The Braves have officially named the mixed-use development next to SunTrust Park. It will be called The Battery Atlanta, covering the $550M retail and entertainment district next to the team’s new ballpark, which will open in spring '17. The team worked with SME Branding Senior Partner Ed O’Hara and Braves PR firm Jackson Spalding to name the 350,000-square-foot property. The Braves are investors in the development with retail partner Fuqua Development, office developer Pope & Land Enterprises and Pollack Shores Real Estate. “We like the subtle reference to baseball,” said Braves Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Derek Schiller. “We did not want a name too closely tied to the Braves. There is a duality of meaning with the pitcher/catcher connotation and the idea of a place full of energy and vitality.” An announcement on The Battery Atlanta, to be made by the Braves this afternoon, extends to identifying the development’s first five restaurants. All five revolve around local brands and two chefs familiar to Greater Atlanta residents. The eateries include the Tomahawk Taproom, a year-round destination incorporated into the ballpark’s facade in the right-field corner, facing the development. SunTrust Park concessionaire Delaware North Sportservice will run the restaurant, featuring Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q and a two-story microbrewery. Fox Bros.' original Atlanta restaurant opened in August '07. The taproom will have access into the stadium, Schiller said.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The four other restaurants are part of the development proper, separate from the ballpark. They are Antico Pizza; Cru Food and Wine Bar; Superica, a high-end Tex-Mex establishment run by chef Ford Fry; and a steakhouse to be named later run by Linton Hopkins, another well-known chef in town. In Cobb County, where the ballpark is under construction, Superica will be Fry’s second Atlanta restaurant under the name. Its menu and decor reflect Fry’s Texas roots. Fry owns about 10 restaurants across Atlanta, and in Houston, where he is from originally. Hopkins, an Atlanta native and a rabid Braves fan, runs the popular pub Holeman & Finch Public House, and his signature double cheeseburgers are served at three concession stands at Turner Field. It is his first steakhouse concept. “We have a strong relationship with Linton,” Schiller said. “He’s always wanted to do a steakhouse. Both the steakhouse and Antico will be situated at the base of an office building across the plaza from SunTrust Park.” Construction of the five restaurants is expected to start during the next two months. All told, 20 restaurants are planned for The Battery Atlanta. Additional dining destinations will be disclosed in the next 30-45 days, as well as boutique clothing stores, Schiller said. To illustrate the news, the Braves have released a new fly-through video of the development produced by architect Wakefield Beasley & Associates.
