The Colonnade, which has been open in Atlanta for almost a century, has been purchased by new owners.
Longtime Colonnade regulars Paul Donahue and Lewis Jeffries are taking over the beloved Atlanta staple. Wednesday, Sept. 11, will be the first day of business under their ownership, according to a news release.
The eatery at 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road was listed for sale by Jodi and David Stallings in early August. The sale of the property would have allowed new owners to continue operating it as is or reopen it as a new concept. Donahue and Jeffries don’t plan to make any changes to the restaurant.
The Colonnade has gone through ownership changes several times since it first opened at the corner of Piedmont Road and Lindbergh Drive. More recently, Paul Jones purchased it from Jack Clark in 1979, then Jones’ daughter, Jodi Stallings, took it over in 2019. The restaurant has been serving Southern comfort food and cocktails for 97 years, including well-loved dishes like fried chicken, fried shrimp, turkey and dressing, salmon croquettes and martinis.
In 2020, the eatery was on the brink of closing due to the economic impact of the pandemic, but a GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $125,000 for rent, utilities, food supply and payroll.
Donahue and Jeffries have been patrons of the restaurant for over 30 and 60 years, respectively. In 2018, the pair founded the Lingering Shade Social Club cocktail bar on the Eastside Beltline. Before that, Donahue was an interior designer for country clubs, and Jeffries worked as a CPA at his firm the Jeffries Group, specializing in bar and restaurant clients.
Even before the Colonnade was listed for sale, Donahue and Jeffries said they would joke with each other about buying the restaurant from Stallings since they loved it so much. As soon as they saw the listing, they knew they had to put in an offer.
Stallings knew them as customers and trusted that they would continue the Colonnade’s legacy and even bring new life to it, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her father purchased the restaurant when she was 9 years old, and most of her life’s events have taken place there, including her wedding. But after around 45 years, she said she’s ready to have some new experiences in her life.
“(Donahue and Jeffries will) maintain the integrity of the Colonnade and keep it for the most part the same,” Stallings said. “I think it’s actually going to have higher energy.”
The new owners said they don’t plan to make any big changes, though they’ll look into bringing back items that have fallen off the menu, including fried oysters, Donahue said. They also might look into giving the restaurant a bit of a “face-lift” later down the line so it can feel “renewed and reenergized,” he said.
“We know so many of the people that are here and that work here, and they’ve all been parts of our lives,” Donahue said. “And the biggest blessing is every single employee is staying.”
Courtesy of Jaime Pryor Photography
Courtesy of Jaime Pryor Photography
It’s been an emotional transition, Stallings said, like saying goodbye to her “childhood home,” especially after she turned off the lights to the restaurant one final time yesterday.
“It’s happy and sad, and I’m happy for the new owners,” she said. “I’m glad the Colonnade’s still there.”
Donahue and Jeffries said they’ll get to come around the restaurant even more than before, “and hopefully now we can get a table,” Donahue added.
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