Downtown Atlanta is slated to receive multiple new concepts this spring from the team behind Red Phone Booth and Amalfi Cucina + Mercato. The new concepts, including a dive bar, a sports bar, a rooftop lounge and an events space, will open at 207 Peachtree, spanning 45,000 square feet of space and four floors in a restored 1920s building formerly home to Regenstein’s Department Store.
The openings this year represent the culmination of work on the building over the years. Marx Realty restored the building in 2017, and this spring will mark the first time all of its floors will be used since Regenstein’s Department Store closed in 1978. The historic building still has multiple original features, including an elevator, that have been restored for modern use.
“This was really a conversation that developed over years, knowing that there was a big opportunity to deliver something special in the heart of that Downtown hotel district,” Stephen de Haan, founder and chairman of RPB Management Group, told What Now Atlanta. “In Downtown Atlanta right now, you have some wonderful activations going on, but closer to all these massive hotels — the Marriott Marquis, the Westin, the Ritz-Carlton — there are not a lot of other opportunities for things to do for the convention goer, a family, the tourist or the businessperson. So really imagining what Downtown hospitality should look like [was the goal].”
The new locations will join Red Phone Booth and Amalfi, which opened their Downtown spaces in the adjacent building at 17 Andrew Young International Blvd NW in 2016.
“We think there are a lot of opportunities for rounding out the Southern hospitality of Downtown Atlanta,” de Haan said. “Each space spoke to us.”
American Dive, located on the lower level of 207 Peachtree, will bring a classic dive bar atmosphere to the building, offering Southern BBQ and wine, cocktails, and beer on tap, by the can and by the bottle. A jukebox by day and live music by night will set the atmosphere, and customers will be able to enjoy bar games such as pool, darts and arcade games. Other design touches will include vintage signs, murals and an American roadside bar aesthetic.
Peachtree Sporting Club will take the third floor, offering an upscale sports bar with a 20-foot panoramic TV wall and a mid-century modern design with green tones and warm wood. There will also be seven Tournament-grade simulator bays that will each accommodate about 14 guests for games such as golf, soccer and skeet shooting. The menu will feature shareables, sandwiches and entrees such as the Peach-Bourbon NY Strip served with garlic mash and seasonal vegetables. The beverage program will include beer, signature cocktails, wine and spirits.
Aire Rooftop Lounge will offer shareables alongside handcrafted cocktails. It will feature an indoor-outdoor space with white lounge seating, fire pits, a pergola, trees and a city view. At nights, the rooftop lounge will feature live DJ sets and VIP tableside service.
There will also be a 10,000-square-foot event space called the Grand Ballroom on the second floor, offering a spot for weddings, galas, corporate events and large-scale celebrations. It will fit more than 300 guests and offer touches such as exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, large windows, and crystal chandeliers.
In addition to the openings at 207 Peachtree on the horizon, RBP Hospitality is looking toward expansion for its acclaimed Prohibition-era speakeasy and cocktail bar Red Phone Booth. De Haan said they have two new franchise locations in the works in Durham, North Carolina, and Tampa. The team is also planning a corporate location in Orlando and is eyeing Naples, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, for locations. Existing spots for Red Phone Booth are already open in Buckhead, Nashville, Dallas and Miami.
“Red Phone Booth is going strongly, and as we develop, for example, Peachtree Sporting Club, we want to make great systems and standards for customer-first hospitality from day one, and if that allows us to grow that concept beyond those four walls, we would love to do that as well,” de Haan said.
