Restaurant plans for second reopening–we’ve planed for their third and final closing
The Glenwood in the East Atlanta Village has closed for the second time in two months.
The gastro pub at 1263 Glenwood Avenue hopes to reopen in time for St. Patrick’s day on March 17, according to co-owner Dan Simpson.
The restaurant first closed Jan. 1 when Simpson was unable to renew the pub’s liquor license (story here). “We didn’t have a liquor license because we didn’t pay for one,” said Simpson. “We had not generated the income to renew that license.”
The Glenwood reopened the second week in January (story here), Simpson told What Now Atlanta on a trip to the restaurant Tuesday, and closed for the second time mid February.
In an attempt to win back the community, Simpson and staff are “revamping the menu to make it more accessible.”
“We’ve added comfort food items like pork chops and meatloaf.”
The Glenwood’s extensive beer list will also be reduced from a selection of 160 to 100 for reasons of “maintaining inventory,” according to Simpson.
The space is now one big opened room. The walls sepearating the smoking and non-smoking sections have been removed and a “horseshoe bar” is now the restaurant’s centerpiece.
“When a restaurant is selling liquor, they have to have smoking to be successful,” said Simpson. “Our non-smoking section always sat empty which made us no money.”
General manager and former owner at the Gravity Pub next door, Josh Westberry, told What Now Atlanta that Gravity is “getting more business” since The Glenwood closed.
“However, we have two very diverse crowds,” said Westberry. “The Glenwood is more of the grown-up, husband takes his wife out for a drink whereas we cater to the younger, tattooed meets Cheers crowd.”
As for The Glenwood opening and closing on multiple occasions, Westberry said “they’ve created so much confusion for their patrons.”
So let’s put a date on their third and final closure– what are your predictions?
The Glenwood Gastro Pub
1263 Glenwood Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30316
22 Responses
To lesson the rent burden, why not just get rid of the dining room side then?
When it reopened I walked past to check out the menu- But it just wasn’t a menu for me so I never bothered to go despite spending lots of time in EAV and living close by. Their menu never lacked for effort and skill- it simply wasn’t a menu I liked. Hopefully they get it straightened out though I’ll say that meat loaf and pork chops aren’t things I normally would order so I’m not particularly hopeful.
I don’t see the point in guessing when they close for good. I mean, that’s kind of f’ed up. Maybe it’ll be better this time?
The Glenwood is one of the best bars in East Atlanta, with the best service hands down. Not every person is going to love every bar but my friends and I are regulars of the Glenwood. We celebrate birthdays there and frequently go for their delicious food, diverse drink menu and friendly staff. Dan has always embraced being in a community with other great bars and restaurants and thinks that it’s important that there are options for everyone. I wish the Gravity would embrace that philosophy as well. Saying that “The Glenwood is more of the grown-up, husband takes his wife out for a drink whereas we cater to the younger, tattooed meets Cheers crowd.” is crap. The Glenwood hosts all types of people and many of us go to both the Glenwood & the Gravity Pub. More than 80% of restaurants fail in the 1st 5 years. The fact that the Glenwood is trying to re-invent itself to cater to it’s patrons shows that they care and want to be around for a long time. I say go back to the Glenwood when they re-open. Try it for your self. Support local businesses and good people who work hard. I’ll buy you a shot!
The clean air section was the only reason for me to go to The Glenwood. That…and what was apparently an inaccessible menu. Shame to lose what was once a cool spot with some great food, but that seems to be the nature of ATL.
I visited the Glenwood and loved the food and the service was excellent but the smoke was overwhelming. Being a non-smoker I didn’t go back to that bar area because of that very fact. Now that they have torn the wall down, if I wanted to dine in the restaurant area away from the smoke I cannot. Bars can make money without allowing people to smoke in them. Many people, smokers and non-smokers alike do no like to smell like smoke when they eat or are socializing. Many other late night spots in the area that are getting their revenue. That is where I go. Shame, really great spot.
What the hell is with places in Atlanta “closing” and then re-opening? Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like this is a prevelant trend. Evos did it in Midtown, Glenwood did/is doing it, and I feel like somewhere else just did this recently too. It also seems like there’s such huge dissapointment when somewhere decent, like Glenwood, closes…which begs the question, “if so many people loved it, then how the hell did it go out of business?”
Urbanist you seem to really despise Atlanta and everything about it. Why are you here?
