Blog Topic: Restaurant News

Grub Notes: How to Help Restaurants the Most

By Hillary Brown | April 20, 2020 12:38pm

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how to help restaurants, and if you care about Athens, you probably have been, too.

First and foremost, you can donate to their GoFundMes or virtual tip jars. There are too many to link to here. Yes, it's possible some of those are shady. I wouldn't let that stop you from helping at all. Giving restaurants cash without requiring anything in return clearly helps them stay open, whether they're pivoting to delivery service during this pandemic or choosing to lay low or using their resources to provide meals to people who need them (Hugh Acheson is donating hundreds of meals a week to organizations that serve people in need, like Chess and Community, Dignidad Inmigrante en Athens and the Athens Community Council on Aging).

Lots of restaurants are trying to give you something in return, like T-shirts printed locally, or offering gift cards for the future. You can buy those.

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Grub Notes: UPDATED: Where to Eat While Sheltering in Place

By Hillary Brown | May 27, 2020 8:17am

De Palma's will be this empty for the foreseeable future.

Maybe you don't want to go to the grocery store right now. Maybe you can't cook. Maybe you're worried about the folks in the service industry who make up a big chunk of our town and are going to be especially hard hit by social distancing as we attempt to flatten the curve of COVID-19 contagion. Here are some restaurants going out of their way to help. Throw 'em some bucks if you can and/or donate to the GIving Kitchen, which will provide resources to those workers. Cosmic Delivery and Bulldawg Food are still operating, as are national services like UberEats.

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Grub Notes: Champy's Changes Names, a Persian Buffet and More Food News

By Hillary Brown | March 6, 2020 3:14pm

Photo Credit: Classic City Eats via Facebook

The owners of the Baxter Street location of Champy's Famous Fried Chicken, which opened in 2015, recently decided to separate from the franchise and create their own restaurant. The renamed Classic City Eats has a similar menu but does not have the Delta tamales that were a highlight. it does still have plenty of fried chicken, draft beer, fried green tomatoes and such. It's open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and lunch Tuesday through Sunday.

International Grill & Bar, the Iranian restaurant on Mitchell Bridge Road, has added an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $12.65 a person.

Square One Fish Co., in Normaltown, has added Sunday brunch from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. You can see the menu on its website.

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Grub Notes: Cravings Is Open Downtown; Nedza's Is Moving to Five Points

By Hillary Brown | February 25, 2020 1:08pm

Photo Credit: Nedza's Waffles via Facebook

Cravings, a restaurant with another location in Milledgeville, has opened an Athens location in the former Franklin House Cafe downtown, at the corner of Thomas, Broad and Oconee streets. The Milledgeville location focuses on deli sandwiches and bubble tea, with breakfast to go, as well as occasional Filipino specialties like pancit. Cross your fingers for the latter.

Nedza's, which started out as a pop-up puffle waffle business at a table at Athens Farmers Market, then expanded to doughnuts and more out of a truck, is set to move into the old Your Pie in Five Points, opening around April. It'll serve doughnuts, biscuits and waffles (with ice cream and fruit), with gluten-free options and vegan options, but not pizza (the oven was removed). The business will still do events.

Happy 20th birthday to Barberitos, which managed to franchise without losing its identity or going out of business. It's a real achievement! Making it to 20 years is genuinely difficult in the restaurant industry, so props.

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Grub Notes: Rashe's Cuisine Is Opening on Vine Street

By Hillary Brown | January 9, 2020 9:37am

Rashe Malcolm.

Hey, it's the first good news of 2020! Rashe Malcolm of Rashe's Cuisine is about to have a physical location once again. Malcolm has leased the space on Vine Street next to Broderick Flanigan's studio that was most recently Bajan Delight, and hopes to be open by February.

Malcolm owned a brick-and-mortar restaurant off Tallassee Road once upon a time, then went to catering only, then started building toward a shared commercial kitchen for small businesses (still in progress) and started a downtown market to let those vendors sell their wares.

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Grub Notes: Gigi's Cupcakes, Bone Island Grill Are Closing, and More Food News

By Hillary Brown | December 19, 2019 3:49pm

Photo Credit: Gigi's Cupcakes/Facebook

Both locations of the franchise Gigi's Cupcakes (downtown at Pulaski and Broad, by what is now a Chase bank, and in the Epps Bridge giant shopping area of insanity) will close effective end of day Dec. 21. Both stores are selling cupcakes for $3 each until they run out.

The Oconee County location of Bone Island Grillhouse, also out in the Epps Bridge area, also closed, on Dec. 16. The original Eatonton location remains open and will honor any gift cards.

More food news:

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Grub Notes: The Downtown Taco Stand Is Closing Sunday

By Hillary Brown | December 13, 2019 9:16pm

Photo Credit: Taco Stand/Facebook

Late Friday afternoon, Team Clermont, the music promotion firm, sent out a press release announcing that the downtown location of Athens' Taco Stand would have its last day in business Sunday, Dec. 15.

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Grub Notes: Eden's Cafe Is Closing, and More Food News

By Hillary Brown | December 9, 2019 3:41pm

The curse of 1660 W. Broad St., which has claimed a large number of restaurants over the past 20 years, continues, as Eden's Cafe announced that it will close Dec. 22, meaning another small, local business is shuttering right before the holidays.

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Grub Notes: Osteria Athena, I Heart Mac and Cheese Are Open, and More Food News

By Hillary Brown | November 21, 2019 12:00pm

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Grub Notes: The Café on Lumpkin Is Coming to Five Points

By Hillary Brown | November 12, 2019 2:07pm

Photo Credit: Café on Lumpkin via Facebook

It's been almost four years since the long-running Lumpkin Street Café closed, but something is finally brewing in the old house between Fleet Feet and the credit union. Luke Martineac, a young entrepreneur and business-type dude, found himself here in Athens while his wife pursues a doctorate in marine studies, wanted something to do and felt there was a need for a breakfast-and-lunch hangout in Five Points. Working with his brother, Peter, he's getting ready to open the Café on Lumpkin, aiming for late February.

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