Uncle Maddio's Owner: Pizza Business Recession-Proof

“We opened then, when the [economic] floor fell out,” owner Matt Andrew said last week. “We came out of the gate with guns blazing.”

Toco Hill's Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint has had its share of struggles in a dim economy over the last several years, but, for the most part, business has been good, the restaurant's owner said last week. The pizza business is essentially recession-proof, Matt Andrew told Neighbor Newspapers. From the story: The pizza restaurant started in January 2009 in the Toco Hills Shopping Center in Druid Hills. “We opened then, when the [economic] floor fell out,” he said. “We came out of the gate with guns blazing.” Although he said they had to “weather the storm through the economy,” he considers the pizza business to be somewhat recession proof because people do not usually make it at home. He said Uncle Maddio’s is similar to Moe’s, where …

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George Miranda

8:47 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013

Where's the beer and wine??   more ›

Sip Wine and Tapas Restaurant Coming to Toco Hills

The wine retail shop and tapas restaurant is coming to Toco Hills Promenade.

Sip Wine and Tapas Restaurant is coming to Toco Hills Promenade, the shopping center announced Thursday. No additional details were offered on the shopping center's Facebook page, including whether Sip is moving its Milton location or opening a new one in Toco Hill. (Though no move has been announced on the restaurant's Facebook and Twitter accounts either.) Here's a quick rundown on its website of how the restaurant – which is a little different – operates: Sip is a retail wine shop and tapas restaurant with over 50 wines that may be ordered by the 1 ounce sip, the half glass, full glass or bottle and another 150 more wines by the bottle. Any wine enjoyed in the restaurant, may be purchase to take home. We don’t have a normal restaurant …

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Help Animal Savers Rescue in Toco Hill

For $10, you can get your pet photographed. Funds go to the group.

Jimmy John's Sandwiches Headed for Toco Hill

The gourmet sandwich shop will move in next to Famous Pub.

Another popular fast-casual brand is coming to Toco Hill. Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches will soon open in Toco Hills Promenade, according to Tomorrow's News Today. From the story: Champaign, Illinois-based Jimmy John's is opening on the cusp of Toco Hills Promenade early next year.  The "gourmet sandwich" franchise has grown its metro presence quite a bit over the past few years, adding multiple Buckhead and midtown locations, as well as restaurants in Decatur, Sandy Springs and Norcross. Toco Hills Promenade is the Publix-anchored center near the corner of North Druid Hills and Clairmont Roads.  The adjacent Kroger-anchored Toco Hill shopping center is located near the intersection of North Druid Hills and LaVista Roads.  The centers …

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Start Code Brings Computer Programming to Kids in Toco Hill

Scott Blanck runs computer classes in Toco Hill Shopping Center, teaching students how to create games and art while practicing critical thinking skills.

Think you're raising the next Bill Gates? Scott Blanck's Start Code in Toco Hill might be able to help teach your child the fundamentals, according to a story last week in Neighbor Newspapers. Blanck, a Decatur resident, runs a programming lab for kids out of The Music Class in Toco Hills Promenade. From the story: Students can create games, stories, music and art with friends while practicing problem-solving and critical thinking. “We’re teaching kids real programming; we’re not dumbing it down … we don’t have to because it’s fun,” said Blanck. “My goal with Start Code is to help them see technology as a tool for creation and not just for consumption. Then, future options open up for them … because a large part of the workforce depends on…

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What Should Go Here?

It's one of the few spots remaining in Toco Hills Promenade, which has been filling up quickly. You tell us what you'd like to see there.

In this week's installment of What Should Go Here?, we look at one of the few remaining spaces in Toco Hills Promenade: 3017 North Druid Hills Rd. The Promenade has been a very successful – as far as we can tell – enterprise lately, and several new shops have opened inside it, including Roost Gifts & Decor. The 3017 space is next to Sips n Strokes, which seems pretty packed at nights when I've driven by. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) And it appears to be of a similar square footage. What would you like to see in this space? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Roost Gifts & Decor Comes to Toco Hill

The Avondale Estates specialty gift shop recently moved into Toco Hills Promenade next to Goldberg's Bagel Co.

If you're looking for a gift for an adult, there's a new shop in Toco Hill. Roost Gifts & Decor, formerly of Avondale Estates has moved into Toco Hills Promenade next to Goldberg's Bagel Co. Here's a description of the store, according to its website: Welcome, we are so glad you found us! Roost Gifts & Decor is a specialty gift shop located in the Toco Hills Promenade near Emory University. We specialize in unique home decor items, gifts for all occasions, and one-of-a-kind furniture pieces. We understand our customers and strive to provide a shopping experience that is both personable and enjoyable. We look forward to your visit real soon! I've attached a YouTube video done when the store celebrated its one year anniversary (at its former…

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Report: Publix to Finally Cancel Curbside Experiment at Month's End

The North Druid Hills grocery store in Toco Hills Promenade will no longer offer the service after Jan. 28.

Not sure how many of you have been using Publix's curbside service in Toco Hills Promenade. But if you have been, get your fill over the next three weeks. Publix is nixing the experimental service Jan. 28, according to a report in The Tampa Tribune. Long story short: Not enough people were using the service at the three companywide locations–including the store here–to justify the cost, the report said. One test location is in Florida. The other two are here in Georgia. Following a news report in August that the store was canceling its curbside service in August, Publix officials told North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch that wasn't true. That said, I gotta say, even when I hurt my foot last year, I couldn't bring myself to shell out about $…

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Fresh Food, Friendly Folks at Mirko Pasta

In the renewed Toco Hills Promenade, Mirko Pasta brings fresh Italian dishes served by friendly folks.

As part of the Toco Hills Promenade’s ongoing renovations, the space that was once home to Edo Japanese Restaurant has been renewed and divided into three separate properties, including the newly-opened Mirko Pasta, which occupies a bright corner space and features a nice patio. Mirko Pasta is a chain with locations in Atlanta, Athens, Macon and Nashville, TN. Mirko, named for founding chef Mirko Di Giacomantonio, focuses on the freshness of its food, and this freshness was evident on my visit. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for dinnertime on a Wednesday night. Most of the tables in the space, which combines rustic decorations like woven baskets and framed wheat grains with industrial touches, were full and the room was buzzing. …

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Publix: We're Not Cutting Curbside Service in Toco Hill

A regional spokeswoman with the grocer e-mailed North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch to correct a post about their Toco Hill store earlier this week.

Earlier this week, North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch told you about a recent story in The Champion Newspaper that said Publix was considering eliminating its relatively new curbside service at its Toco Hill location on North Druid Hills Road. We got a note yesterday from one of the grocer's regional spokespeople, Brenda Reid, and she said The Champion story was incorrect. The company has no plans to end curbside service at the Toco Hill–or any other–location and is actually spending the next several months studying where to expand the service. Here's a portion of her e-mail: Publix will continue to study the three Curbside programs that we have. We have not made plans to discontinue the service. Our evaluation of the program will help us …

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