With its expansive Beltline-facing patio, relaxed atmosphere, and seafood shack menu, Breaker Breaker has been a warm-weather gathering spot in Reynoldstown since it opened in 2023. But as the temperature drops, less people stroll by the restaurant on the Beltline. Rather than suffer through the colder months with a menu and theme that doesn’t really fit the weather, owners Alex Brounstein and Johnny Farrow, along with Chef Maximillian Hines, temporarily transitioned Breaker Breaker to a winter-themed restaurant called Long Haul Lounge.
Breaker Breaker is among a growing group of Atlanta restaurants adjusting operations and menus to meet diners where they are, especially as people scale back on eating out due to economic uncertainties.
“I think restaurants have to pivot somewhat in this [economic] environment to stay relevant,” explained Hines of why Breaker Breaker became Long Haul Lounge for the winter.
With Long Haul Lounge, the restaurant maintains its seafood-forward ethos, but focuses on an indoor dining experience, complete with a Northeastern-inspired tavern menu. Hines said the new winter concept and slower dining season allow him to devote more time to creating labor-intensive, technique-forward dishes often too difficult to execute in warmer months. During the spring and summer, Breaker Breaker can serve up to a thousand people a day.
New menu additions to the Long Haul Lounge menue include a beurre monte-poached lobster roll and pastas like chicken and roasted cauliflower piccata with sauces made to order. And while people can still sip on Breaker Breaker staples like the frozen blood orange margarita, the winter drinks menu features cold-weather cocktails such as a maple bourbon hot toddy.
“We wanted to offer our guests more elevated cocktails and food, and not to be in a rush when they dine with us,” said Hines.
Customers have embraced the cold-weather change to the food and vibe at Breaker Breaker, all part of a calculated strategy to remain top of mind in a city where diners are quick to move on to the next trendy dish or new restaurant.
Related: Rooftop cocktail bar Floridaman opens above Breaker Breaker
When 7th House opened in Adair Park last winter, it offered a reservation-only, zodiac-inspired cocktail omakase experience.
While the prix-fixe cocktail menu was a strategic move to minimize waste and maximize revenue, owner Alex Sher, Chef Chris McCord, and Beverage Director Trenton Austin discovered the price point and overall concept weren’t resonating with the neighborhood.
“We realized that so many people actually don’t plan ahead when dining out, and we didn’t want to become a birthday or special-occasion destination,” Sher said.
Last October, after just nine months of service, 7th House ditched its set menu and pivoted to à la carte, adding daily happy hour specials to help draw people into the restaurant after work. Not only did 7th House sales double, but Sher said the restaurant now attracts a core group of regulars, most of whom work or live in surrounding neighborhoods.
“We’re now a destination for date nights, for groups, and for solo diners, which makes me really happy, because it means my staff is engaging with people really well,” said Sher. The Abrams Fixtures restaurant is particularly popular on Friday evenings, when people walk over for cocktails and snacks after dinner at neighboring Sammy’s.
Sher credits his team for pushing him to switch up the menu, which now includes budget-friendly options, like $1.50 raw oysters and $10 buttermilk fried pickles at happy hour, as well as pricier dishes like a dry-aged New York strip steak for dinner.
Related:
• Best New Atlanta Restaurants of 2025
• Saddest closures of 2025
• Wild Heaven Brewery purchases Eats, will reopen it in West End
Rising ingredient costs, rent hikes, and declining foot traffic over the last two years factored into the closures of several longstanding Atlanta restaurants, including West Egg Cafe, Agave, Daddy D’z, and even Eats prior to the ownership change in January. Established restaurant groups like Unsukay (Local Three Kitchen & Bar, Muss & Turner’s, Roshambo) don’t want to be part of that trend, instead making the necessary changes to ensure long-term viability.
Unsukay partner Ryan Turner said leaning into feedback has been crucial to the success of Roshambo, the group’s neighborhood restaurant at the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center in Buckhead.
From day one, when Roshambo opened in 2022, the restaurant appeared to be a hit. It received rave reviews on Google and OpenTable, and the Roshambo staff had to set up a separate hotline just to manage reservations.
By mid-2024, Turner and his business partners noticed reservations had dropped significantly, and sales were extremely sluggish beyond the usual summer slump—indicators that Roshambo’s concept was no longer resonating.
“We opened as a modern diner, but we weren’t really open for breakfast and replaced a breakfast spot (Another Broken Egg), so there was some confusion around our identity and our menu,” explained Turner.
In the fall of 2024, Turner hosted four focus groups at the restaurant, allowing customers to share their honest opinions about Roshambo’s menu and design.
“People told us they were looking for healthier, fresher selections, but our menu format at the time was leaning toward indulgent and comfort food, like buckets of fried chicken,” Turner said of the feedback from the focus groups.
More dining coverage from Rough Draft
Those customer conversations informed an overhaul of the menu, which Roshambo launched in May 2025. A few original opening dishes, like Roshambo’s popular chicken parmesan and grilled cheese, made the cut. But the restaurant also added vegetable side dishes, salads, bowls, and seafood plates, including fish tacos and a blackened redfish.
Turner and the Roshambo staff updated the decor, incorporating a textured rug and softer lighting in the private dining room to minimize noise and enhance the intimate, clubhouse-like atmosphere. They plan to update more design elements over the coming weeks.
“We want the restaurant to be warm and relaxing for everyday dining, whether that’s going out on a Tuesday because you just don’t want to cook, or are celebrating a special occasion—we can accommodate both,” said Turner.
Like Turner and his Unsukay partners, Sher switched up the menu at 7th House to make it more accessible for everyday dining.
“We didn’t want to be a destination-only spot, because there are 364 days a year it’s not somebody’s birthday or anniversary,” he explained. “We want them to show up on all of those days in between.”
The gamble on adding happy hour and à la carte dishes to the mix at 7th House paid off with record sales for the fledgling restaurant and a packed dining room most nights. Sher and McCord began hosting chef pop-ups on weeknights at 7th House, too, like Long Game and Beksa Lala.
A willingness to adapt, listen to feedback, and meet diners where they are may be the keys to success and longevity for local restaurants like 7th House, Roshambo, and Breaker Breaker.
“You’re only as funky as your last cut,” Hines said, quoting legendary Atlanta hip-hop duo Outkast. “You kind of have to stay fresh for people to keep checking in on you. If not, they will just go to the next ‘hot’ thing.”