Kevin Maxey, the former vice president of Ford Fry’s restaurant group and chef credited with the successful concept of the Tex-Mex restaurant Superica, is opening his own Italian restaurant named Pendolino this year, according to construction plans reviewed by What Now Atlanta.
Pendolino is Italian for “small pendulum” and is also the name of an Italian family of high-speed tilting and non-tilting trains.
Maxey will open his first restaurant in the mixed-used development previously known as Sandy Springs Gateway. Existing restaurant tenants in the center include Big B’s Fish Joint, Taka Sushi and Passion, Chipotle, Tupelo Honey Cafe, Kale Me Crazy, Corks & Caps, CVS, and Snooze an A.M. Eatery, among others.
Rebranded as the Chastain Market, the property was bought by Atlanta-based real estate developer and investor Connolly and partner Coro Realty in February 2022 for $40.5 million. The partnership acquired the 120,000-square-foot property located at 4600 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, south of I-285 and just north of Chastain Park near Windsor Parkway.
Pendolino, the 4,500-square-foot restaurant will be located in the former Santorini Taverna space. The restaurant will include an outdoor patio space adjacent to a newly redesigned common gathering area, marks the chef’s first solo venture, and is expected to open at the end of 2023. In a previous report by What Now Atlanta owner Connolly said, “Kevin’s restaurant is the perfect addition to the community-oriented ambiance we’re striving to create.”
The new owners of the property are aiming to reposition it as a gathering hub for the surrounding community. The development features a blend of retail, restaurants, and service providers, and 28,000 square feet of second-story boutique office space. Next door to the center, two luxury apartment communities, The Collection and The Gateway Chastain, consist of 630 studio, one-and-two bedroom residences.
