On March 10, restaurant owners from across the Atlanta area gathered at BOSK in Southwest Atlanta at 510 Fairburn Rd. SW, Suite 300, for What Now Media Group’s Accelerate Event.
The event is part of What Now’s Accelerate Program, a series of networking events that brings local Atlanta restaurant owners under one roof alongside other industry professionals.
What Now Director of Events Mariah Medley hosted the event as guests enjoyed refreshments and networked with fellow restaurant operators.
Restaurants
The Accelerate event brought together plenty of restaurant operators from across the community, ranging from coffee shop owners to sit-down restaurant operators.
BOSK: 510 Fairburn Rd. SW
BOSK, which serves burgers, salads, cocktails, beer and wine, hosted the event. Owner Narie Roberson represented the brand at the event.
GoodFellas Pizzas & Wings: 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW
Owner Crystal Betts represented GoodFellas, a New York-inspired pizza brand. The brand has locations at 27 Peachtree Street SW near Underground Atlanta and a Midtown spot at 365 14th Street NW.
Aromas Premium Teas: 141 Mangum St. SW
Owner Sheila Hubbard and events coordinator Sabah Hubbard represented Aromas Premium Teas. The tea spot, expected to open this spring, will feature unique, original tea blends.
Ikara: 361 17th St NW
Ikara Hospitality principals Preet Patel and Yash Patel, and owner Rahul Bhambri, represented Ikara, an Indian restaurant expected to open this spring. Its menu will focus on various aspects of Indian cuisine.
Chicks N Boba: 1 West Main St., Suite 3
Co-owners Hien Le and Pedro Reyna represented Chicks N Boba, which is aiming to open in Buford in the spring. The menu will focus on chicken sandwiches and boba tea.
Paco Tacos: 4485 Campbellton Rd SW
Chris Paco Cunningham and Roman Cunningham represented Paco Tacos, which also has a location at 2222 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW. The brand, which started as a food truck, serves Mexican street tacos.
Brasserie Lundi: 1375 Peachtree St NE
General manager Reggie Green represented Brasserie Lundi, the anchor restaurant for new food hall The Peacherie. The restaurant opened in September in Midtown.
Auxiliary Coffee: 945 Allene Ave SW, Unit A
Connan Moody, the owner behind both Auxiliary Coffee and Academy Coffee, at the event. Moody launched Auxiliary as a coffee brewing experiment in the fall and is expected to open a permanent coffee shop for the brand this year in the West End.
Kinship Butcher & Sundry: 1039 Grant St SE #100
Co-owner Rachael Pack represented the team at Kinship Butcher & Sundry, which is expanding to its second location in Grant Park in fall 2026. They are also planning to open a new wine-forward restaurant So. Fox in Virginia-Highland this spring.
& Cheese: 620 Peachtree St NE
Owner Hanz Fequiere represented & Cheese at the event. & Cheese, known for gourmet grilled cheese, recently expanded to Midtown Square.
Upper Room ATL: 1197 Peachtree St NE
Co-owner Kelsey Maynor represented coffee-and-cocktail spot Upper Room. The brand is planning to open its second location at Colony Square in early April.
LaLa: 165 North Perry St.
Pastry chef Ricky Saucedo represented LaLa Bakery, which is looking to join Lawrenceville Square this year. It will serve Mexican-inspired pastries and baked goods.
Dolo’s Pizza: 50 Upper Alabama St.
Co-owner Yusef Walker represented Dolo’s Pizza, which operates in Underground Atlanta. The restaurant offers unique pizza selections and announced relocation in the development last year.
Davidson Hospitality Group: 800 Rankin St. NE
Communications manager Sierra Wood represented Davidson Hospitality Group. The group recently took over management at FORTH Atlanta in Old Fourth Ward.
Famous Dave’s: 10710 State Bridge Rd
Franchise owner Derek Scott represented Famous Dave’s. He and his team are bringing the BBQ spot to the Georgia market with a location planned for Alpharetta, slated to open this March.
Red Phone Booth: 207 Peachtree Rd NE
Founder and chairman of RPB Management Stephen de Haan and director of marketing Michael Rentz represented Red Phone Booth’s brands at the event. Red Phone Booth recently announced plans to open four new concepts — a dive bar, a sports bar, a rooftop lounge and an events space — at 207 Peachtree.
Stackhouse Burgers and Shakes: 3480 Peachtree Rd NE
Chef Tony Sharpe represented Stackhouse Burgers and Shakes, which opened last year. Sharpe and his team are also behind Mad Dads Philly’s.
Mule Train: 87 Broad St SW
Co-owner Shyretha Sheats represented Mule Train, which is heading to South Downtown. It is an outgrowth of their popular pop-up The Plate Sale.
Partners
In total, 14 guests attended to represent What Now’s partners. Solutions advisor Dayna Adams represented ADT to share about security services. Owner Scott Buckland and consulting specialist Alex Pharisien represented Home Team Training & Consulting, featuring workforce training services.
There were also financing specialists in attendance. Allen Graber, co-founder of Homegrown, and Blair Iaffaldano, growth and business development partner for Homegrown, attended the event. Point-of-sale company SpotOn had account executives Kassidy Olson and Mackenzie Culkin, and hospitality specialist Amanda Herrera.
Gary Woodward, executive vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, represented commercial real estate services.
Katie Brown, regional account executive for Keurig Dr Pepper, attended the event, representing non-alcoholic beverage distribution services. Derek Ward represented linens and uniforms company Prudential Overall Supply.
US Foods Inc., which specializes in broadline food distribution, had territory managers Courtney Buchanan and Shavon Towler in attendance. Valet services company Refined Parking had manager Donavon Rhodes at the event.
