UPDATED: ESPN Zone in Buckhead closes
Kenny Meatows with Henry incorporated used a boom to elevate him high above Peachtree Road to fix one of the moving heads of a sports figure on the front wall of ESPN Zone at 3030 Peachtree Rd in Atlanta, Georgia Wednesday September 30, 2009. The heads of the sports figures are animated by motors and the basketball figure's motor had failed. Meatows also spent his time up in the air to replace some of the stadium lights that are adorned across the top of the building. The repair work was done just days before the sports-themed eatery closed for business. Photo: John Spink, jspink@ajc.com
This just in: Formula PR, the El Segundo, Calif-based media reps for Buckhead’s ESPN Zone have confirmed to Buzz that the sports-themed eatery has closed.
In a statement just emailed to Buzz Central, operators cite the current economy for the shuttering:
Dominic Minniti, general manager, Disney Regional Entertainment: “We have enjoyed being a part of the Buckhead business community for nearly ten years. The overall economics of continuing this operation has given us no option but to close.”
Added Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, ESPN, who oversees Zone operations for ESPN: “A decision like this is never easy. We recognize and appreciate the commitment and years of service of all of these employees. Unfortunately, the current economic environment offered us no other choice.”
Company reps tell us the sports-themed restaurant that first opened its doors here in January 2000 had approximately 140 employees. Today those workers received “a 60 day administrative leave package.”
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133 comments Add your comment
DaveDawg
October 1st, 2009
3:36 pm
In 10 short years, City Hall transformed Buckhead from a hot spot to a dead zone. Nice job morons!
Joe
October 1st, 2009
3:42 pm
I went there two years ago and they didn’t have any high def tvs while Fox Sports Grill was all high def, so I never went back. Can’t be a sports bar and not have the latest technology when your competitors do.
val
October 1st, 2009
3:42 pm
Enter your comments here
ESPN ZONE!!!!! OOOOOh No!!!!! The food was fabulous and tasty!!!! I even had my book club meeting there. Thanks for a GOOD TIME!!!!! You’ll be surely missed!!!!!
reservoirDAWG
October 1st, 2009
3:46 pm
I went to the Chicago location last Thursday to watch the Ole Miss game and the food was awful. If the Buckhead location is like Chicago it is not surprising.
Alan
October 1st, 2009
3:55 pm
Ha ha. Anyone surprised? Buckhead used to be great before the thugs ruined it. Had the ESPN Zone been built in East Cobb or Alpharetta, it would still be thriving.
Mirna from smyrna
October 1st, 2009
4:01 pm
Been to the Times Square,Atlanta, and L.A. locations and they are all the same. Overpriced Applebee’s quaility food (not a compliment) Tee shirt stores. Same as the Hard Rock, ETC. I hope the displaced employees catch on somewhere else in the next 60 days. A great sports bar is locally owned and operated like the Fieldhouse in Dacula. Check it out if your ever in the area!
kw
October 1st, 2009
4:03 pm
I haven’t been there in a long time, but if the other comments about food and not having flatpanel televisions are true, then yeah, I can see why they closed. Come to think of it, yeah, I haven’t been back…I go to places like Stats, Dantanna’s or Taco Mac, instead. Maybe, a lot of others are doing the same.
Yeah, Buckhead is not the party destination it once was, but I think this is more of a result of greater competition (the places I mentioned above) than anything else. Think about it, those other places have all opened SINCE ESPN zone first opened, as has Fox Sports Grill. Taco Mac has been on an expansion binge. Maybe many others, like myself, find those places more appealing.
Ghost
October 1st, 2009
4:12 pm
DaveDawg is absolutely correct! Buckhead is DEAD now, as evidenced by the closing businesses and the empty condo buildings.
Gary
October 1st, 2009
4:12 pm
The explosion of sports bars in the farther north suburbs are the reason for this. Every northern metro county has at least one Taco Mac (the best!) and several other sports oriented bars. No need to travel to Buckhead anymore for overpriced food when you can get it cheaper closer to home.
Also anything ESPN is overrated anyway.
