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action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Like so many modern American cities, Atlanta\u2019s hospitality scene is its biggest cultural draw for both locals and visitors. New restaurants, breweries, bars and cafes open seemingly every day. Food and beverage establishments anchor the myriad mixed-use developments that are rising all over town.<\/p>\n
But, for a city that touts its diversity to the world, Atlanta\u2019s hospitality scene does not always reflect its population.<\/p>\n
“I think there is more work to be done in this area,”\u00a0Deborah VanTrece<\/a>, chef-owner of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, told Atlanta Business Chronicle. “It\u2019s been great to see Black chefs realize their dream of opening their own restaurants here. But when you look at Atlanta, I don\u2019t think the restaurant industry necessarily reflects the demographics of the city. So, that is something that needs to continue to evolve.”<\/p>\n The city of Atlanta\u2019s population is 54% Black, according to a 2019 Esri demographics report. At the glittering mixed-use projects within Atlanta\u2019s city limits, Black representation among business owners is lacking.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at new developments that are coming into Southwest Atlanta, specifically into West End, and then look and see how many of them are Black-owned businesses,\u201d\u00a0Aaron Fender<\/a>, co-founder of Portrait Coffee, said. \u201cYou will either be shocked \u2014 or not so much \u2014 at what you see there.\u201d<\/p>\n Fender and Portrait Coffee\u2019s remaining five founders, all of whom are Black, made a conscious decision to open their forthcoming shop in Southwest Atlanta.\u00a0They will take up residence at the historic Lonnie Watkins building<\/a>\u00a0on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. The portrait founders feel Black representation among the neighborhood’s business owners is crucial at a time when development is happening quickly, Fender said. In their view, Black entrepreneurs are too often cut out of the predominantly White network of developers, lenders and investors.<\/p>\n Less than a mile from the Portrait Coffee space, the Lee + White development sits along the Atlanta Beltline\u2019s Westside Trail without a Black owner-operator among the current roster of tenants. Nearly every person named as a founder or owner is White, per the development\u2019s website and websites for the individual businesses.<\/p>\n This is in stark contrast to surrounding area. The West End neighborhood that is home to Lee + White is 84% Black and 7% White as of 2017, according to City-Data, which compiles data from public and private sources.<\/p>\n “It’s very disappointing, because it does not reflect the community and culture,”\u00a0Latresa Ryan<\/a>, executive director of the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative, told the Chronicle. “All of our communities have something to offer. Black-owned businesses have something valuable to offer the city that is broadly regarded as a city of possibility for Black-owned businesses or Black people in general.”<\/p>\n Ben Hautt<\/a>, co-managing partner at Stream Realty, the firm that developed Lee + White from conception\u00a0until selling the project in to Ackerman & Co. and MDH Partners in 2019<\/a>, declined to comment.<\/p>\n Lee + White’s new owners are planning the project’s next phase of development,\u00a0which will include loft office space and a food hall<\/a>.\u00a0Leo Wiener<\/a>, Ackerman & Co.’s president of retail, says his company has always valued diversity at its projects and it will be a priority at Lee + White. Ackerman & Co. has “met with different groups within Invest Atlanta to reach out to minority-owned businesses,” according to Wiener.<\/p>\n “I can tell you we’ve had onsite meetings with fairly well-known African American restaurateurs,” he said.<\/p>\n Lack of representation is rooted in multiple issues, Ryan said. Black entrepreneurs generally do not have access to the financial capital that can come from a friends-and-family round of funding and may be necessary to get a business off the ground. Nor do they generally have the social capital that comes with being part of a predominantly White network of developers, investors and lenders<\/p>\n As a result, the average Black-owned business is valued at $58,085,\u00a0according to data from Prosperity Now<\/a>, while the average White-owned business is valued at $658,264. Nearly 96% of Black-owned businesses have no paid employees. Black entrepreneurs face much more difficulty than their White counterparts in building generational wealth.<\/p>\n The Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative is a non-profit that seeks to achieve shared prosperity by closing the racial wealth gap through community wealth building strategies. Ryan and her team believe municipal action would help close this gap. She said the institution of inclusionary zoning practices is an avenue to ensure the local “demographic and cultural economy are included in new developments.”<\/p>\n Pinky Cole<\/a>, who opened her restaurant, Slutty Vegan, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in 2018, is addressing the generational wealth gap in her own way. Slutty Vegan is wildly popular and drew huge crowds in pre-pandemic times, and Cole has expanded with two new locations. Thanks to all of her success, Cole is working on a philanthropic project that will help more Black men acquire life insurance.<\/p>\n “If more Black men sign up for life insurance, and if they die, they can leave some money for their children,” Cole said. “That creates generational wealth, so now we don’t have to worry about\u00a0celebrities paying for funerals<\/a>\u00a0when we have people who have life insurance policies so they leave something behind for their family.”<\/p>\n Regardless of any zoning mandates or any other potential directives from local government, Ryan puts the onus of solving the representation problem on developers. She believes they should look beyond revenue when determining whether a project is successful. Otherwise, Atlanta will only homogenize and fail live up to its progressive and diverse ideals.<\/p>\n This is a difficult proposition for an industry that, in the end, is judged by investors and lenders on dollars and cents. However, Wiener believes it does have merit.<\/p>\n “I think it gets more difficult if you’re buying land at today’s prices \u2014 pre-Covid \u2014 and you’re spending on construction prices where they are, it gets a lot more difficult to do that,” he said. “I understand the challenge, but I think you can find ways to do it. I can’t speak highly enough of Invest Atlanta. There are programs. There are ways to tackle it.”<\/p>\n Odetta MacLeish White<\/a>, managing director of the TransFormation Alliance, a collaboration of metro Atlanta organizations that promotes the development of mixed-income communities anchored by transit, agrees. White says minority entrepreneurs always have been forced to expand their social and professional circles to get on equal footing. She expects the same of the predominantly White development community. With Atlanta’s network or Historically Black Colleges and Universities and organizations such as the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the talent pool is available.<\/p>\n “They have not had to practice that,” White told the Chronicle. “So, that is why it will feel like work to tell them to stop and go in search. But you’re in Atlanta. It really won’t take that long. Then you find and figure out your relationships and develop the programming and the system that will help your Black entrepreneurship partners create an amazing product for both of you, create great goodwill for both of you, make everybody profitable in the long run. It will just take work in allyship.”<\/p>\n Few U.S. cities can brag about having more than 300 Black-owned food businesses, including but not limited to restaurants and bars, in their metropolitan areas. Atlanta is different, with its legacy of African American entrepreneurship, political power, corporate opportunities, economic impact and global cultural contributions. In many ways, it\u2019s a great place for Black food entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n But there are concerns about sustainability.<\/p>\n The impact of the novel coronavirus, combined with the national conversation spurred by killings of unarmed Black people by police and protests against racial injustice, is causing major disruptions to an industry that has always faced economic challenges. Add these to other difficulties associated with race, and the ramifications for the future of Atlanta\u2019s African American food and beverage scene are significant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/strong><\/p>\n COVID-19 has been extremely disruptive, says Walter Jordan, the founder of the Dogwood Group, a restaurant consulting firm based in Atlanta. Jordan got his start 30 years ago selling beer and pretzels in the Omni. He then spent eight years as general manager at the Cheesecake Factory, before working for R&B star Usher\u2019s Atlanta wine bar chain the Grape in the late 2000s. When a firm that normally handled liquor license renewals for the Grape was unavailable one year, Jordan took the opportunity to learn how the process works and discovered a new career. He now helps restaurants, bars, nightclubs and lounges prepare for inspections and meet requirements for licensing and permitting, along with other operational needs such as menu creation and staff training.