Rumor Proves True: Crescent Moon to Become Thumbs Up Diner
Decatur Metro | October 28, 2008
YourFavoriteWaitress is good enough to give us a detailed report on the future of Crescent Moon…
OK, Folks, Here’s the official update on the Crescent Moon saga:
The bad guys are gone and the good guys are back!!!
I just came from a meeting with Rob Atherholt, and the creme de la creme of the Crescent Moon crew. We met some new friends at this meeting, and we all came away feeling excited about the future of our little diner in Decatur.
The name Crescent Moon is tied up in legal red tape and could remain that way for some time.
Meanwhile, The Thumbs Up in Avondale had to close awhile back because of the city’s expansion or somesuch…anyway,It’s a perfect alignment of time and circumstance for Rob Atherholt of Crescent Moon And Lou Locricchio of Thumb’s Up to join forces with another successful restaurant entrepreneur, Lisa Durham, and together with management partners Susan Wright and Wesley McConnell, and the Crescent Moon crew that you have known and loved for years, bring Thumb’s Up back to Decatur!! That’s right it’s official.
THUMB’S UP COMES TO CRESCENT MOON!!!
I wanted to post this here, because the support from this site has been strong and appreciated, and I know that everyone has been wondering what’s going on.
We all loved The Crescent Moon, and it being gone carries a sad note. I also know that Thumb’s Up is a great restaurant and it carries not only a similar menu, but the same high quality standards that we maintained at The Moon before Global took over ownership.
It’s the best of both worlds. We still have Rob, AND we now have Lou and Lisa and Wesley and Susan as well.So watch the blog and keep an eye open for word of our grand re-opening. (Probably mid to end of November.) Then come on over and see some familiar faces and meet some new friends and chow down on some good food!!
It’ll be great to see your faces again.
Maggiea pleasant post-script:
The shower tiles and mirrors on the walls (and the neon) are going to be removed and Lou’s wife Elizabeth is in the process of giving the dining room a much-needed face lift. YIPPEE!!
In case you’re unfamiliar with Thumbs Up and its selection, here’s their website.
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For those of us who have lived in Decatur for at least a decade and a half, this is more of a full circle than a crescent. The original site of Crescent Moon, which was where Cakes and Ale is now, was actually the original Thumbs Up, which is why the menus are so similar. I think that when the original Thumbs Up was sold (more than a decade ago??), the owner wanted to keep the name for future use, but new owners pretty much kept the menu and the vibe the same. And what a fine vibe it is. Welcome back, Thumbs Up! We’ve missed you.
How exciting to have Rob and Lou together in bringing this great restaurant back. They are both great guys and both played a role in Decatur’s renaissance. Can’t wait!
I am so glad to hear that they are moving forward with this! Having had the crescent moon be such a huge part of my life, as along time employee and a customer, it saddened me to watch what was happening to it over the past year. It makes me very happy to think that some of the happiness (and good food) will return to that location!
BYE BYE WALL TILES and neon!!!!!!!!!!! Phew. . .
Welcome back Rob and Thumbs Up!
Thumbs Up’s new West Midtown location is wonderful–great friendly service!
I just want to cry rivers of tears of joy!! I am so happy that Thumbs Up will be back and that Rob, et. al. will be bringing the goodness back to Crescent Moon, now Thumbs Up!! Does this affect the other Crescent Moon locations as well? Or will Thumbs Up be a Decatur Only business??
YAY!!!
The only thing is now we won’t have the “fun” of watching folks run out of there cars (on Sunday morning) thinking there’s no wait at Crescent Moon – only to find out it’s not even open!
We cannot wait for Thumb’s Up!! and losing the tile and neon!!
I don’t know what was going on with me and the inappropriate apostrophe use in that post yesterday.
geez *blush*
The closing of the Avondale Store was a shocker for the fans of Thumbs Up. What was more surprising was that the owner didn’t tell any of his staff until the day before and treated them rather poorly concerning severance and unemployment benefits. I write this having heard discussions from two different “people in the know”. And as anyone can see the development area in Avondale is at a stand still. Makes me question why the owner was so quick to leave/abandon a thriving business and location. I really hope it works out well for all Crescent Moon folks, y’all deserve it !!
Decatur Gal, Avondale voted positively on the whole big honkin’ development project this week. They say interior demos will start soon with structure demos when they can get them permitted.
One request please…… keep the Chicken Spinich burger so I don’t have to drive to Murphy’s to get it:)
I’ve bit my tongue, but I feel compelled to ask what others are not. Do we really need another breakfast/lunch only establishment? We already have three, two of which are destinations for folks outside the immediate area and one of which is an overpriced mediocre chain with very bad coffee. Decatur is a coffee destination and doesn’t need any additional breakfast places with bad coffee, and we don’t need any more chains that do not understand local wants and tastes. What we do desperately deserve is a reasonably priced place for dinner, a place that will bring folks into town and encourage them to shop and enjoy downtown, and a place that offers convenient takeout. Crescent Moon handily filled that niche. With Tropical Smoothie Café and Tossed long gone, there are no longer any restaurants without bars (other than the sub shops). Although CM did serve beer and wine, it never felt like a bar; and it wasn’t uncommon to see people dining alone at night while reading a book or newspaper. We just don’t have anywhere like that now; most other places are either more upscale and/or loud due to the bar. (Saba may be the only exception to that since it is still not terribly busy at night and doesn’t serve liquor). CM was the only place you could go for “supper” here.
So yes, while I’m excited to have Thumbs Up over the most recent incarnation of CM, I’m very disappointed to see many seemingly suggesting that a cash-only primarily breakfast joint is the best thing we can do. It’s like we have an inferiority complex and think having another chain means we’ve succeeded. Sure, you can argue that it’s a “local” chain, but that won’t go far. Both Lou and Rob chose to sell Decatur businesses when it was convenient for them, and neither one lives here. So now we’re welcoming them back and letting them tell us what we want? Yes, there are lots of “please keep ____ on the menu” messages here, but we know we’ll end up with the same menu and formula they have elsewhere. And sure, even I will eventually go to Thumbs Up (probably sneaking in my own coffee), but I’ll always choose to support local businesses that have remained dedicated to the community.
Certainly the present economy is challenging, and I’m glad that particular location won’t be completely empty (though it sure will be dark at night). What the City (and/or DDA) really appears to need is a more proactive approach to recruiting and maintaining businesses based on what the community desires. People have remarked that CVS is the busiest place in town (and it is their highest-volume location in the district) for a reason: it has what people want, which is a variety of things (but nothing particularly expensive). CM was the restaurant equivalent of that, and it did that well for years. I used to remark that I could eat there every night and have something completely different. I’ll look forward to one day being able to say that again about a Decatur restaurant.
I always kinda wished Decatur had gotten Five Guys instead of Edgewood getting it.
Carl, I was disappointed about losing dinner as well. We love “breakfast for dinner” and only frequented the old (good) Crescent Moon at night. I was kind of hoping for a Thumbs Up, CM hybrid–the best of both!
Decatur Gal, as I heard it, Thumbs Up was forced out by their landlord who wanted to sell, it was thriving and was not their choice.
FM Fats: I bet you could open a Five Guys franchise in the Tossed space! Although then I might have to start going there daily for fries.