Also recipient of our “didn’t even know that restaurant existed” award
In what we’re calling the first casualty of the “Atlanta Burger Craze,” Fuze Burger on Ponce appears closed.
Located at 265 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE, calls to the burger joint go unanswered during normal business hours and a visit to the space show no signs of an operating business. Their Facebook was last updated on August of last year.
Reader Ken Killmeany wrote in concerned they had closed after the restaurant “abruptly canceled all their weekly poker nights.”
We can’t say we’re surprised.
Lets look at the storm of new burger restaurants the “Atlanta Burger Craze” has thrown our way: FLIP Burger, Farm Burger, YEAH! Burger, EVOS, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Five Napkin Burger, and Grindhouse to name a few.
This begs the question: what’s the threshold for burger concepts in Atlanta? Has survival of the fittest beef begun?
Considering the number of new burger concepts that have opened in Atlanta and the surrounding metro area within the last year alone (and many more on the way), it’s obvious this closure is just the beginning.
Only so much can fit between two buns. May the best beef win.
Fuze Burger
265 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
10 Responses
Make that victim number two, don’t forget about The Burger Club in Vinings which closed a few months back.
It’s closed. It was dark tonight when I passed by.
That’s a shame; Fuze was one of the first of the new wave of burger joints that I visited and they were pretty darn good. Now, that said, I only went once and it was to use the ScoutMob discount, so they probably never earned a dime off me. I live in the area and drive past the spot frequently, but it never makes it onto the “where should we eat today” list.
This pretty much sums up Atlanta’s diners, “I only went once and it was to use the ScoutMob discount”
And you wonder why it’s a “shame” they go belly up. Not that Fuze was any good because they were never a burger joint in the first place, it was Thai Palate and pedestrian Thai food at best.
Sadly, I think the location was the kiss of death. See the article that poses the question “Why do restaurateurs lease space where previous restaurants failed or closed?” I have always been a restaurant operator and not a restaurant owner, but spare my declaration for what I do or do not know, I wonder the EXACT same thing. I wouldn’t do it unless I knew, without a doubt that I would earn repeat business from EVERY person that walked in the door and to do that, you need to know that your concept or service is so unique or so fantastic that people will come several times a week to get it. Once is not enough. IMHO.
Fuze was decent, but getting there was a nightmare. It was always empty when I went, so this isn’t a surprise.
I don’t think I’d count Five Guys as part of the burger craze, though. They’ve been in Atlanta longer than I have.
I could imagine that if they were resorting to poker to get patrons in the doors on Friday nights they must have been hurting for customers. Poker games belong in bars, not burger joints.
Plus that area of Ponce is filled with crime and homeless people. The only foot traffic in the area isn’t buying anything from you.
@CB Really?
Mary Mac doesn’t seem to have a problem drawing them in. Could be because the food is good and they actually have parking. Fuze was in a bad location as someone else stated who knew they were there. I went once for lunch at 2:30 and was told they were closed. Never went back.
Darn, what a shame. I loved their sweet potato fries 🙁