<\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s firm advises clients of all backgrounds, yet being an African American native of southwest Atlanta motivates him to help Black entrepreneurs. But the reality today is different than it has been, with COVID-19 forcing an unprecedented number of drinking and dining establishments to close, temporarily and, in some cases, permanently.<\/p>\n Jordan says he\u2019s seen lots of Black-owned restaurants and food businesses come and go quickly in Atlanta, and although he says there are tough times ahead for many of them, there\u2019s hope that others will step into their places.<\/p>\n \u201cI get calls every day, all day, for two things: \u2018Walter, have you found me a building?\u2019 and \u2018Walter, I need to open up,\u2019\u201d Jordan says. \u201cThere are going to be several African American restaurateurs looking for opportunities. The prices are dropping considerably, so people are adamant about getting some of these turnkey opportunities as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I happen to be Black\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Atlanta\u2019s Black business community is not monolithic. Despite what may seem like a tendency to specialize in a few popular formats, including lounge dining, soul food and island cuisines, the way they approach their businesses is as varied as any other owners and operators.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it\u2019s great to be under the radar,\u201d says Adonay Deglel, co-owner of Old Fourth Ward\u2019s Edgewood Pizza. Deglel says he loves serving people and being part of the community of restaurants and bars along Edgewood Avenue, so much that he\u2019s going forward with plans to open a new neighborhood bar concept near Edgewood Pizza at the corner of Boulevard. It\u2019s called Handlebar, and it\u2019s geared toward Atlanta\u2019s passionate community of cyclists. He\u2019s also opening a West End location of the pizzeria<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n While Deglel appreciates the support from being a Black owner, he says doing business correctly and being part of the local community is what matters most.<\/p>\n \u201cI happen to be Black and I own a Black business that attracts over 80% to 90% of customers who are Black people,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty amazing that everyone\u2019s out there saying, \u2018Hey, it\u2019s a Black-owned business. Go out and support.\u2019 But this is a business.\u201d<\/p>\n His customers offered proof five years ago, when a fire forced the restaurant to close for a year and five months. \u201cThe day I reopened looked like I didn\u2019t miss a beat. There were some doubters that thought I\u2019d be run out of business, but I came back stronger.\u201d The lesson he learned, he says, is simple: Understand the buying power of Black people, and respect the people who patronize the business. You\u2019ll be appreciated, he says.<\/p>\n Deglel calls the pizza business \u201crecession-proof,\u201d and Chris Wiley, co-owner of the Oz Pizza chain, would agree. Having started in downtown Decatur in 1997, he and partner David Howard now operate three locations: Fairburn, Fayetteville and East Point<\/p>\n .\u00a0Being on Main Street in East Point, and owning the property, has been pivotal to his confidence in the business, he says.<\/a><\/p>\n Wiley says he doesn\u2019t allow being Black to limit his view of what is possible at Oz Pizza, and he says other Black restaurateurs should also guard against such defeatism. \u201cI believe it comes from the top, the leadership and the owner. Regardless of your race, if you\u2019re true to your business and running business properly, regardless of the community you\u2019re in, I don\u2019t feel that it\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n Money woes<\/strong><\/p>\n The restaurant business is universally unforgiving. A 2014 study conducted with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 17% of restaurants close in their first year. The median lifespan of a restaurant startup with five employees or fewer is 3.75 years, which is lower than other service-oriented businesses with the same staff size, which average four years.<\/p>\n Survival for today\u2019s restaurants is even more questionable. According to a recent report from the National Restaurant Association, the industry lost $120 billion in sales in the first three months of 2020, which it primarily attributes to the coronavirus. A survey fielded by the association during 10 days in May found that 8 million restaurant employees lost their jobs at the pandemic\u2019s previous peak.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the issue of funding: While 84% of the survey\u2019s 3,800 respondents said they\u2019d received Paycheck Protection Program loans, 75% said they did not expect to be profitable in the next six months without additional relief, and 78% said the PPP loans wouldn\u2019t be enough to help them keep paying staff without a significant enough increase in short-term sales to cover labor cost.