Reports of Chick-fil-A taking over Dugan's Ponce location are not true, sports bar employees say
Chick-fil-A rep: 'we do not have anything to confirm at this time'
According to a listing on Loopnet, commercial real-estate brokers Marcus & Millichap are listing the property as “For Sale” with an undisclosed price. The listing says the Chick-fil-A is “under construction/proposed.” A site plan with the listing shows a street-fronting building along Ponce with a 31-space parking lot. The marketing materials say the property will be subject to a "long-term 20 year absolute NNN Corporate guaranteed ground lease" that would begin in the first quarter of 2017 "with zero landlord responsibilities."
But Dugan's employees are pushing back against the claims that the property is for sale. Mike Hamlin, the general manager of the Ponce Dugan's, and Gigi Stevenson, a manager, both told Creative Loafing this morning the reports are not true. Hamlin says he was told that an offer was made on the property several months ago but the owner rejected it. The company owns the property, he says.
"We own the property, we've got the mortgage on it, and we've been paying it forever," Hamlin says. He said the company's owner was talking to his attorney to "contact everyone and find out what's going on."
On Facebook, a user with the name "Dugans Ponce" who regularly promotes the restaurant said the "rumors" concerning the sale were not true. The user did not return a message requesting comment.
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A Chick-fil-A representative says "we do not have anything to confirm at this time. I'll certainly let you know if that changes, as we are always looking for growth opportunities within the Atlanta area."
We're waiting to hear from the company's owners for more clarification. We've also reached back out to the real-estate brokers.
If it is indeed true, the addition of a Chick-fil-A would be another sign that Ponce's reputation as one Atlanta's grittiest nightlife strips is a-changin'. Murder Kroger — excuse us, Beltline Kroger — is poised to be redeveloped as a 12-story office tower with a grocery store adjacent to the Atlanta Beltline's Eastside Trail. And work on transforming the Clermont Hotel into a boutique hotel is set to begin later this year. If all this was a misunderstanding... well, guess we'll see you at Dugan's?