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DINING
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Longtime regulars purchase
The Colonnade, vowing to
preserve its legacy
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child and noted
that the restaurant
opened the same
year his mother was
born.
Donahue, a
Waterloo, Iowa,
native, moved to
Atlanta in 1985 to
work as an interior
designer and has
been dining at The
Colonnade for
more than three
decades.
“Like many
people, it’s been
a part of our lives
By Beth McKibben
The sale of The Colonnade is
complete and the new owners chosen.
Jodi and David Stallings handed the
keys over to longtime regulars Lewis
Jeffries and Paul Donahue, who will
become only the third owners of the
Cheshire Bridge Road dining institution
in its 97-year history.
Earlier this summer, the Stallings
announced the sale of the nearly century-
old restaurant, which first opened in
1927 at the corner of Lindbergh Drive
and Piedmont Avenue, stating that
they aimed to find new owners willing
to preserve The Colonnade’s legacy in
Atlanta.
Jeffries and Donahue said regulars
should not expect to find any major
changes at The Colonnade, other than
some rearrangement in seating, the
future return of menu favorites and
dining options like Saturday lunch,
and eventually a minor refresh of the
interiors.
Understanding the legacy
Jeffries and Donahue, who own
Lingering Shade Social Club on
Irwin Street, have been dining at The
Colonnade for decades.
Jeffries, a third-generation Atlantan,
has been eating at The Colonnade with
his family since before the restaurant
relocated to Cheshire Bridge in 1962.
It was his late mother’s favorite Atlanta
restaurant and one he took her to often,
especially in the year before her death.
Jeffries recalls dining at The Colonnade
with his grandparents when he was a
for a long, long time. There are family
histories here. We’ve heard so many
stories from friends and people we’ve met
over the last couple of weeks about their
connections to The Colonnade,” said
Donahue of taking over its ownership.
The duo also recognize the
importance of the restaurant’s staff
to the business and to its regulars.
Many employees have been with The
Colonnade for decades. This includes
Rhea Merritt, who joined the restaurant
in the early 1970s and is often behind
the bar whipping up martinis. The first
person people typically see when they
walk into The Colonnade is Randell
Stenson. He’s been greeting diners at the
host stand for 32 years.
Retta Black bartended and manned
the cash register at The Colonnade for
25 years before the restaurant began
accepting credit cards in 2014. Now she
works for Jeffries and Donahue as head
bartender at Lingering Shade.
“We’ve known some of the staff for
years and years and years and they’ve all
become very important to us. Everything
at The Colonnade is so interrelated,”
Donahue said. “That’s why it has to keep
going in Atlanta.”
Understanding how cherished The
Colonnade is to multiple generations of
Atlantans (both new and native) is part
of what prompted Stallings to approach
Jeffries and Donahue almost a year ago.
Despite their familiarity with the
staff and being friends with many
regulars, Jeffries and Donahue admit they
have a lot to learn about owning and
operating The Colonnade. The staff seem
supportive of the ownership transition,
and even a little bit excited about what
the future holds for the restaurant.
Jeffries and Donahue plan to spend
the fall evaluating staff and operational
needs and looking at the books, starting
with analyzing the point of sales system
(POS).
It’s not sexy work, but necessary
to ensure The Colonnade continues
operating efficiently, Jeffries and
Donahue said. But people can expect to
see them in the dining room greeting
people and introducing themselves as the
new owners.
What’s old is what’s new again
Save a few tweaks here and there,
the menu will remain intact. Part of
evaluating the POS system includes
understanding what’s selling well and
what could be improved upon in terms
of the menu. However, regulars can rest
assured that dishes like the yeast rolls,
fried okra, fried shrimp (Donahue’s
favorite), and chicken fried chicken
(Jeffries favorite) won’t be going
anywhere. Drinks like the Vesper and
those ice-cold martinis will stay put, too.
“We want to bring back a few things
that went away prior to COVID and see
where business might be increasing to
expand hours in the future,” Jeffries said.
“We’d love to see The Colonnade open
seven days a week again for breakfast,
Saturday lunch, and dinner, but certainly
getting back to seven nights a week at
some point.”
Halloween night at The Colonnade,
when everyone from staff to patrons
dressed in costume, might also return
this year.
As for the refreshed design, Donahue
will tap into his interior decorating
expertise, much of which involved
sprucing up drab country clubs around
the South. While they don’t want to
change the cozy, comforting vibe of The
Colonnade, Jeffries and Donahue do
want to bring more vibrancy into the
restaurant.
Jodi Stallings always referred to The
Colonnade as a “country club without
a membership” and Donahue said that
statement resonated with him. He’ll take
cues from the building’s mid-century
leanings, as well as design elements from
1960s vacation destinations like Palm
Beach and Palm Springs. The goal is to
bring “fun things” into the space without
losing the restaurant’s soul. Nothing too
wild, Donahue insisted.
“She’s an old girl and it’s about time
for her to have a new dress,” Donahue
said. “We’re going to try to make the
overflow seating in the back dining
room look less like a banquet room and
incorporate booths to match the ones in
the main dining room.”
Even The Colonnade’s brown paper
placemats will receive a little boost. The
duo is playing around with different
color schemes to refresh the design of the
restaurant’s iconic placemats.
On approaching 100 years
of The Colonnade
When asked why they think
generations of Atlantans continue to
dine at The Colonnade, Jeffries simply
stated that the restaurant offers people
consistency and comfort. It’s a constant
in many people’s lives, often tied to
their family histories which provides the
touchstone or connection to loved ones
and times gone by.
“The Colonnade also serves good
food. It’s not fine dining by any
means, but it’s food people like and it’s
approachable,” Donahue added. “We’re
really excited to get in there and get
this restaurant ready for its hundredth
birthday by reenergizing the staff and
getting The Colonnade back to 100
percent after COVID and two bridge
fires.”
One thing’s for sure, Jeffries and
Donahue promised, The Colonnade’s
100th birthday party in 2027 will be one
hell of a bash.
30 | OCTOBER 2024
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