The Atlanta City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Dec. 7 permitting restaurants and bars to offer sidewalk seating on city streets during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The city already allows sidewalk dining, but usually requires a permit fee. The fee will be waved through 2021 to encourage restaurants to take part. Restaurants and bars must still submit an application, along with a site plan that includes furniture placement, to the Atlanta Department of Transportation for approval.
Real estate developer Marc Pollack is showing off is cooking skills with the release of Chez Marc’s Quarantine Cookbook. The tasty compilation features recipes for the daily daily meals Pollack cooked throughout the pandemic, and proceeds will benefit Gateway Center, which provides support services and stable housing for people experiencing homelessness. Pollack recently pivoted from development to homelessness advocacy, co-founding the Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund this past January. Find out more at marrofoundation.org/cookbook.
Giving Kitchen has announced it will offer a substance abuse recovery initiative for members of the food service industry. The nonprofit is accepting applications from food service workers who have recently undergone inpatient treatment for substance abuse and need help with cost of living. In addition to financial assistance for living expenses such as rent and utility bills, the organization will also be able to make referrals to affordable inpatient facilities by early 2021. Interested applicants should start the process at givingkitchen.org/help.
Atlanta-based Rightside Brewing has officially launched its non-alcoholic beer, offering nationwide delivery and retail locations in Georgia beginning this month. Rightside was founded by mother-of-two Emree Woods who was seeking a great tasting, non-alcoholic beer product while pregnant, and after discovering the options were limited and some products were sub-par, she decided to launch her own. Citrus Wheat and India Pale Ale are the first two flavors on offer. Visit rightsidebrewing.com to order or for more information.
Restaurant RIP: Recently closed restaurants around Intown include Chama Gaucha, Cook Hall, Doraku, and Quing Mu, Tavern at Phipps in Buckhead; Arden’s Garden at Peactree Place, Ah-Ma’s Taiwanese Kitchen in Midtown; Tea House Formsa on Buford Highway; Queen of Cream in Poncey-Highland; Ammazza Pizza in Decatur; and The Shed at Glenwood in Glenwood Park.