Jason
October 1st, 2009
4:13 pm
Their food was weak, and they never got any new video games. Who wants to play NFL Blitz 2000 every time?
the real Old Gold
October 1st, 2009
4:14 pm
My wife and I went there on our first date, and they didn’t have sweet tea…. never went back.
p.s. I wonder if they’ll sell the Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine version of Stone Mountain carving.. if so… I really would want it.
lawcat
October 1st, 2009
4:14 pm
Enter your comments here It was the worst experience ever. Food was awful. Service terrible. Too expensive!
Rob
October 1st, 2009
4:15 pm
I went there the night before the Peachtree and the service was awful and the food was worse. They got almost everything wrong with our order and initially were only going to comp us for the one thing that they got right. I am not surprised that they did not make it. Economy or not, bad service and food quality will get you closed fast.
DeaconPeach
October 1st, 2009
4:15 pm
What Gary said. ESPN Zone was overpriced & the food & atmosphere was overrated. Gimme Taco Mac any day & twice on Sunday!
OneRyder
October 1st, 2009
4:17 pm
The place was “ok” for a one time visit. After that there was nothing else to draw a local resident back to the place. Combine that with the fact that residents wanted to kill the party crowd atmosphere, and it that place was destined to be an after thought.
Matt
October 1st, 2009
4:17 pm
OVER RATED clap, clap OVER RATED clap, clap….
Lousy food, lousy location and waaaaaayyyy too expensive.
Chris
October 1st, 2009
4:20 pm
I agree with Davedawg…Atlanta’s politicians and buckhead community leaders killed buckhead! Look at it now. Empty shops, condos, land, etc. So instead of clubs, we get GUN and hunting stores (Chucks Firearms Inc) in buckhead! City Hall royally screwed up buckhead. Thanks for killing the party and bringing more guns to buckhead.
Bill
October 1st, 2009
4:22 pm
Old video machines; sports bar food; outdated TV technology; and over priced. Good riddance.
P
October 1st, 2009
4:24 pm
Can we now get ESPN to go away in other ways also? Way overhyped, overrated and overcontrolling of the sports industry. They were good when they were humble and the new kid on the block. but now?
Eric
October 1st, 2009
4:24 pm
Hmmmm…..I seem to remember Lenox Mall being closed down during the NBA All-Star game because there were basically 60k loiterers in the mall. Maybe that’s what happened here, cause everytime I went in the place was packed.
EJ
October 1st, 2009
4:27 pm
ESPNZone sucked, period. Other Buckhead restaurants seems to be doing just fine (Cheesecake Factory, Brio, Bones, Fogo, etc). The food there was WEAK, and they didn’t keep up with competitive offerings. Can’t blame this on politicians.
EJ
October 1st, 2009
4:28 pm
typo – “seem” to be doing…
P
October 1st, 2009
4:28 pm
I believe Chuck’s firearms has been in Buckhead for a long time just not at the present location.
I never associated ESPNZone with Buckhead but I do agree that Atlanta leadership snuffed it out (Buckhead nightlife). It was great while it lasted but just like Underground Atlanta from the 70’s all good things seem to come to an end in Atlanta. I miss “The Lodge”
Al
October 1st, 2009
4:29 pm
Okay, let me get this straight…”thugs” (the new colloquialism for the n-word) are responsible for Buckhead falling off and their absence also contributed to the failure of the ESPNZone? That’s pretty counterintuitive if you ask me. Buckhead has become what it wanted to become…..a pseudo haven for older wealthy white folks. You can thank Sam Massell for that, not City Hall. Diversity is what makes neighborhoods strong and cities vibrant but until we get over this whole black vs white thing, we’ll never become the world class city we aspire to be.
Tj
October 1st, 2009
4:29 pm
I agree with all the above however I would add a couple of others to those that closed the party down in Buckhead. You can also thank the Buckhead Business Coallition who bought the buildings and did not renew bar leases as well as always critical Sam Massell!
Dead Mike
October 1st, 2009
4:31 pm
Mmmm. Loved their french fried potaters.
kelly&carriefan
October 1st, 2009
4:31 pm
R.I.P. Buckhead.
IC Atlanta
October 1st, 2009
4:32 pm
Food wasn’t good and newer (see better) competition replaced them. City Hall didn’t kill Buckhead – the out of control mayhem, crime and murders that took place there killed rowdy Buckhead.
