Saints + Council, an “innovative new food and beverage concept” curated by Cafe Intermezzo CEO William Pitts, is opening in Colony Square next year, North American Properties (NAP), the firm behind the mixed-use destination’s $400 million redevelopment in Midtown, said in a press release Monday. Saints + Council has been in the works since 2016 and will come to life in summer 2021.
Saints + Council is looking to break the “rigid rules of traditional restaurant environments, such as being assigned a single server for the duration of a meal or feeling compelled to leave after an hour of service” by instead using a team of “Memory Makers” to “handle everything from busing to food running to hosting and more.” Pitts and his team think this structure — which includes “equitable pay” for Saints + Council’s employees — will result in less turnover.
“We go to work, we go home, we go to a restaurant and we abide by the rules,” Pitts said in the release. “We stay for the expected amount of time and order the expected amount of food and in the expected sequence. Saints + Council is about a more fluid experience, more social and relaxed. You can spend as little or as much time, as little or as much money, as you want to. It’s a great place to get together with no agenda. In every major sitcom, the main cast has a local gathering place, somewhere to hang their hats at any time of day. We need that sort of third-place in real life too – a place where great people can get together with others and do what they please when they please — this is Saints + Council.”
The culinary vision for Saints + Council is based upon a “seasonally appropriate menu, that connects with local farmers and requires everything to be produced in a chef-driven environment.” Center to the concept’s culinary strategy is the “Dutch Baby,” a German egg pancake, which rises in the oven. Breakfast will consist of inspired Dutch Babies, pancakes, benedicts, and various bowls. For lunch and dinner, diners will have their choice between small plates, seasonal salads, sandwiches, slow-cooked meats, and several savory Dutch Babies.
The 6,500-square-foot space will boast vaulted ceilings and contemporary decor, including a mixture of seating from dining room tables and booths to “living room pods,” a fireplace, and a central island bar with three individual workstations focused on craft brews and cocktails, coffee and espresso, and mocktails. Saints + Council sits directly on Peachtree St. complete with an open-air patio with fire pits, booths, and heated seats.
“The concept naturally plays well with a post-pandemic world, offering various built-in areas that allow groups who come together to stay together,” according to the release. “The bar area will also feature small peninsulas where guests can look at each other instead of the bartender. Since individual servers will not be assigned to tables, Saints + Council plans to implement an innovative technology system that will recognize where you are in the dining room, who is in your party, and where you meander and relocate to within the restaurant, and more, without needing to inform the staff. This model will allow for a seamless system from ordering to food delivery to splitting bills and beyond, all while still enjoying a full-service experience.”
The announcement of Saints + Council comes on the heels of NAP adding new concepts to its service-driven retail lineup, including designer sunglasses brand Sunnies and Lush Nail Bar. In addition, Colony Square most recently celebrated the openings of fast-casual eatery Brown Bag Seafood Co., American Barber Shop, and AYA Medical Spa.
By 2021, Colony Square will have nearly one million square feet of office space, as well as retail and dining offerings featuring dine-in movie theater IPIC, Holeman and Finch Public House, Sukoshi, Rumi’s Kitchen, King of Pops, and Politan Row at Colony Square, a 20,000-square-foot food hall.
3 Responses
This sounds like it will be either a huge hit or miss, but it’s exciting to see someone with the guts to break the norms of restaurants.
I hope they have a simple and effective way to inform the patrons of how things will work. There’s nothing worse than going out and being confused the whole time as to whether or not you’re doing it right.
Seems like this is overthinking and overcomplicating things a bit.
The Imperial in Oakhurst has done something similar for years– you don’t have just one server, anybody that’s working the floor works all the tables.
Same for Brickstore pub for that matter.