A 98-year-old restaurant is getting a major overhaul in Atlanta this fall, and at least one new concept will join it.
Alpha Soda is slated to reopen its doors as Alpha Soda Kitchen & Bar next month at 11760 Haynes Bridge Road. Michael Clarke, who purchased the entire strip mall the restaurant is located in with his business partners, said he is working to turn the nearly century-old restaurant into a “cutting-edge” eatery featuring a “farm-to-fork Southern fusion” menu from chef Daniel Marteny of Mill Kitchen & Bar in Roswell.
Clarke, who has worked in the Atlanta restaurant industry for more than three decades and has served as manager at Buckhead Diner, Pano & Paul’s and Del Frisco’s Grille, among others, said Marteny has complete creative control over the menu.
“This guy has so much passion,” he said of Marteny. “I told him, ‘Whatever you want to make, I’ll sell it, I’ll find an audience for it.”
In addition to his work at Alpha Soda Kitchen, Marteny will also get to flex his barbecue muscles at Trinity BBQ, which will be located in the same development and will likely open within the next six months. Clarke said Marteny plans to cook traditional barbecue and will also bring in Vietnamese and Korean influences.
Clarke said he hopes to turn the other three store fronts into different culinary concepts bearing the “Alpha Soda” name.
The restaurant has gone through several iterations, locations and owners since Louis Jones opened it in 1920 on Main Street in Alpharetta. It moved to Alpharetta Crossing Shopping Center in 1990 and to its current location in 1995.
The newest version will feature a full beverage program run by Tara Remmell Webb, previously of Murphy’s Restaurant and other Atlanta restaurants.
Alpha Soda will do away with its current breakfast hours and will focus on serving lunch and dinner Monday-Friday and brunch and dinner Saturday.
The space will seat around 255 customers total and will also offer two private dining spaces.
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