
Milledgeville
Adell’s Fish and Chicken
Herschell Harvell is opening Adell’s Fish and Chicken as a primarily takeout-oriented quick-service restaurant. Fish and chicken will be cooked to order so customers receive the food hot and fresh rather than from a holding setup. Wagyu burgers and turkey burgers provide a few alternatives, while the name Adell’s honors Harvell’s mother.
Monroe
NYC Pizza Company
Robert Eggers, James Kenyon and Cassandra King are expanding NYC Pizza Company with a downtown Monroe restaurant. New York-style pizza is made with scratch dough, Grande cheese, Stanislaus sauce and extra virgin olive oil, reflecting Eggers’ focus on producing what he considers an authentic New York pie. Garlic bread, cheesy bread, four subs and four salads complement the pizza while keeping the menu intentionally manageable.
Norcross
Banh Mi 135
Minh Le, Tony Le and Dung “Sushi” Le are bringing Banh Mi 135 to Norcross as part of a two-location metro Atlanta expansion. Banh mi sandwiches, Vietnamese coffee, sugar cane juice, snacks and limited boba selections make up the streamlined menu. The brand’s identity is deeply connected to the owners’ Vietnamese upbringing and their desire to make banh mi a widely recognized symbol of Vietnamese food culture.
Chic’s Bakery
Brian Chic is expanding Panaderia Chic’s Bakery from Doraville into a larger Norcross operation. In addition to pastries, the new shop will put greater emphasis on savory Central American food such as tacos, quesadillas, empanadas, flautas, soups and stews. Breakfast will also incorporate traditional egg dishes, making the second location as much a restaurant as a bakery.
Iron Coffee Cafe
Malvina McNeill is replacing the Beatles-themed MET BrewMasters Coffee with a café centered on a much broader range of music and performing arts. A poet and author herself, McNeill plans poetry slams, open-mic nights, karaoke and other events intended to involve the local community. Specialty coffee, pour-overs, espresso, cold brew and pastries will support the programming, and the shop includes both general seating and a private room.
Library ATL
Library ATL combines a nightclub, lounge and restaurant in Norcross. Manager Aja Howard described a nightlife program built around Afrobeats and a broader fusion of music, with different themed nights and a dedicated dance floor. The kitchen will mix Nigerian, American and Mediterranean dishes with traditional club foods, giving the venue a daytime and food-service component beyond nightlife.
Tailored Smoke
Lawrenceville native Evan Parrish is bringing Tailored Smoke’s cigar-lounge franchise to Gwinnett County. The more than 5,000-square-foot venue will include a full kitchen, humidor, main lounge, members-only VIP section and outdoor patio, with advanced ventilation intended to control smoke throughout the building. Wings, nachos and other American-style small plates will accompany a bar and sizable wine program, while staff will help both experienced and first-time cigar smokers navigate the humidor.
Taqueria & Mariscos Diaz
Fany Bonilla Flores is developing Taqueria & Mariscos Diaz inside a BP convenience store on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Authentic Mexican food will be served alongside seafood dishes and tacos in a casual format geared toward workers, shoppers and customers looking for takeout. The restaurant gives Flores another food business in the area while operating under a different name from her existing restaurant.
The Bep Teahouse
Franchisee Hugh Do is expanding The Bep Teahouse with what will be his largest location yet. Vietnamese boba teas will be accompanied by a full food menu featuring popcorn chicken, bánh mì and other snacks, while drinks such as soursop tea and soursop slushes showcase real fruit. Do wants the more than 3,000-square-foot location to become a gathering place for Norcross’ Vietnamese community rather than functioning solely as a grab-and-go boba shop.
Vo’I Lounge and Event Space
Dawiska Dauphin is combining a Caribbean restaurant, upscale lounge and event venue with Vo’I. The space will be configurable for weddings, birthday celebrations and private gatherings, including the option for customers to reserve the entire venue. Caribbean food and a full bar will anchor regular restaurant service while the nightlife and event components give the business multiple uses.
Peachtree City
Que Delicia
Alexandra Mendoza is developing Que Delicia as a Puerto Rican restaurant in a former smoothie shop. The compact restaurant will use a counter-service model with limited bar-style seating, while takeout and delivery will be important parts of the operation. Traditional Puerto Rican recipes and flavors will form the center of the menu, giving Mendoza a platform to share food connected to her background.
