Key points:
- Avondale Estates breakfast and brunch restaurant Rising Son, owned by Chef Hudson Rouse, closing after 10 years.
- The restaurant on North Avondale Road closes March 29.
- Some of the Rising Son menu will carry over to Rouse’s new East Lake restaurant Babygirl, opening in April.
Avondale Estates breakfast and brunch restaurant Rising Son, owned by Chef Hudson Rouse, will close after 10 years on North Avondale Road. The restaurant will offer its final service on March 29.
Rising Son became known for its homestyle and Southern takes on dishes like fish and grits, biscuits with pineapple jelly, and curry bowls.
Rouse first shared the closure news via Instagram, indicating that much of the Rising Son menu would carry over to Babygirl, his upcoming East Lake restaurant opening at Hosea + 2nd this spring.
“We are proud to have served this community for a decade — navigating the challenges of COVID, a 24-month construction project in Avondale that significantly impacted access and traffic, and meaningful personal transitions along the way,” Rouse said in a statement provided to Rough Draft.
“I signed [the lease] 10 years ago because I was a line cook with a dream. Without the opportunity I would not be where I am now,” he added.
Related stories:
• Owner of Michelin Bib Gourmand Whoopsie’s opening an East Lake cafe
• Pure Quill Superette opens in Edgewood
• Recipe: Whoopsie’s ratatouille-stuffed heirloom tomatoes
• The Michelin Guide to the American South
Rouse opened Rising Son in 2016, becoming part of the iconic Tudor village along the main drag of Avondale Estates. Its success paved the way for his other restaurants, including Michelin Bib Gourmand Whoopsie’s in Reynoldstown, neighborhood market and lunch counter Pure Quill Superette in Edgewood, and East Lake cafe and bar Babygirl.
Rouse said, however, that the opening of Babygirl was not the primary force driving the closure of Rising Son. Instead, he sees it as an economic decision influenced by increasing rent amid thinning margins.
Related story:
• Avondale Estates receives anonymous $1 million gift ‘thanks to Waffle House’
“Like many independent restaurants, we operated under a lease with a 3 percent annual rent escalation. By year 10, compounded increases place significant pressure on already tight restaurant margins,” Rouse explained. “Despite our longstanding commitment to [Avondale Estates], the landlord was unwilling to negotiate the rate for the next five years, making it unsustainable for us to continue operations.”
Look for Babygirl to open in East Lake the first week of April.
Rising Son, 124 N. Avondale Road, Avondale Estates. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Closing after service on March 29.
