Atlantic Station Thread II - Page 6

AubieTurtle · #**101** Posted **Jan 1, 2007, 8:51 PM**

So Zaxby's misses out on business opportunities intown and someone else comes in and make the money instead. The real thing to worry about is that companies like Zaxby's will see opportunity intown but insist on bringing their automobile focused suburban plans with them.

BardSeed · #**102** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 2:36 AM**

In a similar vein as Zaxby´s, there is a pending development in Decatur at the corner of Trinity and College, across from Agnes Scott. A few hundred apts and some townhomes.

To do it, they´ve got to tear down a few buildings including a Dairy Queen. Decatur did not want to displace the DQ forever, so they made sure DQ would be the anchor tenant in the retail portion of this development.

Problem is, DQ franchises have to have a drivethru. Decatur and the franchise appealed to DQ HQ to make an exception but to no avail. As a result, the developer had to redesign the plans to incorporate a drivethru even though the franchise did not necessarily want it.

Pretty bogus, but maybe they have done something unique and unsuburban with the drivethru. Or maybe not. Here´s hoping anyway.

Unrelated, but related to this thread, is there any update on the Atlantic Station arch?

AubieTurtle · #**103** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 2:53 AM**

It's sad that they had to include the drive through. Not just because of the traffic but because of the loudspeaker for ordering. If I lived in an apartment there and had to listen to "May I take your order" and "can you repeat that" over and over again, everyday, I wouldn't renew my lease. It's weird that they say they won't allow it without a drive through. Does Dairy Queen not have stores in malls?

MarketsWork · #**104** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 3:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AubieTurtle

So Zaxby's misses out on business opportunities intown and someone else comes in and make the money instead. The real thing to worry about is that companies like Zaxby's will see opportunity intown but insist on bringing their automobile focused suburban plans with them.

I don't know how much business Zaxby's would be missing out on at this point, AubieTurtle. Restaurants like Zaxby's require a very heavy and steady volume of customers, and I doubt there is enough walk-in traffic in Midtown to make a Zaxby's profitable in Midtown without the "automoble focused suburban plans" to expand the base of customers. I'm sure Zaxby's would love it if they could make it on foot traffic alone, because their property costs would be a lot less without those expensive parking lots. Some day, but not yet...

Chris Creech · #**105** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 3:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarketsWork

I don't know how much business Zaxby's would be missing out on at this point, AubieTurtle. Restaurants like Zaxby's require a very heavy and steady volume of customers, and I doubt there is enough walk-in traffic in Midtown to make a Zaxby's profitable in Midtown without the "automoble focused suburban plans" to expand the base of customers. I'm sure Zaxby's would love it if they could make it on foot traffic alone, because their property costs would be a lot less without those expensive parking lots. Some day, but not yet...

I'm not sure Aubie's saying get rid of the parking altogether, but maybe get away from the surburban stand alone standard corporate design surrounded by parking approach.

The coffee shops in midtown do it, they tend to front the street and have packing in back. The Vortex does it, with a public parking lot across the street. The Flying Biscuit development at 10th and Piedmont, is street facing and friendly with parking wrapping around the back.

I don't think it's realistic to say that restaurants in midtown can currently thrive on walk-in alone, but I don't think it's an all-or-nothing proposition. It would just be nice if it was 50-50.

sabino86 · #**106** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 3:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AubieTurtle

It's sad that they had to include the drive through. Not just because of the traffic but because of the loudspeaker for ordering. If I lived in an apartment there and had to listen to "May I take your order" and "can you repeat that" over and over again, everyday, I wouldn't renew my lease. It's weird that they say they won't allow it without a drive through. Does Dairy Queen not have stores in malls?

They have smaller versions of them that sell the famous Orange Julius.

AubieTurtle · #**107** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarketsWork

I don't know how much business Zaxby's would be missing out on at this point, AubieTurtle. Restaurants like Zaxby's require a very heavy and steady volume of customers, and I doubt there is enough walk-in traffic in Midtown to make a Zaxby's profitable in Midtown without the "automoble focused suburban plans" to expand the base of customers. I'm sure Zaxby's would love it if they could make it on foot traffic alone, because their property costs would be a lot less without those expensive parking lots. Some day, but not yet...

I agree with Chris. The point isn't that they should have only foot traffic, it is that many other restaurants in the area are able to be successful in the area with sidewalk facing storefronts and no drive through. If Zaxby's can not appeal enough to people who do not insist on picking up food from their car then it is the wrong market for them and you are correct, they would not be missing out since there is not enough business for them.

I don't know if Zaxby's has enough appeal otherwise. Chick-fil-a use to be exclusively in malls but eventually expanded out of that model. It may be that Zaxby's does have an opportunity if they are willing to be flexible in the physical layout of their stores. If they are not willing and the opportunity does exist (that is, there truely is a market for their type of food with walk-in traffic, which doesn't necessarily mean that person walked from their home/office but just that they walked into the building, perhaps after parking in a deck), someone else will make use of the opportunity. Their gain will be Zaxby's loss. I certainly hope no one would advocate making midtown more suburban just so they can get their Zaxby's fix.

This is a funny discussion because I noticed while watching a Zaxby's commerical that the store is designed to look like something more traditional with a entrance on the front but you can't actually walk in that way. I have no idea if the store in the commercial is typical of the stores they build, but the design of the front of the store looked like it was pretending to be something its not, much in the way that cars trying to look upscale old timey would design the trunk to look like it had a spare tire attached to the back, even though the actual spare was a donut under the floor of the trunk. The design isn't for function but rather to give the impression of something that was functional on a product they wish to have a mental association with.

