Savi Provisions Grand Opening Set for Saturday, March 23
Neighbors can now shop at Savi Provisions in the Village for locally sourced organic and gourmet groceries as well as beer and fine wines. Savi also offers a selection of breakfast foods, sandwiches, and salads with seating on the patio.
Savi’s “soft” opening for the past couple of months offered a preview of the Village’s newest business, an opportunity to “get to know the community, find out how we are doing, and what else neighbors would like to see on our shelves,” says owner Manav Patel.
About half the store is dedicated to beer and wine and the other half to groceries. Spirits will be available in the space next door.
Savi Provisions Emory Village held its grand opening on Saturday, March 23.
The Emory Savi joins 20 other Savi franchises in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Since its inception in Inman Park in 2009, Savi Provisions has focused on being a neighborhood destination and an integral part of the neighborhood.
Summit Coffee offers Fresh Brewed Coffee and Pastries
Summit Coffee, the award-winning coffee roaster known for its colorful and family-friendly approach to coffee, has opened its highly-anticipated Emory Village cafe. Located at 1565 North Decatur Road, Summit serves freshly brewed coffee and fresh pastries from its in-house bakery. The location was formerly occupied by Baker Dude.
Guests to Summit Coffee Emory Village will find an open and welcoming space centered around a large coffee bar. Ample indoor seating makes the perfect neighborhood gathering spot.
Summit Coffee Emory Village is open Sunday-Wednesday from 6:30am -5pm, and Thursday -Saturday from 6:30am - 7pm. For more information about Summit Coffee Emory Village, please follow along on Instagram at @summitcoffeeemoryvillage and on Facebook.
This location will be the second Atlanta-area location for Summit Coffee; the brand first came to Atlanta in June 2023, opening a now-popular cafe along Atlanta Street in Roswell.
Through more than 25 years in business, Summit Coffee has earned a reputation as a locally loved high-quality brand committed to serving its customers at more than 13 cafes. Summit sources its coffee from around the world and roasts in its certified organic headquarters. Each coffee blend is roasted in small batches to ensure optimal flavor. Behind-the-scenes, Summit Coffee is a longtime member of 1% of the Planet and Certified Climate Neutral.
Currently, Summit Coffee has neighborhood cafes in Charlotte and Asheville, N.C., and Atlanta with additional cafes slated to open in 2024. For more information, please visit summitcoffee.com.
Sweetgreen Opens with Earth Friendly Offerings
Sweetgreen opened its sixth Atlanta-based restaurant in September in Emory Village at 1556 N Decatur Rd.
Sweetgreen's menu features fresh, plant-forward, earth friendly food. Offering delicious salads and warm bowls, diners can choose to enjoy one of Sweetgreen's signature recipes or build their own creation. Among their newest offerings are the Reneé Rapp bowl, and the Italian Chopped Salad
For every meal sold on opening day, Sweetgreen donated a meal to Umi Feeds to nourish people experiencing food insecurity in Atlanta. Umi Feeds is a food rescue nonprofit dedicated to serving healthy and nutritious meals from donated surplus food that is redistributed to those who are hungry, homeless, and food insecure.
On opening day, guests enjoyed fun giveaways, including Sweetgreen Farmers Market totes, Lush Plant Co succulents, Opo Coffee coffee, Lenox Cupcakes cupcakes, and live music from DJ Boogie Lov. Sweetgreen also partnered with Triboro, the Brooklyn-based design duo of David Heasty and Stefanie Weigler, for a series of 12 posters that highlight the brand’s seasonal fruit and veggie offerings.
The 1,955 sq ft location accommodates 8 diners inside and 12 diners outside. Store hours are 10:30am to 10:00pm daily.
Sankranti Indian Kitchen’s Emory location Now Open
The second location of Sankranti, a fast casual Indian restaurantat 1569 N. Decatur Road in Emory Village, opened last May, serving customizable curry bowls, kathi rolls, pulao and traditional Indian appet izers for lunch and dinner daily. Guests who dine at the new Emory Village restaurant during its first three months in business will receive a 20 percent off coupon that can be used during a future visit.
“There are so many nice neighborhoods surrounding our new Emory Village restaurant, and the proximity to Emory University and Emory Healthcare makes this a really appealing location for us,” says Sankranti Indian Kitchen owner and restaurateur Srinivasa Nimmagadda (“Nimms”). “We’re excited to bring our wholesome, flavorful dishes to new guests in this community.”
Sankranti (pronounced sum-kraanthi), translates to “positive change” in Sanskrit and reflects the healthy menu items available to guests. The first location of Sankranti Indian Kitchen opened in Dunwoody in 2022 and has become popular among Atlantans looking to experiment with flavor profiles and build affordable, exciting meals to their liking. Nimmagadda strongly believes guests shouldn’t have to compromise their health just to get a quick, tasty meal.
