New York City-based seafood franchise BK Lobster is making its Peach State debut this weekend, on Sunday, July 11th, with the grand opening of its first Georgia restaurant, at 4730 Frontage Road in Forest Park. The space neighbors King of Diamonds night club, and BK Lobster CEO Rodney Bonds says multiple collaborations are in the works. On Sunday, Bonds plans to do a R&B brunch for his restaurant’s grand opening.
Bonds opened the first BK Lobster in Brooklyn in 2019, and has since expanded to seven locations throughout New York and New Jersey, with more than thirty franchise locations teed up across the country. “When the pandemic hit, we had to make a decision,” says Bonds. “We decided to push forward, and it’s been a huge success. We kept hope alive, and look how it’s turned out.”
The franchise specializes in lobster rolls, but since its inception has become somewhat of a full-fledged seafood restaurant, offering a variety of seafood dishes and boils.
BK Lobster has two primary models — a lounge model and an express model. The Georgia flagship will use the lounge model, with plenty of indoor seating in a relaxed, fast-casual setting.
Following the Forest Park location, three BK Lobster franchise locations will open this year throughout Atlanta. The first outpost will open at 495 Whitehall Street in Castleberry Hill. Franchisee Kamira Jones says she hopes to have a soft opening in mid-August, with a grand opening in the works for Labor Day Weekend.
“I’m from Brooklyn, but I’ve been in Atlanta for twenty years, so this concept is very personal to me,” says Jones, who also owns the neighboring Kiss Ultra Lounge. “I love that BK Lobster is a Black-owned franchise, and I just thought the whole concept was so dope.”
Similar to the Forest Park location, The BK Lobster in Castleberry Hill will utilize the franchise’s lounge concept.
BK Lobster will also soon open an express location in Midtown, at 855 Peachtree St NE. “We just loved this location,” says franchisee Melvin Bradley. “It’s a diverse, vibrant neighborhood, so we wanted to make sure to bring good food and good service.”
While BK Lobster Midtown will function mainly as an express location, Bradley says the space will also offer some indoor and outdoor dining, as well as beer, wine, and daiquiris. Bradley says he expects the location to open sometime before October.
BK Lobster’s 3rd Atlanta franchise spot should open shortly after its Midtown location, at 880 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell. According to franchisee Tracy King, the space will be a hybrid lounge-express model, offering both easy takeout options and indoor and outdoor seating. “The most important thing to me is customer service,” says King. “I’ve believed in this concept since day one, and if I can bring great customer service to the Sandy Springs area, I’ll consider that a success.”
The Roswell location is expected to open in early October.