The Oink Joint
Matthew Crawford is expanding The Oink Joint with the barbecue brand’s fourth restaurant. Pork, chicken, brisket and ribs can be ordered as barbecue plates, while sandwiches, salads, nachos and traditional sides broaden the counter-service menu. Crawford credits the company’s team with helping the brand grow steadily since its first restaurant began operating in 2010.
The Wine Bar
Father-daughter team Michael Surapine and Bailey Surapine-Meen are developing The Wine Bar around a globally focused wine experience. The interior combines traditional tables with couches, private booth-style areas and a glass-enclosed tasting room for events and wine tastings. Food is designed to complement the wine rather than overwhelm the beverage focus, while the varied seating allows the space to accommodate both social gatherings and quieter conversations.
Peachtree Corners
Fly Chef Restaurant
Gregory Owie is moving Fly Chef Restaurant into a significantly larger Peachtree Corners space that can accommodate around 150 guests. The additional room will allow the business to handle larger crowds, events and expanded catering compared with its smaller existing operation. Nigerian- and Jamaican-style oxtails, suya, seafood okra and smothered turkey wings are among the dishes associated with the restaurant.
Powder Springs
Bayou Brew Coffee Co.
Jonie Paden is bringing her Louisiana background to Powder Springs with Bayou Brew Coffee Co. The café will serve New Orleans-sourced coffee, praline-flavored drinks, white and traditional hot chocolate, fresh beignets and boudin balls. Louisiana-style snow cones add another regional element, while Paden wants the shop to function as a community space where customers can work, gather or simply slow down.
Roswell
Chucho
Perla Brito is bringing Mexican churro-and-chocolate brand Chucho to the United States for the first time at downtown Roswell’s Webb Collective. The company began in Mexico in 2018 and has grown to eight locations there. Churros will be made to order and customized with fillings, toppings and coatings, while both hot and cold chocolate-based beverages complement the dessert menu.
Coastal 38
Jerelyn Marsh is developing Coastal 38 as an intentionally intimate, 40-seat seafood restaurant geared toward date nights. Dinner-only service and a full bar will keep the focus on evening dining rather than trying to operate as an all-day seafood café. Salmon, whitefish and fish and chips will provide familiar staples, while rotating chef specials will introduce dishes such as Spanish paella and Asian-influenced whole fish.
Juice Time
Ali Saba is bringing Kuwait-born Juice Time to Georgia for the first time. Fresh juices, smoothies and protein shakes share the menu with more indulgent items including coffee, ice cream, crepes and Middle Eastern desserts. Kunafa will be one of the more distinctive sweets, and Saba described the larger goal as creating a place where families, students and children can spend time together.
OCT Chai Bar
Preeti Thukral is developing OCT Chai Bar around organic ingredients and teas sourced from India and South Asia. OCT stands for Organic Chai Theory, and chai will receive considerably more attention than coffee, with teas representing regions such as Assam and Darjeeling. Herbal teas, organic milk and health-focused food and snacks will complement the beverage menu, while books and a small lounge area encourage customers to stay awhile.
V’s Coffee Collab
Owner and roaster Harrison Bernard is moving V’s Coffee Collab from roasting and catering into its first permanent coffee shop. The tiny 473-square-foot space will have just a handful of tables and is deliberately designed to encourage conversation rather than becoming primarily a laptop workspace. Bernard will roast the coffee himself, local vendors will supply pastries and coffee bags will feature rotating artwork with QR codes directing customers to the artists.
Rossville
Flipside Burger Bar
Richard Barclift is developing Flipside Burger Bar after operating Lakeshore Grille in nearby Chattanooga for more than a decade. The restaurant will use a retro, counter-service format centered on smashburgers made with both beef and chicken. Chicken sandwiches, tenders, fries, salads and fish and chips will provide additional options, while beer and wine will give the casual burger restaurant a bar component.
Sandy Springs
Crazy Love Cafe
First-time owner Neil Collins is developing Crazy Love Cafe inside an office building on Roswell Road. The small shop is primarily designed as a convenient coffee option for people who work in the building, but it will also be open to the general public. Lattes, espresso and drip coffee will make up the beverage program, accompanied by pastries, muffins and other straightforward baked goods.
