Within five hours of longtime Dunwoody spot Wright’s Gourmet Sandwich Shoppe announcing its closure last year, Geoff Melkonian fielded at least a dozen texts and calls from friends.
They were reaching out to persuade Melkonian to open a second location of Breadwinner Cafe, the Sandy Springs restaurant Melkonian owns with his wife, Katie, in the Wright’s space.
The Melkonians, who also own the Farm to Ladle eateries in metro Atlanta mixed-use developments Ponce City Market and Avalon, weren’t looking to expand Breadwinner. But when the property manager for the Dunwoody space reached out to them the following day, they felt like it was meant to be.
“We knew we had a lot of work ahead of us in terms of making the space what we wanted it to be,” Melkonian said. “But we knew we were inheriting the great customer base from the (Shops of Dunwoody) shopping center and Wright’s. There were a lot more checks in the win column than in the other column.”
Next Friday, July 31, the space will be unveiled as the second home of Breadwinner, which opened its first location in Sandy Springs in 2010.
The Dunwoody restaurant will offer the same menu as the Sandy Springs eatery, with a few additions from Breadwinner’s pre-COVID menu including corned beef and roast beef sandwiches.
The lunch menu will also be offered at dinner, in addition to a daily special including brisket, salmon and Greek chicken kebabs. The restaurant will also serve wine and beer.
Expanded pre-made to-go food will be available, including a few sandwiches that aren’t available on the regular menu. Look for an Italian sub, a turkey and cheddar croissant that’s on the menu at Farm to Ladle and a vegan wrap.
Other to-go offerings will include protein bowls, salads, sauces, spreads and dips
Unlike the Sandy Springs location, which is open for takeout only, Dunwoody will offer dine-in and patio service in addition to takeout.
Breadwinner Cafe Facebook page
Breadwinner Cafe Facebook page
Melkonian said visitors to the Dunwoody restaurant will recognize little in the space from the Wright’s days.
“We gutted the entire inside, from the roof rafters to the dirt below the flooring,” he said. “We joked that the only thing that survived the demo was the employee bathroom.”
Most of the former outdoor patio area was transformed into an enclosed dining room, with accordion-style windows that open up to provide an “indoor-outdoor setup,” Melkonian said. Other changes include a vaulted ceiling and the wall in the front of the restaurant where customers order being pushed back eight feet to make more room for retail and prepackaged food offerings.
At post-COVID full capacity, the restaurant will seat around 75 guests inside with an extra 10 seats on the patio. The restaurant’s large kitchen will also be used to fulfill catering orders.
The Dunwoody Breadwinner will be open from 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Melkonian said he hopes to reopen Sandy Springs for dine-in service soon. Farm to Ladle at Ponce City Market has reopened, while the location at Avalon in Alpharetta remains closed for now.
Breadwinner customers can places orders online, and delivery is available through Uber Eats and Grubhub.
5482 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. breadwinnercafe.com/
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