All lanes of traffic are open again in the 1800 block of Peachtree Road in Buckhead after repairs were completed on a sinkhole that opened up on Monday following a water main break.
The sinkhole forced Sufi’s Kitchen, R. Thomas Deluxe Grille, and Bell Street Burritos to close after the sinkhole took out the sidewalk, the sign for one of the businesses, and part of Peachtree Road.
R. Thomas Deluxe Grille announced on Facebook that they were open and serving again, despite some paving work still needing to be completed on the parking lot entrance it share’s with Sufi’s.
“Pass the word please that we are open and ready for you. Make us so busy we run out of food,” the restaurant posted along with a photo of traffic flowing again on Peachtree.
Original Story
What began as a deep but much smaller hole in front of Sufi’s Kitchen last Friday, turned into a large sinkhole that swallowed the Persian restaurant’s sign on Monday.
Crews worked through the night to repair the damaged sidewalk, roadway, and six-inch water main in hopes of allowing the restaurants to reopen for lunch on Tuesday. However, a part was needed to finish repairs on the water main and wouldn’t arrive until Tuesday afternoon, according to details provided by the city to Waring Murray, CFO of R. Thomas Deluxe Grille.
“We’ve canceled deliveries for today. We’ve done everything we can do right now,” says Murray, who was at R. Thomas early Tuesday morning. “It is what it is.” As for R. Thomas’s beloved birds, he says they seem unfazed by the commotion taking place beyond their cages.
Over the weekend, R. Thomas chef John Vo told WSB-TV that the hole went right up to Sufi’s patio. He was afraid it would widen and cave in if not addressed soon by the city. Area restaurants have been complaining for weeks about low water pressure.
Murray tells Rough Draft they began hearing water running underneath the sidewalk two weeks ago before the sinkhole appeared and again alerted the city to their concerns. He says the city finally came out on Friday and shut the water off in one direction to begin looking into the problem.
When reached for comment on Sunday about the hole and water pressure issues, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management told WSB-TV they were “investigating” the issue that could “cause water disruption for both residents and businesses in the vicinity.” They said they would address “any chance of road erosion” should it become a possibility.
“Unfortunately, for the past 40 days water has been leaking in front of our neighbor’s restaurant or should I say gushing now there is a 15-foot sinkhole on Peachtree Street. Unfortunately, R Thomas will close tonight and see what kind of remedies the city of Atlanta will give us to fix the water issues,” a statement posted to R. Thomas’s Facebook page on Monday afternoon read.
Two photos of the large sinkhole accompanied the post. Water gushed beneath where the sidewalk had collapsed, taking Sufi’s sign and part of the patio with it. Video from WSB-TV on Monday evening showed a portion of Peachtree Road southbound partially collapsed.
“Our building is structurally okay,” Murray adds. “The only thing we’ve been missing is water pressure.”
Rough Draft reached out to Sufi’s Kitchen and the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management for further comment on the sinkhole and plans to repair the damage. Check back for updates.
Collin Kelley contributed to this report.