The condos might be empty now, but the investment made in that area since “the death of Buckhead” is vast and the area will be much better for it in the long run.
Besides how long can a place like Uranus stay open anyway?
SSS
October 1st, 2009
4:32 pm
HMMMMMM, MAYBE THE PERFECT LOCATION TO RE-OPEN THE GOLD CLUB!!!!!!
YAAAAAAAAAAAA COME ON!
SSS
K_Chub
October 1st, 2009
4:32 pm
City Hall messed up Buckhead’s night life…really??? Were members of City Hall were cruising around Buckhead all night long with their loud music causing massive traffic jams and car accidents? Were City Hall members pissing in people’s yards, causing property damange and getting DUI’s all over Buckhead every weekend night? Were City Hall members starting fights and shooting people on a weekly basis in Buckhead?
As a resident of Buckhead for the past 10 years I am proud to say that my neighborhood has changed for the better. The residents of Buckhead use to be held hostage by thugs, frat boys, druggies, and wannabe’s every weekend and now we have our neighborhood back. Those of you who think City Hall ruined Buckhead obviously don’t live in Buckhead. As far as ESPN Zone is concerned – who cares that place was nothing more than a suburban tourist attraction – anyone who actually lives in Buckhead would never go there. You can take the crappy Cheesesteak Factory too.
Say what?
October 1st, 2009
4:33 pm
Interesting comment…not smart, but interesting non the less. Anyways…
ESPN was OVER-PRICED and the food wasn’t that great. The location wasn’t the best for customer traffic.
Downtown or Midtown were better locations to support this type of established meet.
You can’t feed fish on DRY land! The water obvisouly was a more sports/entertainment/walkable oriented area such as downtown, Atlantic Station or Midtown.
When was the last time three bestfriends gathered in Buckhead to enjoy a good game of sports?
THIS IS WHERE YOU’LL HEAR THE CRICKETS!
- My point excatly!
Larry Jones
October 1st, 2009
4:34 pm
Club Uranus was before it’s time….
Former Buckhead resident
October 1st, 2009
4:36 pm
Buckhead was fun and relatively safe for many years. That all significantly changed in the late 90’s and became nationally known after Ray Lewis and his “friends” decided to murder someone in the Buckhead Village. So, thugs or not, it’s obvious what happened!!!
Mr Fix it
October 1st, 2009
4:37 pm
DaveDawg … spot on.
bill
October 1st, 2009
4:37 pm
I blame the demise of Buckhead to those nightclubs that starting catering to the hip-hop crow. Read that anyway you want to. It got too dangerous for others to go down there because of that crowd. It was like freaknik every weekend. Lots of trouble but very little money being spent. The law abiding patrons did not feel comfortable going down there. The city did what they had to becuase of the crowd that was going there.
CJ Dawg
October 1st, 2009
4:37 pm
I went there on a business trip several years ago. It was awful. Nothing exciting about it. The place was basically empty. Our night was about ruined until we saw…COYOTE UGLY nearby. I still say thank you to CU’s every night in my prayers!!! I don’t remember much after Coyote’s though….
JDW
October 1st, 2009
4:38 pm
YOu guys have selective memory about Buckhead…it was great in the 80’s but the hip hoppers turned it into a shooting gallery. As someone who lives in Buckhead, I am not sorry they are gone.
Sadtoseeitthisway
October 1st, 2009
4:40 pm
In recent years, what was the appeal in going there? It reeked of being empty WAY too often. If you sat out front you got a very depressing view of where your favorite bars used to be. While inside you realized this place is holding on waiting for a celebrity to walk through the door. There aren`t enough first time tourists coming in or local dads spoiling teenagers to pay for the high overhead. Oh! and when you go to your car, be sure to dig deep, again, to pay the parking guys in a very empty lot out back. It really made you want to patronize your “local” sports bar.
bill
October 1st, 2009
4:40 pm
Hey AI: you say: “Diversity is what makes neighborhoods strong and cities vibrant” How about providing a example of that becuase that sounds like a pile of politically correct BS to me.