I liked the food at the Glenwood (maybe the first or second incarnation?), but did find the smoke overwelming and the non-smoking space seemed just too far removed from the bar area – dead without any liveliness.
I wish places would just go smoke free. Everything in Decatur is smoke free (including bars) and they seem to make it just fine – if not thrive!
I live in East Atlanta and am a regular at the Glenwood (i’m in there at least twice a week). I love the place, but it definitely has some issues that need to be resolved if it is going to succeed.
Both the food and beer menus were great at first (the creamed chicken cordon blue sandwich on a croissant was AWESOME), but after a while it grew into a gigantic list that was just too massive to not run out of things. It was a regular occurrence that I would order something and they would be out of it. At one point there were 6 different potato sides on the menu, and each was listed on the menu as being made with a different kind of potato. WHY? It just made no sense. They just need to go with a simple and small but high quality food menu with a decent selection of bottled and tap beers, with have a couple of featured rotating taps that change frequently and appropriately with the seasons.
I never understood why they added individual TVs to every booth on the bar side. Could have been an interesting idea to capture sports fans, but they don’t really work all that well and it literally takes 10 seconds to change the channel a single time… They also added a projector TV for the world cup, but just hung a white sheet on the wall
which looks terrible.
As for closing the restaurant/non-smoking side, that’s a real shame and yes it would be great to have more non-smoking options in EAV… But the reality is the dining room was always totally empty. I don’t know how many times I ate in there with my girlfriend we were literally the only people on that side.
All that being said, The Glenwood is a fun spot and has great potential. I think Dan and Bill are trying hard and hopefully these new renovations will succeed.
If cities in North Carolina, THE TOBACCO STATE
If cities in North Carolina, THE TOBACCO STATE, can ban smoking inside bars and restaurants why can’t Atlanta?!
I don’t despise Atlanta, I despise the fact that it is so much less than what it could/should be. It’s a city that has so many things working in its favor – weather, geographic location, major transportation hub, relative affordability, good corporate culture, etc. – and it squanders all of the opportunity those factors provide. I’m not from here originally, nor do I intend to stay here long term, so this is all just short-term frustrations.
I ate there twice. The first time I ordered the N.C. BBq plate. I received a dried out sandwich, 3 burnt hushpuppies and a tablespoon of
slaw. It was supposed to come with deviled eggs. The egg was simply boiled and cut in half. In other words, not deviled. I sent it back telling the waitress it was inedible The
owner(?), fat white haired guy was standing near the table and asked the
server what was the problem. She told him. He said, “I heard him, I should
go kick his a$$”. I heard him say this implicitly. As we were in a group of about ten, I let it pass and told the server that I did not care for
another choice.
Year later, same group wanted to go. I ordered the one of the ‘artisan’ plates. A few slices of meat, some cheese, etc. Biggest waste of money
I think I ever spent. Not only that, I went to use the restroom, turned the doorknob, found it unlocked and found the same dude standing there with his wang hanging taking a leak. If you can”t manage to lock the door with you have to take a piss in your own place, don’t expect me to be back. Hope the place f*cks off for good.
Urbanist, maybe you should try living in other not so great locations and then you can appreciate Atlanta more. Coming from Charlotte (sterile, boring city), I am much happier here. I realize Atlanta isn’t NYC or LA or Chicago (it’s not at that level yet) and if you compare it to those places constantly you’ll be frustrated.
Getting away from the topic at hand here, but the frustration isn’t a result of the fact that Atlanta “isn’t” NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. The frustration is a result of the fact that the people in this city are so damn resistant to change and progress, but so accepting and interested in the status quo. At the pace it’s going, this city won’t ever be a major urban center, where people come together in socially, economically, and intellectually positive ways. Rather, it’ll be a massive set of highways and road systems that allow people to commute between Chattanooga and Atlanta, and not really know which one to call “home”.
Max, that’s exactly why I rarely eat outside of Decatur. There are too many places in ATL with quasi-flexible smoking hours (ie The Porter) and it’s too much trouble to determine when or if they’ll have smoking. Besides, the places that allow smoking tend to smell like they do even when they don’t. I agree with Mike that less-civilized places (such as my hometown in MS) have eliminated smoking altogether, so why can’t we just do it across the board? I was having this conversation at dinner tonight with friends, who (like myself) are former smokers, and we just don’t get it. When we smoked, we did it outside. It was never appealing to smoke in an enclosed space, plus it bothers others. But in ATL, there’s clearly a misconception that places will be empty without smoking. Why don’t we work to ensure the places that force smoking on everyone are the ones that go under?
