Bonus Bits

The Burger King on Memorial Drive at Columbia Drive has closed for an extensive renovation.  The restaurant, which appears to date from the early 90s, is actively being deconstructed to be rebuilt with the brand's latest look. The restaurant is expected to reopen in about five weeks.  

The new McDonald's on Chamblee-Tucker Road just off I-85 has opened.  The new restaurant replaces a shuttered QuikTrip which reopened in a newer, larger space across the street in 2013.  

Chef Guy Wong's highly anticipated ramen shop, Ton Ton Ramen & Yakitori, opened yesterday at Ponce City Market.  Guy Wong already is known to Atlanta's dining community for his Miso Izakaya restaurant in the Old Fourth Ward and more recently, Le Fat on the Westside.  

In a related move, Le Fat is ending lunch service today, July 1st. Wong said the move was so that he and his team could "put our lunchtime resources at our Ponce City Market location."  

Jinya Ramen Bar, an LA based restaurant, also opens today in Sandy Springs.  The restaurant is located in the same center as Flying Biscuit Cafe, D. Geller & Son, Sunflower Cafe, and Cheeseburger Bobby's among others, just north of Lowe's Home Improvement.   

Shoe Center officially closed at Toco Hills June 26th.  There is speculation that new property owner Edens will subdivide the 12,000 square foot space into a few smaller spaces.  

Southern Baked Pie Company is not only opening a new location in Buckhead in August, but also a new shop in Alpharetta.  The Alpharetta pie shop will be located in the new development The Atwater on Old Milton Parkway, across from Avalon.  The Atwater recently welcomed Starbucks, Pieology and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and will soon welcome the second location of Bezoria, a growing Mediterranean chain.  The Alpharetta location of Southern Baked is expected to open in late September.  

Atlanta Improv Comedy Club & Dinner Theatre plans to reopen "winter 2017" in a roughly 7,300 square foot space at Tower Walk.  The popular comedy club closed at the end of last year, as did its fellow establishments in the East Andrews Entertainment District.   The new property, located at 3365 Piedmont Road, sits above AMC Theaters Fork & Screen and behind Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse on "Piedmont Plaza - Lower Level."  The new Improv will reportedly be larger than its East Andrews predecessor with seating for 350 patrons.  Renderings indicate that local firm plexus r+d will design the space.  While work is underway at the space, the only building permit I could find on file with the city of Atlanta was earlier this month for installation of two 1,500 gallon grease traps.   

Also at Tower Walk, the retro red telephone booth outside of Farm Burger on street level will soon be replaced by a PNC Bank ATM, according to a permit filed this week with the city of Atlanta.