Two dining and drinking staples in LGBTQ Atlanta will close in June and make way for bulldozers, construction cranes and residential towers on Juniper Street in Midtown.
The Metrotainment-owned property that houses Joe’s on Juniper and Einstein’s is under contract. Developer Middle Street Partners will unveil plans for a mixed-use project at the site on Tuesday during a Midtown Development Review Committee meeting.
“Metrotainment Cafes Restaurant Group has signed a contract for the sale of the Einstein’s and Joe’s on Juniper real estate in Midtown. At present, the intent is to continue serving our guests until early June,” Tori Allen, a Metrotainment spokesperson, said in an email statement.
Metrotainment did not provide any additional details about the future of the two restaurants. What Now Atlanta first reported the Middle Street Partners project on Thursday.
The firm is proposing a 40-story tower with 320 units for phase one, with a 32-story building with 150 units in a later phase. The second phase also includes a six-story parking deck with 694 spaces. Both buildings will include ground-floor retail, according to a project description provided to the review committee.
Closing Joe’s and Einstein’s is the latest change for Metrotainment. The restaurant operator sold the LGBTQ-popular Cowtippers to make way for a bank in 2018 before the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on its business. In March 2020, employees complained that Metrotainment owed them money.
Einstein’s has been serving casual Southern fare since 1991.
