The new owner of a former well-known Old Fourth Ward dining and drinking establishment said he put his life savings into changing the restaurant that was set to open in 48 hours.
Now, those plans are uncertain after firefighters had to evacuate the building Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
According to Atlanta Fire Rescue, officials began accessing Edgewood Dynasty for stability around 2:30 p.m. and found a “large crack.” The restaurant, located at 483 Edgewood Avenue, was formerly known as the Sound Table.
“I’m devastated, I’m devastated,” new owner Greg Johnson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I have people who lost jobs, wages.”
Johnson, who was also working to launch Cake Social Bar and Prime Vitality Center next door to Edgewood Dynasty, said he was planning to open the latter Thursday.
Although his plans are up in the air due to the building’s damage, he said he’s thankful no one was inside when the cracks began to occur.
The business was known as the Sound Table for more than a decade until late October, when husband-and-wife owners Karl Injex and Muona Essa handed the space over to Johnson and his wife Noelle Taylor.
Credit: Courtesy of their Facebook page
Credit: Courtesy of their Facebook page
Injex and Essa opened the Sound Table in the first half of 2010, serving street food from around the world with influences including southeast Asia, central and south America and the Middle East. The cocktail lounge had been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having been patrons of the Sound Table for the past eight years, Johnson and Taylor had planned to make very minimal changes to the space and concept, AJC.com previously reported.
When reached Tuesday night, Injex said this incident was a structural issue.
“It’s important to note that there are major construction projects in progress, both adjacent to and directly behind the building,” he said.
AJC.com has reached out to the Atlanta Fire Department for further information regarding the incident.
— Staff writer Ligaya Figueras contributed to this article.
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