The cover of the Sunday New York Times featured an article about how outdoor dining is keeping the hospitality industry afloat. The article referred to the restaurants' ability to serve a fraction of what it handled pre-pandemic as providing a "sliver of normalcy." Ever since I read it, I can't stop thinking about what a "sliver of normalcy" looks like in my world. As the pandemic lingers on, two hurricanes bear down on the U.S. and wildfires rage in California, life is

HOSPITALITY / FOOD & BEVERAGE: The Team Behind One+ Sushi Is Opening a New Restaurant in Sandy Springs (Eater Atlanta) The menu features sushi, more than 20 sushi rolls, sashimi, and hot items, like a miso duck breast, deep-fried stuffed jalapenos, cauliflower tempura, and bang bang shrimp. At the bar, One Sushi offers 10 cocktails, sake, and a variety of Japanese beers and whiskeys. Where’s the Scoop Alpharetta Debuting With Weekend-Long Grand Opening (What Now Atlanta) John

With the start of our fall internship program, we welcome two of the close to 300 thousands students heading back to state universities in Georgia this week. Kathryn Ann Waller and Soleil Antoine are seniors at University of Georgia and Georgia State respectively. As with our recent summer interns, we'll do our best to engage and inform them over Zoom calls, while our brick-and-mortar office remains empty (sans moi). The back-to-school blues take on new meaning in the time

HOSPITALITY / FOOD & BEVERAGE: Reimagined: Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Is Back (Atlantan) It is no secret that when it comes to COVID-19 impact, it has hit the restaurant industry and dining community across the nation, harder than most. With that in mind The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival felt a responsibility to not only monetarily help the community but also shed some light and positivity on a situation that has recently been quite bleak. Escobar Owners Are Opening a Restau

Our hearts have been breaking for the restaurant industry. In the best of times, it operates on slim margins. In the wake of the pandemic, it's eking by with limited seating and meals to-go. Gone are the days of lively crowded bars and shoulder-to-shoulder seating. It's hard to imagine how restaurants can make a profit serving half-full dining rooms, but they're trying. We talked to our friend Guenter Seeger who recently re-located back to Atlanta about what the future of

HOSPITALITY / FOOD & BEVERAGE: Pho King Express Opens on Outpost in West End (Eater Atlanta) An outpost of Pho King Express is now open at the Window at the Met on Murphy Avenue in West End. The menu features a small selection of pho and banh mi, egg rolls, and rice and noodle dishes. Open Monday - Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for takeout and delivery via UberEats. Call 770-371-4612 or order online for takeout. Guy Wong Could Open ‘Big Boss’ In Place of Midtown’s Chinese Bud

While the heat can't deny this is August, it's hard to believe we're entering month six of a pandemic. Rates of coronavirus infections are surging around the nation and Georgia finds itself on the cover of the New York Times for leading the pack. Crime continues to escalate as frustration mounts over rising jobless rates. And Congress can't seem to agree on a plan to keep small businesses afloat. We turn to the immortal Talking Heads to sum it up best: "you may ask yourself

HOSPITALITY / FOOD & BEVERAGE: Empire State South Set to Launch an Online Wine Shop Next Week (Eater Atlanta) An online wine shop dubbed “ESS Bottle Shop” is set to debut next Tuesday, August 4, at Empire State South, the midtown Atlanta restaurant owned by chef Hugh Acheson. The virtual market will be run by the restaurant’s longtime wine director and sommelier Steven Grubbs. Daily Dose, a ‘Coffee Store With book,’ Quietly Opens in Reynoldstown (What Now Atlanta) After a yea

I think it can go without saying that this summer did not go with the status quo. Instead of pool days, road trips, and endless slushies, the break was filled to the brim with masks, pumps of hand sanitizer, and the dreaded phrase of ‘social distancing.’ No part of this summer was the experience any person asked for -- no child, no college student, no working adult. It was simply a drag. But we have made the most of it. For myself, my summer consisted of ample learning and en

They say you pay for advertising and pray for PR. To that end, I've been praying hard for decades. PR looks a lot more glamorous from the outside. Back when we used to have actual events, while you were sipping champagne and nibbling catered canapes, my team was setting up, cleaning up and extinguishing the occasional dumpster fire. I'll save you the details, because no one likes to see how we make the sausage. Suffice it to say, we work hard for our clients. Building