UPDATE: It looks like last night may have been a test run.
Brent writes in with this eyewitness report…
Decatur Diner. Drove by tonight. Booths were filled. Menu’s were waving.
Could it be??
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what parallel universe are you living in ….?
I saw it too. I wish we hadn’t already had dinner, or else we would have stopped in.
I hope the food is better than their marketing efforts. No clue what-so-ever about when they would be open or if.
What?!?! Can we get an objective, second opinion?
I shan’t believe it until I’m actually seated inside, a tuna melt before me…
When are we going? Then for yogurt afterward to kill all the calories?
Only if we have room for yogurt after a slice of that mile-high Mounds cake!!!
I didn’t know yogurt kills calories. I thought only beer did that…
Of course 2 pounds of frozen yogurt with brownies on top kills EVERYTHING bad.
It’s a TRAP!
And then you woke up and realized it was a dream…..
that’s just crazy talk
I just looked down there from my balcony and the place is empty. Signs still on the door that say “Opening Soon”. So…don’t think it’s a go quite yet.
It just seems too soon.
I’m totally getting spanikopita. You can’t see a neon spanikopita sign for 7 months without craving spanikopita. At least I can’t.
I wish them luck and look forward to giving them a try.
Opa! Open!
I also drove by tonight, and my jawed dropped in amazement. It looked like people were actually dining! But I craned my neck to try to find an Open sign- to no avail. I did see Opening Soon signs on both front doors. I thought maybe they were still practicing.
It’s too early to start with the April Fools jokes.
I walked by there twice tonight, yes people were in the booths, I didn’t see one plate of food, not even a coffee cup, just people sitting there fiddling with their phones. But, it’s progress people!!!
Yet again, another false alarm. Within the hour, my teenage son gathered up his cronies (based on my read here tonight), only to find it is closed.
This goes way beyond Aesop’s boy…
I cannot stop laughing.
And Andisheh, stop waiting! Get yourself some spanikopita! It’s fairly abundant in this town and you can even get it from trader joe’s, frozen, and it’s not too bad.
Is that spanikopita I smell or money being laundered?
Can we just break out the torches and pitchforks already?
Tiki torches?
You know why we’re all fixated on this? Because it’s a genuine τραγωδί; a Greek Tragedy.
It’s epic! The coming of the diner was first reported by DM on October 11th. 2009.
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/10/11/greek-diner-moving-into-old-atlanta-bread-co-space/
It has understatements. “I assure you nobody wants to get the doors open any quicker than our owner group. Our best guess now is another 4 weeks. But again you never can tell exactly.” – May 31, 2010
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2010/05/31/stop-work-order-delays-decatur-diner-opening/
It teases. (And you thought Groundhog Day was last week?)
“Resident Reports Decatur Diner Might Finally Be Open” – DM headline dated September 28, 2010
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2010/09/28/resident-reports-decatur-diner-might-finally-be-open/
All we need now is a group of singers from an Agnes Scott sorority to act as a Greek chorus. I don’t believe that Agnes Scott has any sororities, but why should that absurdity prevent the other from continuing.
Okay, okay. Maybe I’m obsessing a bit too much. I’ll stop now. Ah, spanikopita.
They’re manikins people. The smoking man is hiding the truth from us all.
or were they zombie?
When I walked by there were people in booths but there was no food!
Soylent green is peeeeople!
What is a test run? Are they making sure people can actually open the doors and walk in?
Will the seats hold up people or collapse?
Nope. Functioning doors first. Then functioning floor on which to walk around. THEN seats. Then tables.
Brent should be prosecuted for communicating a false Diner Opening Alert. (DOA).
This is serious stuff citizens, please confirm your sighting before causing mayhem among the people of this fine town.
When it does open, I want us all to gather, fill every booth, and order nothing. “Oh, you thought we were customers? No, we’re just going to sit here for 13 months until we decide what we really want to eat.”
ha!
We are in possession of a menu, found on the sidewalk.
Scan and post!
Can we get some shoe-leather reporting? Why not just walk up to the door during one of these “practice runs” and ask when the thing is going to open? Until then, reveling in the mystery…
People do this frequently and have been told the Diner will open “in a couple weeks” for months now.
I stopped by on my walk home from work today, and the lady at the cash register, who appeared to be running a training session for the dozen or so other folks in there, said that they were “aiming for Monday”. Once again, I didn’t ask which week/month/year that might be…
I’ve heard of soft openings, but this is almost liquid.