Al
October 1st, 2009
4:42 pm
Oh yeah, the rowdy white “frat boys” were just sowing their wild oats by drinking, puking, partying, getting DUIs, date raping, and being generally obnoxious for years but heaven forbid students from the AUC show up too…it suddenly becomes a war zone in need of immediate police action. Not excusing the behavior of either group, but let’s not recreate history and try to romanticize this fictitious Buckhead utopia.
Al
October 1st, 2009
4:44 pm
Bill…let’s look at Midtown, shall we: gays, students, whites, blacks, and Asians. Oh yeah, there are plenty of black folks in Midtown…even some who don’t care for loud music and who are actually law abiding citizens.
Suburbanite
October 1st, 2009
4:44 pm
The “rowdy crowd” and “thugs” have been out of Buckhead for a very long time. I work near the ESPN zone and Im surpirsed its lasted as long as it did. The food was horrible and it was just a misfit for the area. You people kill me, always ready to blame others for the demise of your neighborhoods. Blame yourselves!! When was the last time you patronized the ESPN zone? Also, maybe you should blame the investor for closing all of the night spots in order to replace them with high-end stores. There is a big boarded up hole where your high end store are suppose to go.
tony
October 1st, 2009
4:44 pm
Enter your comments here
Al, you are sooooo right…mediocre establishments just like these thrive plenty in East Cobb and Alpharetta….no personality, no substance…just like all those silly sub-divisions. Can you say, Wild Bill’s and Medieval Times…WHO goes to those places?
Alright
October 1st, 2009
4:45 pm
Diito to Al!
Dmoney
October 1st, 2009
4:46 pm
suggestion, move ESPN ZONE to the South West side of town. i.e. WEST END!
tony
October 1st, 2009
4:46 pm
Enter your comments here
sorry not Al but Alan!
Fun Restaurants in Atlanta - Georgia (GA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum
October 1st, 2009
4:48 pm
[...] I would have to say Eclipse di Luna in Park Place across from Perimeter. Sad news sports fans, ESPN ZONE has closed. UPDATED: ESPN Zone in Buckhead closes | Peach Buzz [...]
UGAIsSoLastYear
October 1st, 2009
4:49 pm
When I was in school (I’m dating myself), Carlos McGees was the place to be in Buckhead. That and many other places. Over time they kept disappearing and I never knew why. It was a happening, fun place to hang out. Now it isn’t. Really, where in Atlanta is there a lot of foot traffic? I don’t see it and I am right in the middle of Midtown. Atlanta will never be a Chicago, NYC or Vegas where you have thousands of locals and tourists walking and milling around. With numbers, comes a sense of safety and fun.
Katrina
October 1st, 2009
4:50 pm
Thank you TJ! Atlanta’s City Hall had nothing to do with how Buckhead is now. That was the doing of the Buckhead Business Coalition and Sam Massell. There’s no need to look to downtown Atlanta to figure out what happened in that community. The leaders in that community is what happened. THEY closed down the “party” in Buckhead. That and the economy are the reasons why Buckhead is currently “dead”.
CSK
October 1st, 2009
4:50 pm
It’s so funny to read all the comments from the people who just moved to Buckhead because it’s more affordable. Actually I’m white and I’ve seen more white thugs with gold teeth than blacks…
Doug C.
October 1st, 2009
4:51 pm
“Hey AI: you say: “Diversity is what makes neighborhoods strong and cities vibrant” How about providing a example of that becuase that sounds like a pile of politically correct BS to me.”
Funny… It sounds like you’re making an argument for segregation “to me.”
Al
October 1st, 2009
4:51 pm
Atlanta will never be one of those cities as long as our white friends remain afraid of our black friends. In REAL cities, groups party together and enjoy each other regardless of cultural, racial, sexual differences.
PaulC
October 1st, 2009
4:52 pm
I think the big hole in the ground across the street has a little something to do with this as opposed to bad city management. Talk to Ben Carter about that. As for ESPN Zone, I guess we’ll have to find our $15.00 hamburgers elsewhere.
Chris
October 1st, 2009
4:53 pm
I’ll pour a little out (very little) for Espn zone tonight…they did have comfy recliners but the food was average at best. Its too bad the ATL Espn zone never hosted special events (or if they did, didn’t market them). I was at the 2008 NFL draft party at the Times Square location and that couldn’t be beat. Unlimited alcohol, food, etc.