Gelatist
Gelatist is expanding from Greenville, South Carolina, into Sandy Springs with an Italian café-style concept. Italian-style gelato will be the centerpiece, with flavors such as pistachio, hazelnut, stracciatella and chocolate alongside vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free choices. Coffee, waffles, crepes, pastries and cakes made in-store give customers additional reasons to visit beyond gelato.
Omnia Room
Reginald Weeks is developing Omnia Room as a roughly 1,600-square-foot upscale lounge catering primarily to adults 30 and older. The space will have a central bar, lounge seating, tables and two semi-private VIP areas that can also support birthdays and corporate happy hours. A small kitchen will offer lighter foods such as charcuterie, fruit plates, warm nuts and wings while the overall experience remains centered on drinks, conversation and nightlife.
Teriyaki Madness
Franchisee Gonzalo de Aristegui is bringing Teriyaki Madness to Sandy Springs. The fast-casual chain specializes in customizable bowls with teriyaki chicken and other proteins paired with rice, noodles and vegetables. The concept combines Japanese-inspired flavors with a familiar assembly-line service model designed for quick lunches, dinners and takeout.
Savannah
Big Momma’s Kitchen
Tiffany and Curtis Smith built Big Momma’s Kitchen through soul-food pop-ups cooked from their garage before moving into a permanent restaurant. The takeout-oriented menu includes oxtails, smothered turkey wings, fried chicken, mac and cheese, potato salad, seafood rice, red rice, barbecue chicken and sweet potato pie. The business honors the couple’s mothers, whose generosity and habit of feeding others inspired the restaurant’s name and mission.
Elsewhere
Jay Trikha is developing Elsewhere as an approximately 8,000-square-foot restaurant and nightlife destination overlooking the Savannah River. Three separate rooms will provide progressively different experiences, ranging from a public-facing restaurant to a semi-speakeasy lounge and an exclusive members-only space. The food will draw from Southern European and Mediterranean cuisine in a tapas-style format, with rotating guest chefs providing additional special menus.
Lester’s
Chef Jacques Larson is developing Lester’s beneath the Douglas Inn with seafood and oysters at the center of the concept. Seafood towers, caviar, crudos and Lowcountry seafood will be supported by a substantial cocktail program. French influences will guide the cooking philosophy toward simplicity and strong ingredients, with local producers such as shrimpers, farmers and bakery Sixby also playing roles.
Marbled & Fin
The Neighborhood Dining Group is expanding modern steakhouse Marbled & Fin into Savannah. The two-story restaurant will put a large bar on the first floor and its main dining room upstairs, with private dining rooms available for groups. Steak remains important, but the concept gives seafood equal prominence rather than operating as a beef-only steakhouse, and the beverage program will include extensive wine and bourbon selections.
Nico Angelos Italiano
Chef Roberto Leoci is coming out of retirement to lead Nico Angelos Italiano in downtown Savannah. The approximately 75-seat restaurant is designed as a polished, high-end Italian dining experience rather than a casual neighborhood trattoria. The restaurant’s name honors Leoci’s son, Nico Angelo Leoci, making the concept personally connected to the chef as well as to Italian cuisine.
Pho 5Spices
Tobey and Jenny Vu are developing Pho 5Spices around a deliberately focused menu of authentic Vietnamese dishes. Pho, noodle dishes and rice plates will be the three central categories, supplemented by items such as spring rolls, egg rolls and bánh mì. The full-service restaurant will have roughly 45 to 56 seats and design elements intended to evoke Vietnam rather than presenting the food in a generic contemporary dining room.
Smashbird
Christine and David Cutlip are launching Smashbird as a fast-casual burger and chicken brand alongside their other Savannah restaurants. Thin, crispy smashburgers with vegetables grilled directly into the patties are the centerpiece, supported by hand-breaded chicken tenders, fresh wings, shoestring fries and a variety of sauces. Kiosks, QR-code ordering and third-party delivery reflect the owners’ goal of building a highly efficient grab-and-go concept that could eventually scale into additional markets.
Sharpsburg
Frida’s Grill and Bar
Teodoro Reyes Llamas is expanding Frida’s Grill and Bar from Fayetteville into Sharpsburg. The restaurant will largely replicate the original’s combination of full-service Mexican dining, a full bar and entertainment. Reyes Llamas said demand at the Fayetteville restaurant has produced waits lasting hours on busy weekends, making a second location a way to give existing customers another option.
