A nearly 35-year-old karaoke bar and restaurant in Roswell has new owners.
Jobe Gruber, Michael Kramer and Will Giddens have bought Chaplins, located at 555 South Atlanta St., just off the Historic Roswell Square.
Gruber said in a phone call that the team was looking to purchase a dive bar and heard that the owners of Chaplins were retiring.
“It seemed like a good opportunity,” he said. “It is fully staffed with veteran bartenders and a group of built-in regulars.”
He added that team sees Roswell as a vibrant market. “We like Roswell. There’s a lot of potential. We are located right by the Square, where there’s a lot of activity.”
Gruber previously was the founder of food truck The Fry Guy. He also was a founding partner of The Fur Bus, a group entertainment transportation provider.
Kramer and Giddens formerly operated Kramer’s Buckhead restaurant. They also operate Southern Social in Statesboro, Ga.
The team becomes just the second owners of Chaplins. It was established by David Kamran and Joseph Radfard in 1988, according to the restaurant’s website. Chaplins was named for silent movie star Charlie Chaplin, because in the early days of the restaurant, silent movies were shown as entertainment.
“They ran that place from Day One and did an amazing job with it,” Gruber said of the previous owners. “They are proud of what they built, and we are honored to take it over for them.”
The website also says that Chaplins operates the longest-running karaoke show in Georgia.
That karaoke legacy will continue, Gruber said. He added that the team is working to clean up the restaurant. They also are looking at elevating the menu and enhancing the outdoor patio.
“We’re honored to take over for the two owners who had it for 35 years and build on what they had back in the day,” he said.
The sale of Chaplins closed about two weeks ago. Gary Woodward, a senior vice president with JLL, represented the new ownership team in the deal. Steve Josovitz, a senior vice president with The Shumacher Group, represented the previous owners.
