Native Atlantan Johnny Esposito, the franchisee of Ponko Chicken in Midtown, will be the new tenant in Steel City Pops‘ Downtown Decatur space, confirmed Steve Josovitz of The Shumacher Group, who brokered the leasing arrangement end to end.
Esposito will convert it to a Ponko Chicken — an “East meets West” Asian Fusion and Fried Chicken-centric chain with additional outposts in Buckhead, Chamblee and the Mercedes Benz Stadium.
In August 2019, the Alabama-based popsicle maker listed the store’s furniture and fixtures for sale, and hoped to transfer the 10-year, $10,284 a month lease to a new owner after deciding not to expand in the Atlanta market.
Roughly $500,000 was recently spent on upgrades for the 3,500 square foot space which leasing agent Josovitz describes as being in “Mint Condition.”
The state of the art build-out includes a large production kitchen with a 2,000 gallon grease trap and a retail counter.
Esposito is gearing up for an early 2020 opening.