<\/p>\n Ownership of not just the business but the entire property is one way Wiley suggests. \u201cIf at all possible, purchase and own your property, because then you can own your destiny, because you don\u2019t have that annual 3%-5% cost increase. You\u2019re sitting on an asset. You control your destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n Jordan, who helped the\u00a0owners of Nashville-based Slim & Husky\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0with their\u00a0recently opened second Atlanta location<\/a>, is in full agreement. \u201cThey own the land on Metropolitan,\u201d he says. \u201cIf this ever fails, they can always get someone back in the building and make residual money. That\u2019s what Blacks have gotta stop doing. We rent. You put a million dollars in it, and you\u2019ll never own it.\u201d Seventeen years ago, Deglel and his brother Henok bought the Edgewood Pizza building at 478 Edgewood Ave., known then as Charlee\u2019s Pizzeria, for $5,000. Since then, Deglel, who is known to friends and customers by the nickname \u201cBob Costanza,\u201d says it has generated millions of dollars in revenue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n Just a few doors down from Oz on Main Street, Henry and Kascha Adeleye are the owners of Kupcakerie, a bakery and dessert shop that sits directly across from East Point\u2019s library and MARTA station. They opened the brick-and-mortar space in 2016, after two years of shipping and delivery. Having a physical location was always the plan, but the two years of early revenue helped them get around the challenge of not being able to find investment.<\/p>\n They bootstrapped, mixing earnings from their online business with minor investments from friends to get the space at 2781 Main St., which they rent. They chose the location because it already had natural charm and didn\u2019t need a complete renovation. Henry grew up in East Point, and was able to market the business with relationships established from his childhood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t have access to any institutional capital or investors, parents. We had to save up the little crumbs and open with as little as we could,\u201d Kascha says. \u201cWe knew we had to get the capital ourselves. It was a means to an end, starting where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Scrutinized a little more\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a common story for Black owners, who say they have to work harder and smarter with less. And the Adeleyes say there are other ways in which race seems to play a role.<\/p>\n \u201cThe expectations are higher, even among Black people. Not that that\u2019s a problem; it\u2019s just a little tougher. I feel like we are scrutinized a little more and have a bigger target on our backs than if we were a Fortune 500 or franchise company,\u201d Kascha says. \u201cIt feels like we have to earn business 100 times more than other businesses do. We should be grateful for being patronized because we\u2019re Black-owned. We have to go above and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n Virgil Harper, chef and owner of Roc South Cuisine in Brookhaven, is a classically trained chef from Atlantic City, New Jersey. He just started cooking Southern food seven years ago but loves it, and is pushing to reinvent much of its staples. He sources food from local farms, and says he concentrates heavily on being food-driven, displaying quality, and offering premium customers service. He says some customers even tell him his prices are too low.<\/p>\n But he agrees that expectations are high for a chef-driven restaurant like his,\u00a0and laments a lack of recognition and respect for Black chefs<\/a>, not only from lenders but also traditional media and industry standard-bearers, who push for culinary exceptionalism.\u201cThey discriminate,\u201d Harper says of the food industry vanguard and media establishment.\u00a0\u201c<\/em>There are a lot of talented (Black) chefs out there, but they\u2019re not giving us a shot.<\/p>\n Doug Hines, owner of the Consulate restaurant in Midtown<\/a>, and Honey Bubble tea shop on Ponce de Leon, knows all about finding his own success after delivering it for others when opportunities are held back. And he doesn\u2019t hide his belief that racism exists in Atlanta\u2019s restaurant and bar community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n \u201cI know for a fact, as far as new restaurateurs looking at new spaces and meeting landlords, you\u2019re already behind the eight ball. They\u2019re not as willing to gamble on African American entrepreneurs or business owners. Landlords are not as willing to take chances as they are with other people. They won\u2019t do that with us. Everybody denies it, but it absolutely exists.\u201d<\/p>\n Funding has always been a big concern for Black food business owners.