Richard Gazaway and Michael Colombo met two decades ago when working together at Vintage Pizzeria. Now, the duo are partnering to open Unkie’s Pizza and Bar at 3400 Clairmont Road, Suite A, in Brookhaven.
Gazaway, who grew up in Chamblee, told What Now Atlanta that he had been evaluating next steps since stepping away from his position as general manager at Vintage Pizzeria last April. When he and Colombo found this spot, formerly home to The Greek Pizzeria & Gyros, it felt like an ideal spot to serve the community in a new way.
“We wanted to stay within our community, whatever we did,” Gazaway said. “That was part of what I loved about Vintage — being able to serve my neighbors and meeting people. We were looking for somewhere that felt like part of our home, and then we could extend that to our customers.”
The name Unkie’s is a nod to a beloved family nickname in Gazaway’s family. Unkie’s will open in two phases, starting with a limited menu of pizzas and salads. The pizza menu will feature items such as spicy Korean beef pizza, fried chicken and Alabama white sauce pizza, margherita pizza and hot pepperoni pizza. There will also be build-your-own pizza options.
The second phase of opening, slated for spring, will include a full bar and additional menu items including sandwiches and appetizers. The team will be building out the bar space and revamping the patio during phase one, preparing the space for its full opening.
Moving forward, Gazaway could see the Unkie’s brand expanding to include other local concepts, as well.
“We want to treat our employees like family and our customers like family, and continue to evolve the brand however that ends up being,” Gazaway said.
