InterContinental Buckhead’s 24-hour European brasserie could close by summer
UPDATE (April 25): Au Pied de Cuchon to shutter this fall
Au Pied de Cochon, Buckhead’s 24-hour European brasserie with a lobby bar and seating on Peachtree, is in talks to close.
The restaurant, located on the ground floor of the InterContinental Hotel at 3315 Peachtree Road, could close in June.
Patrick Birchall, general manager at the hotel, told What Now Atlanta over the phone Friday, that it was too early to confirm or deny those allegations.
“There have been talks about Au Pied de Cochon closing,” Birchall said. “We haven’t announced that yet.”
Unconfirmed, sources indicate if the InterContinental’s in-house restaurant closes, it will be replaced by a no-brand or no-name hotel restaurant.
“We as a hotel, if we announce an opening or closing, would like to send out that information in due time to share,” Bichall said.
Buckhead’s Au Pied de Cochon is open 24 hours — the only high-end restaurant in Atlanta to attempt such an ambitious schedule.
Developing…
Au Pied de Cochon
3315 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
13 Responses
That’s a shame. Lord knows hotel restaurants in this city need to be more interesting. This place was always a rare exception to the rule.
I think an Applebees or Red Lobster would do well there…something family friendly!
I bet BLT at W downtown is the next to go…
Disappointed, but not surprised. I loved the fact that Au Pied was a 24 hour spot – rare – but the atmosphere is sterile and French ostentatious in a way that seems like it’s just trying too hard (Atlanta usually goes crazy over faux fancy though); Food isn’t that great either. Perhaps it would have been better if it were more Bouchon-esque, and thereby more upscale bistro-esque. Bistro Niko is the best Atlanta example of this, and does pretty well, despite food that is so-so.
It’s sad to see what is supposed to be one of Atlanta’s premier hotels in a position where they would have to close a restaurant in lieu of a no-namer, which is typically what a lot of budget full service hotels do.
It would also be a huge disappointment if that happened to BLT Downtown too, as it’s a great restaurant – admittedly in a horrible location.
The recession started its downfall, and Bistro Niko finished it off.
@Urbanist: Why do you think BLT’s location is horrible? It’s a five-minute walk from a MARTA station, it has parking and valet service. Mind you, there’s not much going on around there at night.
I think you answered your own question – “there’s not that much going on around there at night”.
All of the development (save for the hotel) in the immediate area is office development, which means that after the work day is over, everyone hops in their car and heads home. This means BLT will never be a neighborhood spot, and will always have to be a destination restaurant for people, and Downtown Atlanta isn’t exactly a “destination neighborhood”. How alluring is it to drive all the way into Downtown Atlanta, just for a good steak – particularly when there’s a lot of other great steakhouses in Atlanta? You need other reasons for people to be in the area, in order for the restaurant to thrive. You need residents, which will create the need for more around the clock retail (not just those that cater to the 9-5 working crowd), which will bring in more unique shops/restaurants/bars, thus giving people a reason to say “let’s drive down to Atlanta to eat at BLT, and then go to locations, A, B, & C”. Not, let’s go to BLT to get a steak and then drive all the way back to wherever we came in from.
Here we go again, more Urbanist. Do you have a job? If so, who’s paying the tab? Gotta be the government.
Well we don’t have a burger joint in a hotel yet, Atlanta….
@ Urbanist: I thought that’s what you might have meant, but sometimes people say a location is bad when they actually mean that there’s some kind of ingress/egress problem.
I live near there and walk to or from Civic Center station most days of the week, and I’m of two minds about that whole Allen Plaza area. Of course it’s better than the big nothing that was there before but it still doesn’t work as a neighborhood because there’s nothing to make people stay once they’ve come to any of the five restaurants that are open at night.
The problem with Allen Plaza is that the ENTIRE development needed to get finished for it to all work. Unfortunately with the economy, the 50 story office tower and several apartments that were to be built by Post Properties never got built. Post still owns the land so there is a possibility of new apartments being built in the future, but the office tower is pretty iffy. Without the rest of the components, it’s going to be tough for that area.
Not to mention the Twelve condos has a horrible streetscape in front of the building on Ivan Allen. Who the hell approved that? It looks terrible.
Anyways, hopefully something will replace it. Whatever happened to Houlihans? LOL.
@Urbanist:
“All of the development (save for the hotel) in the immediate area is office development, which means that after the work day is over, everyone hops in their car and heads home.”
There are four residential buildings within 2 blocks of the W. Twelve Condos, Centennial House, Museum Tower, and that little development over Social on West Peachtree Pl. I didn’t mention the W Condos because I think there are only 1 or 2 occupants there.
The problem is more akin to BLT itself being a high end restaurant which would probably never qualify as a “neighborhood spot.” As a matter of fact, office developments are probably just what BLT needs – as opposed to residences – so executives can use it to wine and dine clients and prospects on expense accounts.
Sorry but I had to comment on this…why would you think a red lobster or apple bees should be associated with the intercontinental? Maybe the holiday inn express down the street…