ATLtransplant · #**108** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 5:17 AM**

I always thought it was kinda odd that the Smoothie King @ 10th & Piedmont has a drive-through given that so many of the suburban locations (esp. in shopping centers don't). Businesses in very dense urban areas can't afford the space for a drive through and I think more businesses will shy away from them in areas that are dense enough to support enough foot traffic, like Midtown. Who knows maybe the Starbucks on 7th & Peachtree will just up and give up they're drive-thru and lot and opt for a enlarging the store one day. One can only hope.

gttx · #**109** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 6:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLtransplant

Who knows maybe the Starbucks on 7th & Peachtree will just up and give up they're drive-thru and lot and opt for a enlarging the store one day. One can only hope.

That would be so nice. There are never enough tables in that place.

GNofAtlanta · #**110** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 6:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BardSeed

Unrelated, but related to this thread, is there any update on the Atlantic Station arch?

They had a ceremonial groundbreaking on saturday.

Buck · #**111** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 2:17 PM**

I saw Children of Men last night at Atlantic Station... besides the fact that it was great (one of the best of 2006), I was really pleased that Atlantic Station was one of only 16 theaters in North America to be showing the movie. I'm very glad that it's starting to get some of the limited release movies. It goes wide on Friday, so it'll be in theaters everywhere then.

Tuckerman · #**112** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:09 PM**

A question re AS

Why are all the streets in the distict blocked off? Is this a city or a mall?

shanthemanatl · #**113** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuckerman

A question re AS

Why are all the streets in the distict blocked off? Is this a city or a mall?

Are they all blocked off all of the time?

I know I've been there a number of times when most of the streets have been open to traffic.

Are many of the streets closed on the weekends because of the perceived cruising "problem" that some felt was occuring on the weekends, or is there some other rationale for closing those streets?

WSUSOM · #**114** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:21 PM**

Most likely to discourage cruising and to make it more pedestrian
friendly. I remember when AS first opened people were driving through the district at a speed that would be more in line of a major corridor.

cactuspunk · #**115** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BardSeed

In a similar vein as Zaxby´s, there is a pending development in Decatur at the corner of Trinity and College, across from Agnes Scott. A few hundred apts and some townhomes.

To do it, they´ve got to tear down a few buildings including a Dairy Queen. Decatur did not want to displace the DQ forever, so they made sure DQ would be the anchor tenant in the retail portion of this development.

Problem is, DQ franchises have to have a drivethru. Decatur and the franchise appealed to DQ HQ to make an exception but to no avail. As a result, the developer had to redesign the plans to incorporate a drivethru even though the franchise did not necessarily want it.

Pretty bogus, but maybe they have done something unique and unsuburban with the drivethru. Or maybe not. Here´s hoping anyway.

Unrelated, but related to this thread, is there any update on the Atlantic Station arch?

That can't be true. There's a Dairy Queen in Vinings Kroger Shopping Center on S. Atlanta Road inside 285 with no drive-thru. It opened about a year or two ago. It's actually a crazy shopping center on a small parcel of land. So small in fact that there is a full parking deck on the roof of the Kroger.

BardSeed · #**116** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cactuspunk

That can't be true. There's a Dairy Queen in Vinings Kroger Shopping Center on S. Atlanta Road inside 285 with no drive-thru. It opened about a year or two ago. It's actually a crazy shopping center on a small parcel of land. So small in fact that there is a full parking deck on the roof of the Kroger.

Well, when I saw the original plans I was told that another version was pending b/c of the drivethru problem and that was the explanation given to me. Perhaps there's some archaic rule regarding drivethrus for old DQs or new ones? Or maybe someone's just pulling my leg. Regardless, the plans changed to incorporate a drivethru as of about two months ago.

ATLmangum · #**117** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 4:51 PM**

I was in town over Christmas and finally had the chance to check out AS and I had a great time. The streets are only blocked off on the weekends to accomadate the open air market, which had some pretty cool stuff. I had a good time shopping and found some really good deals as well. Unfortunately I didn't have time to eat but the restaraunt choices looked abundant. Overall I would rate my experience an 8 out of 10.

GTviajero81 · #**118** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 6:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLtransplant

I always thought it was kinda odd that the Smoothie King @ 10th & Piedmont has a drive-through given that so many of the suburban locations (esp. in shopping centers don't). Businesses in very dense urban areas can't afford the space for a drive through and I think more businesses will shy away from them in areas that are dense enough to support enough foot traffic, like Midtown...

Since your screenname says that you are a transplant, first of all welcome to Atlanta!

Now a little tidbit from someone who has lived here most of his life -- that parking lot on the left of the building housing Smoothie King, Subway, The Flying Biscuit, et. al, was there before that building even existed. I used to park there all the time to run across the street to Caribou when their parking lot was full back in the mid 90s. I thought the drive-thru strange myself, but all the builders did was to have a window in that side of the building. Notice there is no intercom or markings for a drive-thru. It's more like a 'theoretical' drive-thru, but personally I think it's more fun to just park the car and walk inside -- I mean isn't that the whole point of Midtown?

Cheers.

boomtown · #**119** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 7:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea

I love just about all coffee shops, including Starbucks. They're important places for people to gather and chat.

Try Inman Perk on Elizabeth Street.....a nice one....

MarketsWork · #**120** Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 9:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomtown

Try Inman Perk on Elizabeth Street.....a nice one....

Now that is a great name! My hat is off to those more creative than I.