A longtime Atlanta restaurant has new owners.
Paul Donahue and Lewis Jeffries have purchased The Colonnade. It was announced last month that the restaurant was for sale.
Donahue and Jeffries are co-founders of Lingering Shade Social Club, a cocktail bar located on the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail that opened in 2018. Prior to opening Lingering Shade, Donahue was an interior designer for country clubs across the South, and Jeffries worked full-time as a CPA with his own firm, The Jeffries Group, specializing in bar and restaurant clients.
The Colonnade has been around since 1927. It first opened at the corner of Lindbergh and Piedmont until 1962 before moving to its current location at 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road NE.
Jack Clark sold the restaurant to Paul Jones in 1979, and Jones’ daughter Jodi and her husband David were the owners up until the recent sale.
The restaurant is known for southern fare like southern fried chicken, pot roast, sirloin steak, pork chops, beer-battered fish and chips, and more.
“We were excited to have the opportunity to jump in at The Colonnade and keep its important traditions alive,” Donahue said in a news release. “We value the history, people and relationships that have been a part of the restaurant for the past 97 years and knew we couldn’t pass it up.”
Jeffries has been a patron of The Colonnade for more than 60 years, and Donahue for more than 30 years.
According to the announcement, the new owners do not intend to make any changes to the restaurant, but “they look forward to discovering opportunities to excite long-time guests, bring in new faces and generate more buzz for Atlanta’s second-oldest restaurant.”
The Colonnade is currently open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
who owns that $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ land?