Buckhead Writer
October 1st, 2009
4:56 pm
Prime real estate. Somebody better buy it before Charlie Loudermilk or Ben Carter scoops it up and tries to build some yuppie monstrousity that ends up being an empty lot for 2 years.
Rami
October 1st, 2009
4:59 pm
Sorry, but the last time I went, lunch was waaaaaaay overpriced and the service was terrible
IMHO
THE FONZ
October 1st, 2009
5:00 pm
i miss The Lodge too. . . the Buffalo’s Wild Wing Cafe that just opened in the Target/Staples/Publix complex – was standing room only when stopped in for lunch a couple Saturday’s ago . .they have more HD flat screens than a Best Buy warehouse!
All I'm Saying Is...
October 1st, 2009
5:01 pm
10 years is actually a long time for any location of a restaurant to stay in business.
Why this one closed is not a question of location (look at all the closed retail establishments around Town Center and Gwinnett Place and in Alpharetta) or types of folks milling around (businesses close and have closed in all areas of metro Atlanta) or that the atmosphere has changed (like people don’t still go out to eat).
This place closed because it was overpriced for basically burgers and fries type food and the things they offered became stale.
10 years ago, big screen televisions, the NFL Sunday Ticket package, and video games were not as widely available. With the growth of big screen televisions, flat screen LCDs, and high definition TVs, video games like PS3s, Nintendo, and Wii’s, and cheaper alternatives like Dave & Buster’s, the ESPN Zone didn’t stand a chance. All of these so-called Eat-ertainment places have had trouble across the country. Places like Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood to name two have closed most of their locations. Plus these establishments rarely renovated and upgraded their restaurants so they became stale.
Elliot Garcia
October 1st, 2009
5:02 pm
Who cares about Buckhead…just keep the thugs out of Forsyth County…there seems to be an urban creep going on….
Shannon Hall
October 1st, 2009
5:02 pm
Miss Buckhead as a place to come to on the weekends.. City Hall and the residents of Buckhead were so quick to pull the plug on the partying but failed to realize it was one the reasons the area was so popular. City Hall Should have found other ways to deter the traffic that came to buckhead to make it more safe other than punish the bars and restaurants that resided there
DJ Sniper
October 1st, 2009
5:03 pm
I only went to ESPN Zone twice and I was never impressed by it. The food was average at best, and the service defintiely wasn’t up to par. Can’t say I’m too saddened by its closing.
On another note, it’s a d**m shame that this city wants to be known as a world class destination, yet you still have morons here(many of them posting on this blog) who just cannot get past the race issue.
Marcy
October 1st, 2009
5:07 pm
Thank goodness Buckhead is “dead”, for us longtime Buckhead residents who pay high City of Atlanta and Fulton County taxes, and who for years woke up Saturday and Sundays mornings to empty beer and liquor bottles, human urine and feces on our porches, patios, driveways. Also to our vandalized cars and shrubs. That is IF we could go to sleep thanks to the illegally-loud bands playing past closing time and the gunshots! If only Buckhead would split off from the City of Atlanta!
Mike
October 1st, 2009
5:09 pm
Does anyone even remember the previous restaurant in that building? I think it was called Country Star Cafe or something, and it was another version of Planet Hollywood/All Star Cafe where a bunch of celebrities put their money and names into it.
Had dinner at Le Colonial in New York a couple weeks ago, and I can’t wait for Streets of Buckhead to open. In the meantime, of course, Hermes is in the second worst location they’ve ever had in Atlanta. (In the early 80s they were at the Omni – skating rink, arcade, movie theater, and $200 scarves. Yeah, great fit)
Dmoney
October 1st, 2009
5:11 pm
if there are 10 candy stores on one black, would you open up another? the south west side of town has seen little to no growth compared to places like Buckhead. maybe beause it’s mostly black people, or maybe because more money is in the north area. either or, black poeple in ATL spend just as much money. many of them spend everywhere except where they live. if i had the money, i would definatlely relocate to the area where there are no sports bars.
