The manager of a popular wing spot in Midtown Atlanta says they are determined to reopen after a fire damaged the eatery early Tuesday morning.

The fire was reported about 4:30 a.m. in an apartment above J.R. Crickets restaurant, Atlanta fire spokeswoman Janet Ward said. The apartment was not occupied at the time, she said.

“The upstairs is burned pretty bad, mostly flood damage on the bottom level,” said manager Joe Carr, who described the damage for Channel 2 Action News.

He said the fire will not shutter the restaurant and they expect to be back in business even if it will take a few months.

“We’ve been slinging wings for a long time,” said Carr. The location, on Spring Street across from the Varsity restaurant, opened in 1982.

The blaze was first seen by people who were at the homeless shelter next door the establishment, Ward said.

“They ran to the BP at the corner of North Avenue and Spring Street where they saw a Grady ambulance,” she said. “The ambulance called it in from there.”

Spring Street was closed for several hours as the fire department extinguished the blaze and cleaned up the scene.

“It was a long call because they had to be very careful during the cleanup,” Ward said. “There were wires dangling and things of that sort, so they were very cautious. But the fire was put out rather quickly.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

President Donald Trump speaks ahead of the signing of the Laken Riley Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2025. (Nathan Posner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Featured

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, accompanied by Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith, provided an update to the press during a media tour at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. They discussed the new Simulation Center, which will enable officers to train for various crime scenarios, including domestic disputes, commercial robberies, and kidnappings. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC