Welcome to The Regulars, where we explore what it means to be a frequent restaurant patron. In this series, we’ll introduce you to everyday Atlantans and local characters who have found a sense of belonging and community at restaurants and bars around town and what keeps these regulars coming back week after week.
High school sophomore Jane Beeler first stepped onto the ice at Center Ice Arena in Sandy Springs in December of 2022, when the popular local skating rink was decked in holiday lights and greenery. After that initial outing with family, Beeler started skating there almost every weekend, eventually taking group and private lessons.
“Center Ice Arena is a special place because even if you’ve just stepped on the ice, you’ll feel just as welcomed as someone who has been skating for many years,” said Beeler of the rink’s “good vibe.”
Open since 2014, the 36,000-square-foot Sandy Springs facility is one of just four state-of-the-art facilities in Metro Atlanta for club and pre-professional hockey teams to play and practice, as well as for aspiring figure skaters like Beeler.
During the school year, she practices three to four times a week, working on footwork skills, jumps, and spins in preparation for entering her first amateur skating competitions in 2026.
After a hard session on the ice, Beeler usually grabs a post-skate snack or meal at one of the food vendors, supermercados, or restaurants near the rink, including her favorite restaurant, SATÉ Banh Mi & Grille. SATÉ is one of 120 independent restaurants in Sandy Springs situated along a 10-mile stretch of Roswell Road known locally as “Restaurant Row.”
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Veteran restaurateur Ton Tran—who once ran Little Saigon Cuisine with his mother in New York City’s Times Square—opened the fast-casual Vietnamese spot in Sandy Springs last year, calling the diverse community surrounding it the “best fit” for his restaurant.
“Roswell Road embraces many restaurants from different parts of the world, from Latin American to Europe and Southeast Asia,” said Tran. His wife, Ms. Q, is SATÉ’s executive chef, and Tran said she’s “passionate about creating and improving recipes,” including some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, like brisket pho, shrimp summer rolls, and Beeler’s favorite, the egg bánh mì.
“Having regular guests like Jane and her father, John, at our restaurant meant a lot to us at SATÉ Grille,” said Tran. “Our regular guests often share and spread the word about us to bring more food traffic to our store, and I am very happy to see families gather together at our place.”
John Beeler believes the food options along Restaurant Row rival another of Atlanta’s most popular dining destinations: Buford Highway.
He often visits a local Sandy Springs supermercado for breakfast churros while his daughter skates at Center Ice on Saturday mornings. Afterwards, they sometimes purchase freshly roasted elote and mango con chili from a family working a food tent in the parking lot of the supermercado. The Beelers are also fans of Fresh One Kitchen and its health-conscious menu and Jinya Ramen Bar across the street near Lowe’s.
“I had a lot of preconceptions about Sandy Springs, and on the surface, it seems like just another suburb,” John said. “But one thing that makes the city and Center Ice so special is the diversity of the area, and the people on the ice reflect the community’s diversity, too, which makes everyone feel welcome.”