ADL
October 1st, 2009
5:12 pm
It was there for the out of town crowd. Another tourist trap that Atlanta is getting to be known for. Good riddance.
Dmoney
October 1st, 2009
5:12 pm
revsied: if there are 10 candy stores on one block
Dmoney
October 1st, 2009
5:15 pm
can we talk Piedmont Park for a second? i remember every summer Piedmont would have events almost every weekend. however it seems the folks who lives around there think Piedmont is their personal back yard.
Done with Buckhead
October 1st, 2009
5:18 pm
I do more going out to clubs and eateries when I travel out of state. Buckhead used to be the place to be with a bustling nightlife and plenty of fun eateries. Slowly but surely it has become a ghost town witn more and more empty stores, empty buildings that were home to nice nightclubs, and now eateries. ESPN was doomed when Atlantic Station got built. Atlantic station is a one stop shop of stores from home furnishings to great places to eat and even take in a movie-a great date place or a place to meet your buddies and watch a game.
Keep It Real
October 1st, 2009
5:18 pm
It’s funny how we moved from ESPN ZONE closing to thugs and loud music. Buckhead has done a 360. It went from the RICH WHITE FOLKS, TO THE GAY FOLKS TO THE RICH BLACK FOLKS, THUGS AND now back to the struggling race. The folks that were staying in BUCKHEAD when the transition was going on has now moved or has adapted.
Atlanta has taken a major blow in the economy since things has change. EAT’Z is gone, Piedmont Park isn’t the same, Bellbottoms is gone, $3 Cafe is gone, World Bar is gone, Ray’s Pizza is gone… and others will leave as well.. When people came to Atlanta for sporting events or conventions Buckhead was the place to be. You can say it was the thugs or you can say it was the economy, part of Atlanta is gone. So to all of the people that talk about the thugs etc… tell me why are you paying so much to live in an area that has nothing to offer.
10 years from now Buckhead will be back to what it use to be, a party city….
Pete
October 1st, 2009
5:18 pm
That place sucked for more reasons than I can post on here.
ATLdawg, ya dig?
October 1st, 2009
5:20 pm
Good riddance. A crappy corporate outpost of mediocrity. Another magnet for non-Buckhead people to clog Peachtree waiting to valet their leased hummers.
HERBIE
October 1st, 2009
5:21 pm
Ya’ll are whole bunch of whiners
itpdude
October 1st, 2009
5:21 pm
Man, remember when Buckhead was actually fun? Things really seemed to turn after the Ray Lewis Superbowl murder thing.
Keep It Real
October 1st, 2009
5:24 pm
I agree, PIEDMONT PARK nor PEACHTREE street belongs to the residents. They act as if they own the park and street. How can you move into the city and expect it to be quiet. Thats like the folks living in downtown NYC complaining about it being to loud.
If you want to be in a quiet place move to Swannee or Hampton GA… the price you pay for a 2 bedroom apartment, you can have a ranch.. $1500.00 for a 1 bedroom apartment thats crazy
Misa
October 1st, 2009
5:24 pm
PaulC you hit it on the nose. Ben Carter Properties has everything on hold (biting off too much he can chew) until his finances recover….until then Buckhead and its potential suffers……….
Doug
October 1st, 2009
5:27 pm
Enter your comments hereWent to it this year for the NFL Draft. Told the person sitting my party why we were there for to watch the whole draft that day. Was given a great seat and had great service till the Falcons made their pick then found out we were in the wrong room.They were putting the Hawks playoff game in the room we were seated in.Never again would my party set foot in it again. When you trerat your customers like crap what do you get other the the close sign on the front door
Terry
October 1st, 2009
5:30 pm
I had to comment, I went to watch football at ESPN Zone the first day I moved to Atlanta (literally, drove in at 6am and was in a chair by 12pm). BUT it was the last time I went because overall, the place sucked. Food wasn’t good and was way overpriced. People just want good, affordable food and a great atmosphere to watch the game.