Smyrna
Kupcakerie
Henry and Kascha Adeleye are expanding Kupcakerie after building the company from apartment-based baking into a multi-location Atlanta bakery brand. Cupcakes and specialty cakes remain the heart of the business, including significant catering work for birthdays, weddings and other events. The café also has a full coffee program and breakfast menu with biscuits, croissants and breakfast sandwiches, with breakfast burritos being added across the brand.
Snellville
Mi Mexico
Omar Callejas is developing Mi Mexico as a straightforward authentic taqueria in Snellville. Tacos, tortas and quesadillas are among the primary dishes Callejas shared with Business Debut. The focus is on recognizable Mexican favorites rather than building a sprawling bar-and-grill menu around American dishes.
Suwanee
Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar
Suresh Kulla and his partners are developing Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar as a full-service restaurant representing both North and South Indian cooking. Breads, biryanis, curries and rice dishes will be joined by specialties such as tandoori wings, chicken tikka, paneer tikka, pepper shrimp fry and fried fish. A full bar and sizable dining room push Mehak toward a more formal sit-down experience than a fast-casual Indian restaurant.
Social & Scoop
Elaine Ganapathy is developing Social & Scoop as an independent, family-owned dessert shop surrounded by schools and day-care centers. Rolled and traditional scooped ice cream will anchor the sweets menu alongside croissants, cakes and cheesecakes. Boba tea, milk tea, matcha and coffee give the business a sizable beverage component while reinforcing its goal of becoming an after-school and family gathering spot.
Valdosta
Three Crazy Bakers
Hart and Margaret Brown are expanding their Moultrie restaurant and bakery with a second location in downtown Valdosta. The restaurant will include a dining room, beer-and-wine bar and private space for smaller celebrations and events. The menu will mirror the original with sandwiches, chicken salad, quiche, burgers, salads and rotating specials at lunch alongside dinner dishes such as filet, prime rib and shrimp and grits, plus an extensive selection of baked desserts.
Waleska
Garland Mountain Grill
Jack Chavelier is rebuilding Garland Mountain Grill after a 2023 fire destroyed the original restaurant building. The new restaurant is part of a 230-acre property that also includes sporting-clays facilities and hosts corporate outings and other events. The rebuilt facility will restore the restaurant portion of the destination after ownership first prioritized returning the sporting operation to service.
Warner Robins
Fincher’s Barbecue
The Fincher family is expanding its barbecue brand with another Warner Robins restaurant, continuing a business that dates to 1935. The new restaurant will have room for roughly 75 to 100 diners as well as a drive-thru, a service channel the company has found particularly important at other locations. The menu will preserve the traditional barbecue and family recipes that have allowed Fincher’s to operate for roughly nine decades rather than reinventing the concept for the new location.
Waycross
Enoteca Wine Bar
Lolita and Kevin Esposito are bringing the atmosphere of their European travels to Enoteca Wine Bar in Waycross. Marble tabletops, dim lighting, sofas, armchairs and an outdoor garden are intended to create a relaxed but upscale place built around conversation. Around 25 to 30 rotating wines will accompany flatbread pizzas, charcuterie, salads and tapenade, with a smaller selection of local, domestic and European beers also available.
Whitesburg
Soul Food Flavor
Bobby and Christy Pressley are taking years of catering experience into a standalone restaurant with Soul Food Flavor. Breakfast includes biscuits, grit bowls and sausage gravy, while later meals feature meatloaf, barbecue chicken, brisket, turkey wings, baked chicken and rotating specials. The restaurant gives the Pressleys a permanent platform for food they had previously served primarily through catering and a period of operating in a mall environment.
Woodbury
Riverside Bar & Grill
Faiz Jiwani is developing Riverside Bar & Grill next to the Sunnyside Country Store he already operates. The family sports bar will serve wings, pizza, bar bites, chili dogs and sandwiches with televisions positioned throughout the space for game watching. Jiwani also plans a dedicated children’s area with claw machines and games, making the concept more explicitly family-oriented than a traditional neighborhood sports bar.
More openings in Coming Soon: Georgia
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Here's a round up of recent restaurant opening announcements across Georgia.
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