Carl points to this extensive interview on Eater with Cakes & Ale’s cofounder Chef Billy Allin.  The Q&A includes his thoughts on the challenges he’s faced at the restaurant and the current Decatur restaurant scene. Here’s a taste…

Now, Decatur Square is a restaurant row. Good or bad, I don’t know. But if you come to Decatur, you have a lot of options, and they’re solid in most cases across the board. The outlook, I think, is positive. More and more people are coming to Atlanta from other parts of the country because of costs of living, there are more businesses opening. You’re getting people who are well-traveled, who are used to different experiences, and that’s fueling a boom in the restaurant world of Atlanta. Decatur, I think, is almost in the forefront— there are a few other little areas, Westside being one, Roswell doing a good job— really booming and catering to not just people who have lived here, but a lot of people that are coming from elsewhere. That’s a net positive in the long run because there’s going to be a flush out of restaurants all the time— some of them may be good, some may not be good. But in the long run it will keep intriguing other restaurateurs, hopefully a lot of independent restaurateurs, to put both feet in and go for it.