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Atlanta, known for its vibrant culinary scene, has seen its fair share of celebrity-owned restaurants that came and went over the years. While some left a lasting impression, others quickly faded into the city's food history.
Today, let's take a stroll down memory lane as we remember a few “defunct celebrity-owned restaurants” that once graced Atlanta's dining landscape.
Justin’s
In 1997 after the end of the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Puffy” Combs who we all know as “Diddy” opened a restaurant called “Justin’s” in New York City. The restaurant was named after his oldest son Justin Combs.
The restaurant offered creative soul food dishes such as barbecue salmon, Blackened catfish, cabbage, yams, and more. Many people praised the restaurant for its atmosphere and reasonable prices.
The New York location would later close in 2007 after 10 years in business due to a “need for a larger restaurant in the NYC area.” But guess what… A new location never opened.
In 2010, music executive Tony Austin was shot in the establishment's parking lot and would later file a lawsuit against Diddy alleging the proprietors of Justin's were aware of "dangerous and hazardous conditions" at the establishment but failed to provide accurate warning or security protection.
In 2012 the restaurant abruptly shuttered with its manager telling AJC that it was closed for renovations and would reopen.
After AJC went old school and spoke with a spokesperson from Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group, it was later confirmed it wouldn’t reopen.
Emory at Peachtree Hills now operates in the former building today.
Café Dupri
American Rapper and founder of So So Def Records Jermaine Dupri opened his 22 hours a day café in Atlanta Georgia on June 6, 2005.
Café Dupri took a different approach than most other Celebrity Restaurants on this list by featuring healthy cuisines and desserts other than typical southern food.
The menu included items such as the “So So Def Omelet, Turkey Burger, Tomatoes Dupri, and more.
The opening of the restaurant coincides with his first Compilation album release from his label titled Young Fly and Flashy Vol. 1.
The restaurant would close in 2008 citing the ailing economy and that people weren’t eating out as much. Workers reported that they weren’t notified of the closing when they arrived at work with a sign that read “Thanks for patronizing Café Dupri. We have closed indefinitely.”
Workers also reported for weeks that checks bounced and that they have been refused at local cashing businesses.
Cecelia Mauldin (Jermaine Dupri’s Mother) who served as the CEO of Café Dupri issued notices to employees stating that payroll funds just weren’t available in a timely matter and apologized for any convivence convenience.
Cecelia Mauldin would later add that all workers had been paid and that it was a business decision to shut down Café Dupri due to it not making any money.
Linnethia lounge
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| Location in a plaza. |
Former Atlanta Housewives Star Nene Leakes teased the opening of a restaurant shortly after her departure from the reality show in 2020. The Linnethia Lounge (named after her Birth Name) opened in Duluth, Georgia a suburb outside the city of Atlanta. She ran the establishment with her husband (Gregg Leakes and her son Brent Leakes)
The venue featured Live Music, Valet Parking, Sunday Brunches, Hookah, and more being located just down the street from the now defunct Gwinnett Place Mall. The lounge was also frequented by many famous people in the industry most notably rappers Migos and Trina.
The prices of the establishment were very reasonable, and people praised the quality of the food, the atmosphere, and the alcoholic beverages. Many people didn’t take too kindly of the service provided and the $20 Parking fee and a Cover Charge to enter.
In September 2021, Gregg Leakes (Nene’s Husband) passed away after a long battle with colon cancer leaving many people wondering if she would continue operating the lounge. Nene would instead gift the lounge to her son, and he continued to operate it.
Just a year later her son Brentt Leakes suffered a stroke and heart failure just a year later in October 2022, leaving Nene heartbroken as she considered selling the lounge.
She would share that “if there’s anybody out there that’s possibly interested in the lounge, send them my way if they are interested in purchasing. It’s very possible that we will sell the lounge because it is something I shared with Brent after Gregg’s passing.”
The Linnethia lounge reportedly closed in early 2023, following Nene’s high-profile relationship with Nyonisela Sioh.
Scales 925 Fine Foods and Spirits
Hip Hop Mogul T.I. opened his first upscale restaurant Scales 925 in 2015 being his latest business venture at that time. The restaurant was opened by his business partner Charles Hughes.
The eatery was in the Booming downtown Atlanta area and featured Southern Soul Food Options such as Triple Duck Meatloaf and Buttermilk Fried Snapper.
The restaurant received mixed reviews stating utensils were often dirty and that the customer service was bad. On the other hand, reviews of the food were positive with some people just not liking the price of select menu items.
The restaurant was shuttered just a year later after failing to pay over 1Million in back rent it owed to its landlord.
12 former employees would later sue T.I. (real name Clifford Harris) and his business partner Charles Hughes over unpaid wages. The suit claimed that they weren’t paid properly and that they were also required to pay $4.00 out of their paychecks for broken glasses.
The situation gets even messier once they point out that Hughes used Scales LLC to create bank accounts for payroll and that he would deposit money from SCALES 925 into his personal account causing payroll checks to bounce.
A settlement was eventually reached in 2018 with T.I. paying the plaintiffs $8,333.33 each and another $25,000 in court costs.
This wasn’t the end of T.I. opening restaurants in Atlanta as he recently opened the Trap City Café in the Fall of 2022.
Frank Ski's Restaurant and Lounge
Former V-103 host Frank Ski debuted his 8,000 square foot Restaurant & Lounge in 2011, being located not too far from Diddy’s Justin’s restaurant.
