William Pitts, founder of Spur Hospitality, is on a mission to reform the restaurant industry, one restaurant at a time. Formerly the CEO of Cafe Intermezzo, Pitts stepped away to launch his hospitality group, which currently features Saints + Council at Colony and Cuevacía, which opened earlier this year.
Now, Pitts is expanding with a second location for Saints + Council, bringing it to his own neighborhood. It will open in a 7,800-square-foot space at Perimeter Mall along Ashford Dunwoody Road. With groundbreaking expected in June, Pitts is targeting an early 2027 opening, likely in March.
When constructing the Saints + Council brand, Pitts was hyper-focused on creating not only good food, but also a good environment for his employees to reflect the reason he fell in love with the restaurant industry in the first place. He recalls working in a restaurant during college where the workplace culture was positive and edifying — a stark contrast to the fatigue that often plagues the industry.
“I created Saints + Council to finally recreate that culture,” Pitts told What Now Atlanta. “Even the name — Saints + Council — printed on our menu represents the highest and best in all of us. It’s good people coming together with their friends, spurring each other on to greatness in this industry that’s filled with weariness and discouragement.That’s been the mission. It’s not just about growing a restaurant empire and making a bunch of money, although both of those things are fun. It’s about providing a place that’s healthy and reshaping the industry.”
When Saints + Council launched at Colony Square, Pitts proved that he could foster a positive environment and build a thriving business. Now,, he is looking to bring that positive environment to the Dunwoody location, as well.
“We’ve done it once. When I set out to do it, I thought, ‘If I can do that more than once, then I owe it to the industry to do it more than once,’” Pitts said. “We’re going to grow at the rate of being able to maintain a really healthy culture and workforce, and that is going to be the stratum that we use to grow.”
The Saints + Council brand offers modern American cuisine with an emphasis of braised, smoked and confit meats. The design mixes both traditional and modern elements, offering an elevated yet comfortable environment with touches such as refined wood beams and fireplaces.
The Dunwoody location, which will seat 307 guests, will offer another design dynamic as they also have an exterior to design. Expect to see a comfortable, nostalgic design, alongside a courtyard patio placed in the center of the U-shaped building. Exterior features will include limestone, reclaimed woods and an outdoor fireplace.
The new location will also reflect culinary and kitchen enhancements currently underway for Spur Hospitality. Chef Ian Winslade recently joined the group as culinary director, priming the group for growth.
“I really want to reshape the industry,” Pitts said. “I want to do it as many times as I can, as long as I’m reshaping the industry, and as long as I walk into every restaurant, take a big, deep breath and say, ‘I’m proud of this.’”