“Our food exhibits the diversity of aromatic spices from both southern and northern India and also is highly nutritious,” he says. “We aim to offer authentic Indian food that is much more health conscious than at traditional fast casual establishments.”
Sankranti’s all-day menu boasts fresh, made-to-order varieties of curry bowls, karma rolls, veggie samosas, salads and desserts. Meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes are available to suit any palate. Guests can choose from pulao rice, jeera rice or grilled vegetables as the base of their bowls, rolls or salads and add proteins including spicy chicken, mango chicken, kurma chicken, tikka chicken, chana (chickpea) and paneer (cheese). Sauce options include house yogurt, creamy tikka, sweet tamarind and spicy mint.
Open daily for lunch and dinner, the 2,200-square-foot Emory Village restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows, an open kitchen and counter for ordering, indoor seating for 40 guests and additional seating outdoors.
Nimmagadda’s portfolio of restaurants includes an Indian fine dining restaurant and banquet hall in Johns Creek, also called Sankranti, and he is planning additional locations of his fast casual concept throughout the Atlanta area with the long-term goal of expanding nationwide. More information on franchise opportunities can be found here.
Double Zero Faced Pandemic with Scrappy Determination
When the pandemic hit, Double Zero in Emory Village decided to fight back. Instead of closing its doors and laying off staff, the restaurant kept everyone on payroll and figured out how to make its food travel better. They redesigned the whole menu to be more focused on take out, built its own ecommerce stores on line, and ran their own delivery, in addition to Uber Eats and Door Dash, in order to keep as many people on board as possible.
“We never laid off staff, we never cut pay. In fact we gave out raises and bonuses the whole time because shutting down and ceasing service meant putting people out of work and we didn’t feel that was the right thing to do,” says Fred Castellucci, president and CEO, Castellucci Hospitality Group. “Our team really stepped up.”
To make its food travel better, the menu evolved to focus more on pizza and pasta. Double Zero increased portions, and offered family meals.
“It was really just about being scrappy and trying to keep the doors open and everyone employed as long as we could. We were fortunate to be able to do that,” he says.
The restaurant transitioned back to dine-in in June of 2020 and today is still managing a hybrid model of take out and dine in. “Take out was a business that we hadn’t cultivated before, and now that we have it, our overall business is better off because we now have revenues from both.”
As it has transitioned back into a dinner-focused restaurant, chef Zack Lanier has taken the opportunity to refocus the menu on handmade pasta, and Neopolitan pizza, but also on making food that at its core is more delicious, including innovative takes on classic dishes that people love like chicken parmesan and braised short rib.
The menu changes seasonally. In addition the restaurant also holds events such as its popular pizza making and pasta making classes. “I’m looking forward to people trying what we are doing at Double Zero again,” says Castelluci. “We’re going into our sixth year in Emory Village and the restaurant has transformed a lot. Our focus is on being the best neighborhood Italian restaurant that we can be. We’ve found our groove and we’ll keep on doing what we love to do which is take care of guests and build relationships with the community.”
All Fired Up Paints Positive Outlook
While almost a third of 30% of pottery painting stores across the U.S. have gone out of business since the pandemic began, All Fired Up in Emory Village has been a survivor.
“When COVID hit, our mindset was that we had not been in business for almost 20 years to let anything take us down,” says Jim Drummond, president and CEO. He and his wife and business partner Bobbie Drummond set three goals: to save the business, take care of employees and protect their customers.
It’s been a rocky road, he admits. Sales were down 70% in 2020 as the university and CDC closed and many people worked from home. But the business pulled through with the help of loans, a lean operating budget, tight inventories, and a positive outlook.
“We implemented all the COVID cleaning and hygiene protocols and reduced opening hours. Our landlords at the Emory store and our other two All Fired Up locations were supportive because it was a win-win situation: They wanted us to stay and we wanted to stay.”
The Drummonds opened the Emory Village All Fired Up in 2002. Its mission is to create a relaxed, fun-filled environment where people of all ages can enjoy their creative genius, according to the store’s website. The business carries more than 700 pottery items, offers classes, and hosts parties and other events.
During 2020, All Fired Up introduced “pottery to-go,” giving buyers everything they need to paint and decorate pottery at home. “But we’re a destination business,” Drummond says. “People come to us to get away from their houses, which is why we did so well this summer. Our summer camps have never been busier with more than 700 campers.”
“We’ve been in business a long time, so we’re fortunate to have a lot of knowledge about getting through tough times. We’ve put that knowledge to work during the pandemic.”
