New Restaurants for Newly Renovated Ansley Mall

Ansley Mall in Midtown has been going through a lot of changes.

An exterior renovation late last year changed the appearance of the open-air mall at Monroe Drive and Piedmont Avenue. The new look forced higher rent on its tenants, according to one business owner John Zolder of The Lightnin' Bugz Store.

That drove out long-time stores like Hallmark Hall of Cards, which had been at Ansley Mall for 21 years. The Toy Store also left the mall this year. Blockbuster will vacate its store next to Publix on April 10, according to workers at the store. 

Now, a slew of new restaurants are slated to take their place. Panera Bread will locate to the Hallmark space, but there's still discussion around what will replace Blockbuster. 

Most recently, on March 17, Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries announced it will open a new location at the mall, according to a release on the company's website. 

Developers Michael Coles and Tony Ratliff signed a deal with Boardwalk to open 50 restaurants in Georgia, said the release. The restaurant will sell burgers, fries and milkshakes, along with vegetarian options such as a black bean chipotle veggie burger.

"We are very excited to be part of the Ansley Mall tenant mix and bring another great option to the people of this community," Ratliff said in the release.

Some people are concerned about the changes. 

"The independents are going," said Jane Westlake, a long-time employee of Ansley Wine Merchants. "What's going in is chains. This mall used to be a good mix."