Phipps Plaza’s newest restaurant falls off the Atlanta dining map after 131 days.
Well, that didn’t last long.
Latitude Food and Drink is closing its Buckhead location after a mere 131 days. John Kessler with the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) first reported the news.
The Phipps Plaza restaurant owned by chef Micah Willix (former executive chef for Ecco), will close after dinner service tonight, according to Kessler’s report.
Latitude opened 131 days ago on November 11, 2011 in space formerly belonging to The Grape — that’s only 3,120 hours or 187,200 minutes or 11,232,000 seconds that the restaurant was opened for business.
Here’s an excerpt from the statement released today about Latitude’s closing:
While Latitude has been grateful for the support of diners, neighbors and friends, the current economic environment and lower than anticipated sales have led ownership to make this unfortunate decision. Chef Micah Willix enjoyed the opportunity to expand his culinary boundaries with Latitude’s globally inspired cuisine and is currently looking for a new and exciting opportunity.
Latitude was not immediately available for comment.
17 Responses
4 months? Wow! Restaurant owners shouldn’t even THINK about going opening a restaurant unless they have the capital to keep the restaurant open for a year. It takes a while to gain a following, and build word of mouth. What a waste of time and money if you don’t have the funds or patience.
Hmmm…an interesting contrast to the prior article about Phipps…as well as the notion that tenants are doing well at malls. Latitude wasn’t a great restaurant by any means, but it had more staying power than 4 months…
Hardest day in a restaurant owners life.
And at the same time it can be the biggest relief in a restaurant owners life.
Never wish a closer on anyone
SA
Just curious, when you make comments like “that’s only 3,120 hours or 187,200 minutes or 11,232,000 seconds”, does this: “Latitude was not immediately available for comment” surprise you?
If you looked at their menu it was less than inspiring….it was doomed from the get go.
Maybe if they ever cleaned up the construction on Peachtree Road, people would be more inclined to drive up to the malls. How in the hell can this construction keep going on indefinitely like this? It’s the major showcase area of Atlanta and it looks like a 3rd world country up there. Seriously what the hell are these construction crews doing? Taking 12 hour lunch breaks?
I live around the corner from Phipps and am tired of the construction. It’s taken way too long just to build the sidewalk and they haven’t finished the landscaping for it. Add to it the new street light poles that went up weeks ago but haven’t had the lights attached, the terrible road surface, the steel covers with bolts sticking up bound to ruin a tire, and the loose gravel everywhere. It’s such a piecemeal construction job. A little here, a little there, but rarely any measurable progress where items are completed. Just a lot that is partially completed.
I’ve seen large stretches of interstates, including overpasses, built in the same amount of time.
Yes, let’s complain that the scare transportation funds are being spent to improve your community! I know lots of other neighborhoods that lack sidewalks let alone decorative planters. Maybe pull your heads out of your Buckhead butts and get over yourselves…
@Midtown_DD: If I’m not mistaken, the improvements along Peachtree were paid for by business and tourism groups, not “transportation funds.”
Ive known Micah for years and know this must be hard for him. I wish him the best in his next adventure.
@Jeff: The city of Atlanta and GDOT have both contributed funds to the project.
@ Midtown DD
Nobody is complaining about actually GETTING the improvements. We are frustrated with the extremely slow pace of progress for what seems to be a pretty straightforward project. We’re not talking about adding overpasses and connectors here or rebuilding entire stretches of highway and interstate. Most of the sidewalk was poured in the early part of 2011 and it still isn’t complete. It’s the pace and debris that people are fed up with.
That said, it did not look like Latitude was even open last night.
Bad concept, bad food, bad environment, horrendous signage = closure
Location was irrelevant on this one. They missed the mark from the beginning.
Let’s not over think this one.
Micah’s a good chef, I wish him luck in his next opportunity.
Once the construction on Peachtree is complete they’ll just start with some new project. The trees lining the road never get to mature.
I have a feeling that all the people with negative comments about this place, can’t even afford to eat there. I loved every dish here. Sadly the clientele at Phipps plaza is quite ignorant. They’d rather see half naked ladies, eat overpriced spaghetti or eat food that was previously frozen then enjoy fresh, modern and local cuisine.
Urbanist loves malls, so he could tell us what he ate here shortly after he concluded his shopping experience at The GAP.
“While Latitude has been grateful for the support of diners, neighbors and friends, the current economic environment and lower than anticipated sales…………………”
What he should have said was; “We went into this venture horribly underfunded and thought that if we just opened our doors that thousands of people would come to support us.”