Oh and to those making Buckhead’s demise a racially charged issue, stop it. Hip hop did nothing to Buckhead, the people who own the real estate made those decisions in the name of MONEY. Now that the economy has tanked, they are reaping what they sowed. Plain and simple. So please, let it go…
joey
October 1st, 2009
5:40 pm
We took my mother and sister down to Buckhead on a sunny Sunday afternoon back in the late 90’s. I used to party all the time in Buckhead but it had been while since I had been down there. We left Cheescake factory just to walk around when two “brothers” staggered out of da ESPN zone wearing gold chains and football jerseys. They saw my sister and mother and started to make rude, crude, comments, it was mothers day and they obviously were too screwed up from watching Florida A&M vs. Grambling highlights. Thugs and Playaz are full of pop and pizzaz but not much in the way of actual money or credit. I know I was in the bar business. I never went in there, I guess now that the lights are on all the roaches will stay away.
The Truth
October 1st, 2009
5:43 pm
It doesn’t matter what the subject, a lot of you just hate Black folks. Stop making excuses and just make it plain – you hate Black folks. Period. End of story.
JacketSteve
October 1st, 2009
5:43 pm
Buckhead’s demise was fueled by several factors. The Ray Lewis murder was part of it. (don’t get me started on how much i hate Ray Lewis) The real downturn started when Freaknik came to town in the late 90s. After the one year that it brought downtown to gridlock because of the idiots “cruising” and basically parking their cars in the road, getting out and partying in the streets, the mayor puts cops all over the city the next year. That’s when the Freaknik crowd left downtown and headed to Buckhead. After that, Buckhead turned into a hip-hop haven filled with crime. That’s when the residents of Buckhead had to step in and shut it down. I don’t blame them for doing it. I would have too. Whoever started and allowed Freaknik to happen in Atlanta also started the demise of Buckhead. I miss the days of LuLu’s, East Village Grill, CJ’s Landing, Bar, etc. in the 80s and 90s. Every city I went to back then across the country I would meet people who would say how much they loved Buckhead and couldn’t wait to come back to the ATL. I don’t hear many people planning trips here anymore.
MCP
October 1st, 2009
5:49 pm
No surprise to me. I live in Buckhead, but more in the Lenox/Buckhead Loop area. I have been to ESPN-Zone and was not impressed. Kind of like a Dave & Busters in a supposed to be nightlife area. The few times I went, there were teenagers running around (which is not a bad thing, but just doesn’t seem to fit the area). The food was of cookie-cutter quality, and the televisions are better at the McDonald’s across the street. However, I did find the service fantastic each time I went.
That pocket of Buckhead is dead and even looks like it. With Three Dollar Cafe just sitting as an abandoned building along with Bell Bottoms across Peachtree looking the same way, and construction of whatever they are/were erecting on the Pharr/Peachtree Rd. intersection stalled…who would want to come down there? I hope Brio’s, Cheesecake Factory, Fado’s, Elbow Room, Atlanta Fish Market, and all the rest have staying power!
Hate to hear...
October 1st, 2009
5:49 pm
Went there recently, and apparently just before Ryan Cameron had a party as well for his son. Many good times there (still have some cards – oh well. lol), but I admit – I am not in Buckhead like I used to be! TOO MUCH OF AN EFFORT AND PROJECT IS REQUIRED NOW! NONSENSE!!!
euphony69
October 1st, 2009
5:49 pm
This is what happens when you have a screwed up mayor who would like to turn the city into condos and get ride of all the entertainment. Franklin destroyed the city for few white people.
I see so many silly people moving in town and complain about the noise from the clubs. Does this retards know any better. What a backward town ATL has become
Hate to hear...
October 1st, 2009
5:52 pm
This is an example of treat your people right, they’re treat the customers right as well!!! The services was always great and check out that SIXTY day package!!! Who does that these days?! :-/
Strictly Business
October 1st, 2009
5:52 pm
Competition, coupled with warranted and unwarranted fears, fools and their money probably shot the the place. Some say good riddance to everything that occured. Who knows what the next ten years will bring for Buckhead….the true Buckhead, about 50 miles east of Atlanta, is probably where it’s headed and not to East Cobb and Alpharetta as that “one” talking about thugs suggested.
Dan
October 1st, 2009
5:55 pm
Atlanta – The next great international city….. NOT
blazerdawg
October 1st, 2009
6:01 pm
JacketSteve is exactly right, Buckhead was a blast before hip-hop.
