THIRD EATZI'S UNIT OPENS IN ATLANTA; GETS FINE REVIEW

ROSEANNE HARPER

DALLAS -- EatZi's here opened its third location in the affluent Buckhead section of Atlanta April 23 and local food-industry experts say the format is better than ever.

EatZi's president Lane Cardwell said the newest EatZi's "looks and feels like the original EatZi's. That's our aim."

However, there are specific improvements, such as better parking facilities, an easier customer traffic pattern and a larger seating area that has been pulled up to the front of the store.

What's more, there's a separate small, staffed kiosk area just inside the entrance to the immediate left that offers single-serving baked goods, coffee, espresso drinks and smoothies.

"The idea, I think, is that you could just run in even on a break from your office and grab a cappuccino and a dessert without going the rest of the way into the store," said Ira Blumenthal, president of Atlanta-based Co-Opportunities, a consulting and marketing company that works with manufacturers and the food-service industry.

"They're just right on target with that and it's an example of the continuous improvement that's so impressive," said Blumenthal. "They could have probably made this one exactly the same as Dallas and it would have been fine, but they've raised the bar even higher here.

"I have three words for this EatZi's. It's marvelous, wonderful and fantastic; and the only negative thing I have to say about it is that it's 45 minutes from my home, instead of five or 10 minutes away," Blumenthal said.

"We, in Atlanta, sometimes call Atlanta 'Hotlanta' and EatZi's is going to make it hotter," he added.

Blumenthal visited the store shortly before it opened to the public.

"It still has all the good things, like walking through the bakery first. That great aroma says 'fresh' to the customer. But in addition to more seating inside and bringing the coffee bar upfront, I think it's more menu-marketed," Blumenthal said.

He pointed out that you see bread first and then appetizers and then the grill and entrees.

"Without them saying it, they're directing you in a way that says: if you walk this path, you'll have a nicely organized meal when you get to the end," Blumenthal said of the traffic pattern.

And he emphasized the aisles are wider than in the Dallas EatZi's and said he believes that is of critical importance.

"It helps make it a 'wow' experience, because you can stand longer in the aisle. You don't feel guilty that you're holding up traffic, and you can take longer to decide whether you want raspberries or strawberries on whatever it is you're getting," he said.

He also said the cash register stations are more widely spaced, "and I think there are more of them than in Dallas. There are six or eight, I know."

Blumenthal also commented with enthusiasm that parking will not be a problem at the Atlanta EatZi's.

"It shares a parking lot with Sports Authority and PetsMart, both big stores, so the parking opportunity is much better."

The site, too, is just about perfect for EatZi's in Blumenthal's estimation.

"It's in Buckhead, which is like the Beverly Hills or Shaker Heights of Atlanta. So there are a lot of residences, a high-income, dual-income population, and then just to the north are office towers," he said.

Blumenthal said, too, that a Peachtree address in Atlanta is something that any business there would covet because it is "THE main street of main streets." The EatZi's location is at the corner of Peachtree and Piedmont.

It's a great site on which to establish a business, but Blumenthal predicts that EatZi's will eventually begin to deliver to nearby areas.

"I think that'll be the next step after they've established their credibility here," he said.

At least one consumer who talked to SN said she'd love it if EatZi's delivered, but in the meantime she said she'll stop there probably often after work, and at lunchtime, too.

"I loved it. There's such variety and I thought the prices were reasonable for the quality you get, less than I'd pay at a restaurant. It's a lot of fun, too. The guys at the grill are entertaining," said Cathy Jones, a longtime Atlanta resident.

There's a lesson here for supermarkets, Blumenthal said. It's that they could make food shopping a more pleasurable experience.

"Actually, the No. 1 key is to really understand your consumer whoever he is and give him what he wants. But everyone likes friendliness, easy queuing and a nice presentation of food," he said.

"I don't think supermarkets should try to create an EatZi's, but they could take a look at what EatZi's customers like so much," Blumenthal said.

EatZi's is the hybrid restaurant-supermarket concept launched here in 1996 by restaurateur Phil Romano and Brinker International. It opened a second unit in Houston last September. Another is scheduled to open in Westbury, N.Y., on Long Island during the summer and the fifth will be unveiled inside Macy's department store in midtown New York late next fall.