Frank Ski’s Restaurant and Lounge featured outdoor courtyards, private dining rooms, VIP and cigar lounges in addition to a beautiful bar and a live music venue with an awesome Sunday jazz brunch.
The restaurant served signature dishes such as Fried Red Snapper, Braised Short Ribs, and Maryland Style Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. At the same time, the lounge provides a sultry and sexy ambiance for guests. At the same time, they listen to international sounds and lounge under the red LED lights illuminating the room, creating a relaxed environment."
In 2015 Ski put his restaurant and lounge It's for sale at $395,000 in cash for the assets inside the building and the rights to a long-term lease for $18,000 a month.
This was due to him leaving V-103 in 2012 after being a host for nearly 15 years and relocating to Washington D.C.
The restaurant was eventually sold to Kevin Edwards who renovated and reopened under the name Klass. This restaurant wouldn’t last long and would shutter after Kevin Edwards filed a lawsuit against Frank Ski for fraud and breach of contract.
DS17
The DS17 Lounge was founded in 2016 by Former Atlanta Hawks backup point guard Dennis Schröder opening in… yes you guessed it, Buckhead Georgia.
The restaurant/lounge offered a variety of menu items which received positive reviews, but people expressed frustrations over poor service and the automatic 20 % gratuity charge on the tab.
The restaurant most notably failed its health inspection and racked up 21 violations from not having soap at hand washing stations and heavy fruit flies.
Most notably, the lounge was located below apartments and residents often complained about the loud thumping music at late hours, fights, garbage, and illegal activities. The restaurant shuttered sometime in late 2017, according to Yelp and the restaurant’s last post on its official Instagram.
Kevin Gillespie’s Revival
American Chef, Author, and former Top Chef Contestant Kevin Gillespie opened his restaurant “Revival” in 2015.
Revival was located in Decatur, Georgia, and was described as “an experience you’d get if you were a lucky guest at the Gillespie family table, one that is deeply personal.
It featured recreations of foods Gillespie grew up with on the menu.
On January 14th, 2023, Revival closed its doors due to unforeseen circumstances. Kevin Gillespie’s would later state that someone broke into the restaurant and stole the safe containing all deposits from the holiday season, and the break-in caused “significant damage” to the building.
It was also further stated by Kevin that the building suffered damage from a severe thunderstorm. The damage from the break-in plus the storm would’ve cost $250,000 or more to fix and would put the restaurant out of business for at least six months, if not longer, he said.
Kevin Gillespie hasn’t given up on opening more restaurants in the Atlanta area as he is currently working on a new upscale restaurant in the area.
Geisha House/ Dolce Enoteca/ Ten Pin Alley (Dolce Group Atlanta)
Originating in Los Angeles, California, The Dolce Group (Atlanta) division was established in 2005 and managed upscale restaurant chains such as Geisha House, Dolce Enoteca, and Ten Pin Alley.
Geisha House, Dolce Enoteca, and Ten Pin Alley all opened locations at Atlantic Station in 2007.
Geisha House (Japanese Restaurant) closed in March of 2011 due to new developer Mark Toro, taking steps to “evolve” Atlantic Station and the closing of the restaurant was part of his plan of cutting down nightclub operations.
Dolce Enoteca E Ristorante (Italian Restaurant) closed 6 months later in August of 2011 as well which was predicted as part of Mark Toto’s master plan. Yardhouse would eventually replace its spot opening 8 months later.
Ten Pin Alley (Bowling Alley) would be the last to go just announcing its closure a week after Dolce Enoteca.
Straits Atlanta
Grammy-award-winning rapper Ludacris opened his latest business venture, Straits Atlanta off Juniper Street in 2008.
It offered a modern twist on Singaporean Cuisine, which is a combination of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Nonya cooking. The restaurant further incorporated Georgian ingredients into the menu as well.
In 2011 Shortly after securing a contract to open a restaurant in Atlanta International Airport under the name “Chicken N Beer” (which was named after his Third Studio Album), Straits shuttered soon after.
Sources state that the restaurant suffered from low guest turnout due to an overly-priced menu.
Ludacris “Chicken N Beer” still operates Today being located at Gate D5 in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with plans of opening a second location at L-A-X Airport.
Gladys Knight's Chicken & Waffles
Named after the legendary singer Gladys Knight, who is known for her soulful voice and hits like "Midnight Train to Georgia," Gladys Knight's Chicken & Waffles was established in 1997 in Atlanta by Shanga Hankerson, Gladys Knight's son.
The restaurant became popular for serving a combination of traditional Southern comfort food, such as fried chicken and waffles, along with live entertainment. The concept of pairing crispy fried chicken with sweet waffles has gained popularity over the years as a unique and indulgent dish.
On June 22, 2016, all three Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles restaurants along with were raided and shut down after Georgia’s Department of Revenue accused the owner of theft and tax evasion and owed them over $650,000.
The restaurant would later reopen days after Hankerson was released on a $20,000 bond.
Gladys Knight would later file a lawsuit in August 2016 against her son Shanga Hankerson demanding that he stop using her name and likeness in the restaurants, citing declining success and Hankerson’s ongoing legal troubles.
The suit was later granted in her favor and all locations were ordered to remove her name and likeness from his business.
All locations would shutter shortly after.
In case if you were wondering, Glady Knight herself wasn’t suspected of any criminal activity since she only lent her name to her son’s restaurants similar to being a celebrity endorsement.
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