Al, it is not about the race, it is the behavior…I enjoy midtown Atl, and the Highlands even more, but the stuff that was going on in Buckhead a few years ago was so uncool and “thug” is the only way to describe it. Most brothas and sistas I meet are very cool and responsible, but I would not defend a Klan rally, and you should not defend the BS that was going on in Buckhead a while back.
As for ESPN Zone; good riddance; if only I could get the TV network out of SEC football I would never ever watch it.
Aj
October 1st, 2009
6:04 pm
Sad to hear about this. Been a faithful customer here for the last 3 years. Will def. miss the goodnights and good games
CLEVELANDBROWNNATLANTA
October 1st, 2009
6:07 pm
ESPN was a nice sports bar/party spot until Mayor Shirley Franklin ruined the nightlife in Atlanta.
JASON
October 1st, 2009
6:11 pm
Enter your comments here
Of course most of these people hate black people, black people are the cause for the majority of the crime in Atlanta. It is just statistics, AIDS,poverty, and crime is not a problem in the white communities, it is a problem in the black and hispanic communities. Lincoln freed the slaves 150 years ago, how long does it take for them to get their act together!
Real Talk
October 1st, 2009
6:11 pm
Evrybody talkin bout “O Buckhead used to be fun b4 thugs and b4 hip-hop came along Buckhead was the place to be” well b*tch move! Buckhead is still poppin, maybe not for you social butterflies it isnt. Hip Hop wouldn’t have taken over if there wasnt a legitimate fan base for it to do so. If u wanna listen to classical music and sip tonic water go sumwhere else.
JJ
October 1st, 2009
6:17 pm
Amen Jason!
Zape
October 1st, 2009
6:29 pm
I moved to ATL from NY, 10 years ago..I used to live in East Village, biggup Lower East side.
So when I moved down here I used to live in buckhead, one thing I couldn’t understand how black folks used to come every week-end and spent money over there and act like clowns.
They do the same in the village in NY, bottom line build your own neighborhood and have control over it. I think the last time I went back to buckhead was 5 years and it was not even at night.
Just another laid off citizen
October 1st, 2009
6:37 pm
I was an employee at the ESPN Zone and we had no idea until we got to work this morning this was happening. I am very sad bc I very much enjoyed my time there. I blame the economy and knew we had no chance when the construction across the street was put off the third time. They would not allow us to get new TVs, believe me, we complained about it constantly. Nothing was updated bc there was no money to be invested in it. I will sincerely miss falcons face to face and all of the great players I had the privilege to meet. The severance package is great, just hope in the next two months, there are jobs out there to be had.
The Big Chicken
October 1st, 2009
6:39 pm
Elliot Garcia wrote:
Who cares about Buckhead…just keep the thugs out of Forsyth County…there seems to be an urban creep going on….
I will pay for your NASA shuttle ticket. A One-way ticket, coach of course, to Mars!! But I am sure…the thugs will eventualy catch up to you there.
bhw
October 1st, 2009
6:44 pm
this place just took 300 dollars from me.
The Big Chicken
October 1st, 2009
6:55 pm
I meant to say eventually. Buckhead and Bankhead
are what we thought they were; they’re what we thought they were. … But they are who we thought they were, and we let ‘em off the hook! …
Now if you want to crown them, then crown their axx!!
joey
October 1st, 2009
7:06 pm
It is not a black or white thing, it is all business, not bidness. Buckhead died and so did the 285 Roswell road bar district. It is more of a have and have not, the people that overtook Buckhead and American Pie were the sort that wants to take things, not earn, but take things. How can you run a business when hustlers are everywhere?
OneRyder
October 1st, 2009
7:09 pm
Blame the “demise” of Buckhead recreation scene and businesses on Buckhead residents. They worried about crime since the Ray Lewis incident. Now the residents and developers got what they want. Condos and shops. They wanted the streets empty after hours, and they got it. City Hall only did what the residents demanded.
GH
October 1st, 2009
8:38 pm
How about anyone talking about the poor 140 people who are losing jobs? That is just too bad. If we don’t like the place, then we don’t have to go. I am sure there were many hard working people there that now have to find employment in an industry that is not doing well at all. I wish them luck.