Reading some of these comments is like watching two retards debate about who’s underpants is better. Nothing in Atlanta is permanent, it’s about selling out and not about passion. Restaurant groups consistently change themes trying to rebrand themselves to appeal for new business. It is not the concept nor the space, it is the food. Bottomline. Passing off slop as good food can only go so far to the pedestrians of Atlanta.
Like someone said, if it was so GREAT, then why can’t they afford a new liquor license? The owner even said they didn’t make any money to cover operational costs. If you’re a regular and go twice a week and only get a beer for $5 each time, the profit margin isn’t that big. You’re not supporting them, you’re taking up valuable space. Changing out the chef time and time and time again doesn’t help either, especially for the “regulars” who only knows how to order what they eat over and over again.
Atlanta will never be NYC, CHI or LA, it just will never be, there’s no foundation. But it could be a lot better. ATL has gone backwards since the Olympics, not forward. And it’s due to the corrupt govt running this town. They have personal agendas, like padding their wallets with taxpayers money. Atlanta needs a total change of leadership, until then local businesses will stay stagnant while more franchises and chains are opened.
Just eat on Buford Hwy all the time and you’ll be fine.
They say they want to reduce the beer list for “reasons of maintaining inventory,” i.e. they never had half the beers that were on their list anyway, so they might as well be honest about what they’re able to offer
We were regulars, living in Grant Park. If it becomes full of smoke, we won’t return. Sorry. My lungs are valuable to me.
It’s now almost July and the Glenwood is still not open. I think you can officially tag this one on the “Deathmarch” list. such a shame…
The Glenwood Gastro Pub essentially has a great concept and great passion. However, this passion is arguably confused by having too any “cooks” in the kitchen. Bill has no idea what people in East Atlanta, or even people who are not burned out old dudes desire in terms of a hip and fun place to visit. He is WAY out of touch with his audience.
It’s one thing to say you are in touch with your audience if you are talking about people who come in to drink liquor and beer and eat bar food. No problem and not rocket science. But here lies the problem. Doing this does not a concept make. At all.
Gabe has a great passion and honestly has the ability to pull it off, however he parties too much and loses sight of his responsibilities of executing the concept. His uncle, Dan is truly a nice guy, but again, hasn’t a clue when it comes to restaurant concepts. And, again, a bit out of touch with dining trends and what makes a concept work.
The best example of this is the “Wine Bar” they poorly executed. Great concept and indeed something that could have easily escalated an already potentially successful restaurant. But… the folks responsible for executing it, primarily Bill and Dan, had NO CLUE what they were doing. It is a simple matter of knowing your audience. Baby boomers are typically not looking for wine bars in East Atlanta. Rather, it is going to be Gen Xers and Millennials who will patronize this sort of concept, even if it is just because it happens to be there and part of an already successful concept.
The truth is, you might (very improbable) alienate Baby Boomers by having a cool and creative concept, but you will definitely alienate younger patrons by having some old white table cloth, easy-listening-nose-in-the-air wine environment. On premise wine-by-the-glass service is one of the fastest growing categories in dining and guess who is leading this trend: Gen X and Millennials. That’s right Baby Boomers are essentially out of the picture more or less now.
The Glenwood started out on the right foot by involving some great folks to help put together the concept, wine list and charcuterie menu, but alas Bill and Dan dripped the ball because they DON’T get the audience or the concept.
This is a huge disparity and disconnect, so no wonder it didn’t work. The wine list was really cool and fun, but the execution was WAY off.
I’ve been to wine bars all over the country and I can say the most successful are hip, funky, chill and really exciting and fun. I’ve sat next to folks coming out of the symphony and punk kids just tables apart-equally digging the scene and exotic downtempo, or afro-cuban vibes-for example.
Be creative people. Please. And execute on your concept. Stop drinking your profits, hire only the best and stick by your guns. Otherwise, like so many other restaurants in this world, you will only end up being a statistical casualty.
Also, a major death nail was leaving Angel to run the kitchen for WAY too long. The food was mediocre at best.
re you listening Glenwood???? Focus your concept. Get Ryan or another talented chef to put together a stellar food menu, do the wine thing right, push whatever it is you choose to be unique and kick ass doing it.
Don’t let mediocre service or idiotic politics get in the way.
Where is Gordon Ramsey when you need him.?????
w3rd