\u00a0<\/a>And some say there are race-related issues keeping more people from starting restaurants, bars and lounges.Wiley says this is why understanding the business side is critical, not simply for success but survival. \u201cI recognize there have been challenges,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople I know have had issues. I really think too it\u2019s connections, and who you know, in certain situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Wiley says he uses his own resources to help others, and advises Black owners to establish strong bonds with those who control capital. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for funding and you know an individual that\u2019s in the banking industry, follow that person. If they go from A Bank to B Bank, to C, I follow them, because that\u2019s what gives you that step up.\u201d<\/p>\n Hines found his own way, and says Black entrepreneurs shouldn\u2019t expect help from banks. \u201cGoing to the banks, in my opinion, is a complete waste of time,\u201d he said. \u201cGo around the brick wall. Find alternative sources of financing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bronx native moved to Atlanta in 1997 at 30 years old. A graphic designer by trade, Hines worked for Coca-Cola and other large corporations when he moved to Atlanta. A friend who worked for former Mayor Kasim Reed helped him become a vendor with the city of Atlanta doing design work, and Hines eventually did promotional graphics for some restaurants. Hines went into interior design, and his reputation for restaurant design led to him being cast in the sixth season of the HGTV reality show \u201cDesign Star\u201d in 2011.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n He and his wife, Mei Lin, decided to go into the restaurant business. They started with Honey Bubble and then the Consulate, insisting on going against the grain with international cuisine in a swanky, pseudo-hidden space on 10th Street. The quarterly changing menu has featured Russian, Ethiopian, Brazilian and Chinese cuisines, and currently includes recipes from Madagascar.<\/p>\n Jordan says he\u2019s sometimes concerned that Black restaurants are casting too wide of a net in an attempt to be all things to the entire Black dining community. \u201cThe first question I ask them is what are you gonna be? A club? A lounge? If you don\u2019t know right now, how in the world do you think I can translate that to the neighborhood planning unit?\u201d<\/p>\n Hines also says chasing money over focus is a mistake too many Black restaurants make. \u201cI wish a lot of the other owners would step it up a bit. It annoys me that so many restaurants double as nightclubs,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand the finances can be lucrative, but it shortens the lifespan of the restaurant and the serious consideration of the restaurant from others. You\u2019ll never hear Taco Tuesday at a Ford Fry restaurant that\u2019s not a Mexican restaurant. They\u2019ll never have a Sexy Sunday day party.\u201dHarper says he turns away from anything that distracts too much from the food itself. \u201cA lot of times, we put hookah in our restaurants, as opposed to concentrating on food and service.\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing more support<\/strong><\/p>\n While he says the food should speak for itself, Harper\u2019s passion for service and hospitality comes through on social media. He uses his channels to gain and retain customers, and targets Atlanta\u2019s entertainment industry as a means to market his talent. By attracting reality TV stars and music industry professionals with large Instagram followings, he has seen increasing business at Roc South. He says the strategy came to him after working for V-103 radio personality Frank Ski at Suite Food Lounge downtown, on events that attracted local and national celebrities. \u201cThey would eat my food and ask, \u2018Who the hell is the chef?\u2019 Everything else went from there.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth the trouble to prove your worth with exceptional cuisine and service, he says, because people want to support Black restaurants more than ever right now. And he\u2019s not the only one seeing the support.<\/p>\n Henry and Kascha Adeleye say this was their biggest June since opening four years ago. East Point is rallying around them, they say, including customers calling ahead to find out if they\u2019re an African American business. \u201cA lot of people, at least nowadays, look for Black-owned businesses, especially the past two months,\u201d Henry says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n Harper says he\u2019s resorted to turning off Uber Eats and DoorDash deliveries for hours at a time, just to provide service to a large number of patio guests who keep returning daily. And Hines says the same is happening at the Consulate. \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019ve gotten a few more patrons because they\u2019re more socially aware of the issue that exists and they want to support,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Everyone agrees that Black restaurants will have to learn new ways to serve the community. Deglel says not relying on a model that requires customers to sit between his restaurant\u2019s exposed brick walls, surrounded by paintings of famous Black musicians from Nina Simone to rapper J. Cole and enjoying giant \u201cking\u201d slices while listening to an eclectic mix of music, has been beneficial.