EATZI'S THIRD UNIT SET FOR ATLANTA SITE IN FEBRUARY

ROSEANNE HARPER

DALLAS -- The next Eatzi's will open in Atlanta, probably in February, according to one of the concept's founders, restaurateur Phil Romano.

Romano, along with Brinker International, a food-service company based here, launched the hybrid restaurant-grocery store concept a year and a half ago. The first Eatzi's posted $13 million in 1996, and Romano said it is sustaining its sales momentum. Since then, Eatzi's No. 2 opened in Houston with initial success. (See related story on this page.)

The Atlanta Eatzi's site is at the corner of Piedmont and Peachtree in a strip mall, in the city's affluent Buckhead section. Romano said the third Eatzi's will be approximately the same size as the 12,000-square-foot Houston location, but may be configured differently since it will be retrofitted into an existing store site.

Atlanta industry sources told SN the Eatzi's location is nearly perfect for grabbing meal seekers.

"It's an incredibly high-traffic area and there's a large dual-income, no-kids population surrounding the new Eatzi's site," said Ira Blumenthal, president of Co-Opportunities, a business development and consulting company based in Atlanta.

Blumenthal proposed that Eatzi's will be a winner, even in the highly competitive Atlanta market that includes innovative to-go restaurant concepts, as well as supermarket operators Publix, Kroger and Harris Teeter, and meals store Harry's in a Hurry.

Eatzi's is currently in negotiation for sites in other cities, Romano said, but declined to be more specific.