This is so goofy. I wonder if they realize this is creating ill will among some? Maybe I’m just a grudge-holder, but I have vicious thoughts every time I drive past this place. I’m bored with being faked out. They should drop a tent over the whole thing until they really seriously no-kidding O-P-E-N.
Neon food signs in each window are gone, as are the decals. ????
I think they violated the City sign ordinance.
I am reminded of the fake cleaning chemical stores that never seem to have any cleaning chemicals in stock for sale.
I’m lost here…?
I have read about this, it is the new fad in Italy called Ifulya marketing.
You pay rent for three years on a building and have L’apertura Presto signs plastered all over the place (Opening Soon, of course). Then, when the public has been frustrated and curious enough and are ready to explode after blogging about your establishment for years, you finally open and herds of eager customers flood the doors en masse all at once, creating the new culinary sensation to rival places called Antonio’s (that’s Wahoo in Italian).
They are making money without being open, if you know what that means. These scams have run all over the city of Atlanta for years.
I’m over whether or not they will ever open – I agree with those who say the diner is a front for some other nefarious “bidness”…I just would like to see the truly awful faux painting on the outside walls GONE!
Why would you speculate something like that? Seems pretty reckless.
I was wondering what Mary’s comment meant because I’m not familiar with that, but am curious and don’t doubt that in Atlanta. There have been rumblings on this site and another I read, about the owner’s previous sketch $ deals (all alleged I guess.)
But if you think about it really, how in the heck, could a small business afford to pay rent for as long as they have without actually generating any revenue? It is odd to say the least. Who knows.
My little inside joke here and all other bizarro businesses that can stay afloat with no customers is that it’s a front to funnel money to Al Qaeda. And no, I don’t really believe this in this particular case…
“could a small business afford to pay rent for as long as they have”
Rent, phooey ! The old man who is always sitting at the table with the calculator said they spent $ 750,000 on the build-out.
Wow. How does that compare to the typical renovation? I wonder what the Cakes and Ale build-out is costing… That appears to be far more extensive.
Holy Moses. OK, I’m officially a conspiracy theorist on this topic now. Something is definitely up.
Did he say they “spent” that much or that the “incurred” that much in labor and materials costs? ‘Cus I get the feeling not everyone’s been paid yet…
I’m going to Burnt Fork BBQ who were up and running in under 2 months.
I want a “Free Decatur Diner!” bumper sticker.
Burnt Fork is AWESOME!
Went there for lunch, was great. going back to try the cuban next.
Are we sure that it wasn’t a film crew with a Decatur Diner set for the latest zombie movie?
It sure looked open last night at 6:30pm, but turns out it was not yet open. The people at the tables , and there were many, appeared alive, but had no food that I could see, People tried to get in but could not, and they were mad! Yikes.
I applied for a waitressing job there last May. They called me in June, told me I was hired (after a 10 minute interview– I have no serving experience), then told me I needed to drive up to the Marietta Diner to train. I trained for two days, 5 hours each, and then the lady lost touch. I was never compensated for my training hours. They told me they were going to be opening in October of 2010. I am so glad I didn’t try and continue training, because I still would be out of a job! It does seem extremely sketchy to me that they haven’t opened after doing all that work on the facade and re-hauling the inside and having signs up and all the lights on 24/7. Lame, lame, lame.
It also seems lame, lame, lame that your training was unpaid — unless it was your idea to get a lil’ experience.
I think the mystery is just a marketing ploy.
They got everyone talking about them, and when and if they finally do open, you’re going to be curious to try it right?
What if the food is really great?
I have my doubts, but still.
Yes, we are all talking about them, but not in a good way. Where as I would have tried it out ASAP about six months ago…I think I’ll wait and see how others rate the food if it ever gets up and running. Like others, I too am suspecious of just what kind of ” business” they are running.
Anyone know if they have been issued a “certificate of occupancy” by the City yet?
Checking.
I just can’t believe that ALL those lights have been blazing at all hours for months now. Don’t they realize that Decatur is full of people who are really put off by that kind of irresponsible waste?
hello we sorry for the time take to open,but if that place is not open by feb 18 or before ,i give all my recipies free ,maybe you dont now much about me or my name but you go try the food .you go love the food im be there extra hours for make sure all the food come good.
thanks to all.
seeyou soon
There were two men sitting in a booth today drinking sodas, but maybe they were just testing the glasses. It’s really ridiculous.