McDaniel's QN2 BBQ has served Sandy Springs since 2002. Its current home at Springs Landing is 4,400 square feet. The next one will be 1,625.
That one number explains most of what's happening on Roswell Road between City Springs and Abernathy Road this fall. Since August, the new names on this stretch have been mostly counter-service chains and a bakery. A popular barbecue spot is cutting its room by more than half. Only one large dining room has changed hands, and it is going to another full-service restaurant. So if you eat here, plan on more quick, grab-and-go stops and fewer places to settle in for a long evening.
The math at McDaniel's
Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta reported on Aug. 31 that brothers Andy and Glenn McDaniel will move the restaurant about a mile away. It's leaving its endcap near Johnson Ferry Road and Sandy Springs Circle for the LA Fitness-anchored Sandy Springs Crossing shopping center near Roswell and Abernathy roads. The restaurant opened as a Slope's BBQ franchise in 2002 and took the family name in 2022.
The outlet's explanation for the downsizing is worth quoting. The move is "likely the result of a collective change in consumer behavior with fewer diners enjoying their food (barbecue or otherwise) on site, resulting in the restaurant being larger than needed for today's customers."
The report said the move would happen later this year and the new space is "slated to open in the months to come." No opening day has been announced. Until a sign goes up at Sandy Springs Crossing, the Springs Landing location is still the one to drive to. That center sits across from City Springs and also has Bruster's, Arden's Garden and Papa Johns.
At Sandy Springs Crossing, McDaniel's will join Nowak's Steakhouse and Aldo's. Longtime tenant Nori Nori has closed there. The same report called that closure "temporary" but said it was believed to be permanent. The AJC's August openings and closings roundup listed Nori Nori among the month's closures.
The one big room staying full-service
The biggest single change on this stretch is at 6075 Roswell Road, on the ground floor of the Adley City Springs apartment building. Baraonda Ristorante closed there for good on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Signs on the doors thanked guests for their years of support. The Italian restaurant had run in Midtown near the Fox Theatre from 2000 to 2021 and reopened in Sandy Springs in 2023.
The room was about 3,800 square feet with a large patio. That's already small next to the nearly 7,000-square-foot Midtown original. Even so, it is staying a sit-down restaurant. Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta confirmed on Aug. 31 that the space was sold to Korbiz Hospitality Group of Columbia, South Carolina, which runs 929 Kitchen & Bar and MOA Korean BBQ & Bar there. The group plans to open MOA Korean Bistro, which it describes as "refined modern Korean cuisine, craft cocktails, and an elevated atmosphere." What Now Atlanta covered the takeover on Sept. 2.
The restaurant's own site now gives a target of "Opening Winter 2026" at 6075 Roswell Rd NE and has a sign-up to "be the first to know when the doors open." Winter is a season, not a date. For now, this corner has no full-service restaurant, and won't until MOA opens.
Counters fill in the gaps
The other three announced openings on this stretch are all counter-service or bakery formats. None has an opening date yet.
- Potbelly Sandwich Works, 5840 Roswell Road. This one is at The Plaza at City Springs, in the space Buffalo Wild Wings GO used, which was a takeout-focused format. The Sandy Springs Record reported on Aug. 26 that no opening date had been announced.
- TOUS les JOURS, 6080 Roswell Road. The bakery chain plans a standalone building of about 3,000 square feet across Roswell Road from the old Baraonda space, according to Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta on Aug. 5.
- Roti Modern Mediterranean, Abernathy Square. This fast-casual chain is new to metro Atlanta. It plans about 2,300 square feet in the Publix-anchored center at Abernathy and Roswell, combining two former suites between Starbucks and Salon Skanda. That's from Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta on Sept. 28.
Roti will be one more quick option in a center that already has a lot of them. The same report lists City Barbeque, Kyuramen, Bawarchi Indian Restaurant, Jet's Pizza, Hardee's, Subway, Starbucks and Poke Bar at Abernathy Square. It also says a planned Portillo's is no longer opening there.
Put that next to McDaniel's move to Sandy Springs Crossing and the corner of Roswell and Abernathy is filling up fast. That's where the barbecue spot's smaller room, a new Mediterranean counter and a long list of existing fast-casual spots will all sit around the same intersection.
What's open right now
Not everything on this stretch is still a plan. Crave Kitchen & Bistro has opened on Roswell Road, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The restaurant's website describes its food as modern Turkish-Mediterranean. Business Debut gives its address as 8610 Roswell Road, Suite 140, and lists pizzas, pastas, kebabs, shawarma and appetizers on the menu.
In other words, if you're looking for a new sit-down place on Roswell Road this fall, the one that's open is at 8610 Roswell, not around City Springs.
The store with a deadline
One closing on this stretch has a firm date. CHEF'STORE, the wholesale grocery owned by US Foods, is closing its only metro Atlanta store at 6337 Roswell Road on Nov. 20. That date comes from a store employee, as reported by Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta on Oct. 12. It had its grand opening on Feb. 8, 2025, so it will have been open for less than two years.
The store is aimed at restaurant owners, but anyone can shop there. A liquidation sale is already on, with in-stock items marked down 5% to 20%. That's a short window for anyone who buys sheet pans, takeout containers or bulk pantry items for a big holiday meal.
The nearly 28,000-square-foot building in City Center Crossing has turned over before. Marshalls was there until it moved to Hammond Exchange. Lidl opened in early 2021 and closed in July 2022. Aldi still runs a store across the street.
The stretch, address by address
Here's every location in this post and where each one stood as of mid-October.
- 5840 Roswell Road, The Plaza at City Springs. Potbelly is announced; no date yet.
- Springs Landing, across from City Springs. McDaniel's QN2 BBQ is still here until its move.
- 6075 Roswell Road, Adley City Springs. Baraonda is closed; MOA Korean Bistro is targeting winter 2026.
- 6080 Roswell Road. TOUS les JOURS is announced; no date yet.
- 6337 Roswell Road, City Center Crossing. CHEF'STORE closes Nov. 20; the liquidation sale is underway.
- Abernathy Square, Roswell and Abernathy. Roti Modern Mediterranean is announced; no date yet.
- Sandy Springs Crossing, Roswell and Abernathy. McDaniel's new 1,625-square-foot space is coming; Nori Nori has closed.
- 8610 Roswell Road, Suite 140. Crave Kitchen & Bistro is open.
If you have questions about how changes along Roswell Road might affect a home you're thinking of buying or selling near City Springs or Abernathy, Malka Shulman is happy to talk it through with you. Contact Realtor Malka.
