There’s a great little interview over on the AJC with Decatur Mellow Mushroom owner, Dave Kieffer today. The Q&A covers a lot of ground, from “Why Decatur?” to an explanation of why this particular Mellow Mushroom location has so many horror movie posters on its walls and tables. It’s a great read, especially for those that enjoy the “spring water dough” as much as I do.

However, there was one question in particular that caught my attention.

Immediately after asking Kieffer his first question, “Why Decatur?”, the AJC’s Jon Waterhouse asked him “Do you think downtown Decatur is reaching its peak of restaurant saturation?”

An interesting question for a rather established restaurant owner don’t you think? It would make more contextual sense if Kieffer was brand-spanking new to the area. But he’s not. So to me, it says more about the interviewer than the interviewee. It seems to expose the opinion among Atlanta foodies that Decatur has gotten a little TOO restaurant happy.

What do you think? Does choosing a place for dinner in town give you the hives due to the multitude of options? Is it a bad thing that the city has so many restaurant options and so few utilitarian stores (grocery, hardware…)? If so, then what can be done about it? Or is it just a result of the makeup of the Atlanta metro area? (…meaning big box stores have closed down all the local, more utilitarian shops…so independents are limited to food and drink, clothing and niche products)

I open the virtual floor to your thoughts.