The Atlanta Business Chronicle (paywall) reported on Monday, April 20, that Lazy Betty co-founder Aaron Phillips had left the Michelin-starred restaurant in Midtown.
As of Monday afternoon, Lazy Betty no longer listed Phillips on its website as the executive chef of the tasting restaurant he helped found with Chef Ron Hsu. The website then briefly listed Chef de Cuisine Austin Goetzman as executive chef. By Monday evening, Goetzman’s name and photo also disappeared; the site now lists Hsu as executive chef and owner. Hsu’s title prior to April 20 was culinary director and owner.
Phillips retains ownership stake
Rough Draft spoke with Phillips on Tuesday morning about the changes at Lazy Betty. When asked, Phillips confirmed that he’s no longer the executive chef, or involved in daily decision-making for the restaurant – and hasn’t been for a few weeks. However, he still retains an ownership stake in Lazy Betty, something Phillips said he takes as seriously as he did his role as executive chef.
“Whether I’m in operations or not, as an owner, I have a fiduciary responsibility to our investors and a moral obligation to that restaurant and its staff,” Phillips said.
“I’m proud of what we all accomplished, and am grateful for the relationships built and of the team I helped nurture for closing in on a decade now,” he added. “I feel really, really blessed. Lazy Betty is something that will always be a part of me. My heart runs through it. I can say that with a lot of positivity.”
Rough Draft also reached out to Hsu, who confirmed his new role as executive chef and Phillips’s ownership stake in the restaurant. Both chefs declined to comment on what prompted the recent changes at Lazy Betty, including Goetzman, who started as a sous chef at the Candler Park location when the restaurant opened in 2019.
In March, Phillips told Discover Atlanta (the city’s official travel guide operated by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau) that Goetzman was “a major creative engine” in the Lazy Betty kitchen. At the time, Phillips and Goetzman were taking part in a one-night collaborative dinner at Avize with chefs Karl Gorline, Freddy Money, and Nicolas Grosse.
When asked what’s next, Phillips said more will be revealed and that he’s focused on the future and energized about potential opportunities. He didn’t elaborate any further.
“I’m in the efforts business, not the results business. That’s my philosophy. I’m proud of Lazy Betty, of the people there,” said Phillips. “Awards like Michelin are great, but the greatest achievement for me was my Lazy Betty experience and growing into a leader and mentor.”
“Just because I’m not there in the kitchen, or at the restaurant day to day, doesn’t mean that I’m not still those things to people,” he continued. “My phone’s on. My door is open. I’m available.”
Rough Draft will continue to follow developments in this story.
Founding Lazy Betty
Hsu and Phillips first met while working for Chef Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin in New York City. Their time with Ripert at the three-star Michelin restaurant would lay the foundation for Lazy Betty, which Hsu and Phillips opened in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood seven years ago.
Named for Hsu’s late mother, an Atlanta restaurateur, the “lazy” in the name refers to a family joke about the matriarch’s need to stay busy, even after retirement. Betty Hsu died just three months after Lazy Betty opened in 2019.
Related story:
Chef Ron Hsu’s Atlanta childhood shapes the tone of his debut cookbook
In 2024, Hsu and Phillips relocated Lazy Betty to the former Empire State South space at 999 Peachtree in Midtown. By that time, the restaurant had already earned one star from Michelin in 2023. Michelin awarded Lazy Betty one star again in 2024 and 2025.
Last month, Hsu debuted his first cookbook, “Down South + East,” based on his childhood growing up as a Chinese-American and Southerner in metro Atlanta.
