Though the actual numbers are a bit hard to calculate, conventional wisdom — not to mention the National Restaurant Association — suggests that one-in-three restaurants fail within the first year of operations. In response, Fishmonger, the Poncey-Highland fish market, raw bar, and restaurant that opened its doors a mere four months ago decided to double-down, readying its second location in the rapidly developing arts and entertainment center, Pratt Pullman District, with intentions to launch this October.
Writing on their official Instagram page earlier this afternoon (August 19), Fishmonger explained, “We’re so excited to announce that we will be opening a second location,” adding, “This historic building has been beautifully renovated and we are in the space now putting our touches on things. Get ready for a big patio, raw bar, beer, wine and cocktails.”
Co-owner Skip Engelbrecht did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Excitement surrounding the new location is evident by the 764 likes — at the time of writing — that the announcement post on Instagram had garnered within one hour. Likewise, it echoes the same excitement just three weeks after Fishmonger’s initial debut in April, when Eater Atlanta wrote, “The hype surrounding Fishmonger is electric, validated by the stories piling up on the market’s Instagram feed,” under the headline, “Fishmonger Is What the Seafood Scene in Atlanta Needed.”
Fishmonger’s success could boil down to the fact its captains — if you’ll excuse the pun — Skip Engelbrecht and Nhan Le were seasoned veterans of Atlanta’s F&B scene prior to opening their hit seafood joint, having previously operated 8ARM and Octopus Bar.
On the other hand, it could be down to Engelbrecht and Le’s acute business acumen, as the duo prophesied their restaurant’s reputation early on, when Engelbrecht claimed in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the “overall concept would ‘slay in Atlanta. No one else is really doing this here.’”