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo: For the AJC<\/p>\n \u201cThere are gonna be some challenges for everyone,\u201d he says. \u201cRight now, the model that\u2019s working is pizza, and takeout is gonna be around. But a lot of businesses probably will not come back again.\u201dHines encourages Black owners to embrace the challenges and be optimistic about the future, even as they fight for equal opportunity. \u201cBlack people, we are very resilient. We\u2019ve had to be. We had to grow up with resilience in our DNA, and because of that, we weather storms better than a lot of people. Whether it\u2019s police brutality or hard times financially, we will find a way and overcome any obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n WHERE TO EAT<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking to support Black-owned food businesses in metro Atlanta? Here are a handful of Black-owned restaurants, grouped by county. For a comprehensive list of more than 300 Black-owned restaurants, bars, cafes, coffee shops, bakeries, catering companies and other food-related businesses in Atlanta and surrounding cities, please visit\u00a0AJC.com\/blackrestaurants<\/a>.<\/p>\n FULTON COUNTY<\/strong><\/p>\n The Consulate.<\/strong>\u00a010 10th St. Atlanta. 404-254-5760,\u00a0theconsulateatlanta.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Edgewood Pizza.<\/strong>\u00a0478 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-522-5512,\u00a0Facebook: Edgewood Pizza<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oz Pizza.<\/strong>\u00a02805 Main St., East Point, 404-761-7006; and 5 W. Broad St., Fairburn, 770-306-0603,\u00a0ozpizza.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kupcakerie.<\/strong>\u00a02781 Main St., East Point. 404-975-3751,\u00a0kupcakerie.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pit Boss BBQ.<\/strong>\u00a0856 Virginia Ave., Hapeville. 404-768-0036,\u00a0pitboss-bbq.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n DEKALB COUNTY<\/strong><\/p>\n DiasPora Kitchen.<\/strong>\u00a03523 Memorial Drive, Decatur. 470-240-5858,\u00a0diaspora-kitchenatl.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dilworth\u2019s BBQ.<\/strong>\u00a01544 Wellborn Road, Lithonia. 678-395-3043,\u00a0Facebook: Dilworth\u2019sbbq<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gilly Brew Bar.<\/strong>\u00a05329 Mimosa Drive, Stone Mountain. 770-557-1614,\u00a0gillybrewbar.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pesos Mexican Cantina.<\/strong>\u00a04920 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. 770-981-4123,\u00a0pesosatlanta.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Roc South Cuisine and Cocktail.<\/strong>\u00a03009 Buford Highway, Brookhaven. 404-481-5915,\u00a0rocsouth.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n COBB COUNTY<\/strong><\/p>\n Cafe Social House.<\/strong>\u00a01400 Veterans Memorial Highway, Mableton. 404-549-9096,\u00a0cafesocialhouse.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chef La\u2019s Fish Fry.<\/strong>\u00a04924 S. Cobb Drive, Smyrna. 678-293-5170,\u00a0cheflafishfry.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Eating Spot.<\/strong>\u00a0301 Lemon St., Marietta. 770-693-8546,\u00a0theeatingspot.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Harold\u2019s Chicken and Ice Bar.<\/strong>\u00a01477 Roswell Road, Marietta. 770-726-7779,\u00a0haroldschickenmarietta.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tassa Caribbean Restaurant.<\/strong>\u00a0224 Powers Ferry Road SE, Marietta. 770-977-3163,\u00a0tassarotishop.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n GWINNETT COUNTY<\/strong><\/p>\n Baby Al\u2019s Chicago Dog.<\/strong>\u00a0529 Indian Trail Road, Lilburn. 678-400-7571,\u00a0babyals.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cafe Songhai.<\/strong>\u00a03380 Holcomb Bridge Road, Peachtree Corners. 470-359-2969,\u00a0cafesonghai.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Escovitchez.\u00a0<\/strong>1350 Scenic Highway S., Snellville. 770-557-1299,\u00a0escovitchez.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Famous Toastery.<\/strong>\u00a01120 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Suwanee. 678-541-5345,\u00a0famoustoastery.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n