Chow Down Atlanta

Chloe’s Notes: The Badayori in Duluth has been replaced by Sydney’s and the original one in Sandy Springs is now Nori Nori.

Back in 2003, Minado opened its first southern location in Sandy Springs and became an instant hit. A year later, the Korean owners wanted to expand but their franchise wouldn’t allow them to do so. Long story short, they had to buy out their franchise and re-name the restaurant to Badayori. Not long after, they opened branches in downtown (Peachtree Center) and in Duluth (Pleasant Hill Rd). The Duluth location closed a few months ago.

My parents have been friends with the owners since their restaurant opened in Atlanta. They even had talks about partnering together but with the Duluth location’s closing, the idea died down. My mom just called me a few hours ago to tell me that our family friend, the owner, died suddenly of a heart attack. He was 56 years old. He was a very personable man. And a great businessman. He leaves a wife (who manages the Sandy Springs location) and a teenaged daughter. We would like to express our deepest condolences to his family.

Technorati Tags: Badayori, Sandy Springs, Downtown Atlanta, Japanese cuisine, sushi buffet

Plans for converting the southern end of the GM plant in Doraville further boosts Asian presence in town. Dubbed the Peachtree Pavillion, there will be 165,000 square feet of retail space with Super H Mart as the anchor store (announced December 2006). The new development is jointly marketed and developed by ACT Investments and JWB Realty.

I am excited as I know there’ll be a bunch of restaurants that are going to call this their new home. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: Peachtree Pavillion, Doraville, Super H Mart, Asian facility