Dear Friends and Supporters,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce a temporary halt of normal operations of Southern Belle + Georgia Boy effective January 1, 2021. This decision is not easy but I believe is necessary for the future survival of the business.
2020 has proven to be one hell of a year to open a restaurant. We opened to critical and customer acclaim in November of last year and were building momentum as we moved into 2020. Southern Belle was averaging 80 guests nightly with wait times up to 3 hours (sorry!), while Georgia Boy was getting fully booked a month in advance. When Covid-19 took hold of the Atlanta area and the Mayor was forced our quarantine closure, it seemed there was no end in sight. We took care of our employees as best we could both with additional payouts from the restaurant, as well as with a generous Go Fund Me payment made possible by many of you reading this letter.
As we got our feet back under us and the summer sun warmed the city, we rolled up our sleeves and got back to work with a takeout only model before shifting to a casual patio menu as well Sunday Brunch. Realizing in the late summer that Atlantans were in need of some emotional relief from the pandemic, we shifted the entire menu back towards more upscale offerings, eventually culminating in GB2’s 5 and 7 course tasting menus that stimulated the senses and fed not only our guests, but our own creative souls as cooks and foodservice professionals.
Unfortunately, old man winter has reared his ugly face and outdoor seating proved nearly unbearable for guests, cutting our already limited dining capacity by half. This, in conjunction with a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases resulted in our reservations dwindling and meant the we have taken serious financial losses several weeks. As a native Atlantan, and 20-year veteran of the hospitality scene here, I know that January is typically one of the slowest business months of the year. Consequently, we have decided to close beginning January 1 for an undetermined length of time – dependent on (potential) Government aid, Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness and population response, as well as Georgia’s notoriously unpredictable winter weather. That said, this is NOT a goodbye for good, rather a farewell for now. We are hibernating through the heart of winter so that we may re-emerge in our formal glorious form (or some variation of it), when the world finds itself on a path back to normalcy.
I can say with all certainty that the ONLY reason we have been able to stay in operations throughout 2020 is due to the passion, dedication, talent, creativity, and tenacity of our amazing staff. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who has worked with me over this last year and I want you to know that I would do anything for you as you have all been, and continue to be truly awe inspiring.
Please join us for one of our tasting menus now through New Year’s Eve, and it my hope that you will find it in your hearts to pay us a visit in the next few week and celebrate the end of 2020 with our 10-course offering. You can also support the restaurant and our staff by picking up our takeout each week, or pre-ordering our NYE takeout for two starting 12/26. Please tip generously as our servers have a tough winter ahead as well.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to my wife and amazing family who have been my crutch though this trying year. Without them, I would not be the Chef or Man I am today. See you soon Atlanta.
With deepest admiration and respect,
Joey.
