Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom
In 1974, three college-age guys—Marc “Banks” Weinstein, Rocky Reeves, and Mike Nicholson—opened a counter-service pizza store with psychedelic vibes in Midtown Atlanta. Over the subsequent 50 years, Mellow Mushroom developed right into a full-service restaurant with greater than 160 areas across the nation. The model is now returning to its roots in a means with a new prototype retailer in Grant Park that focuses on counter service. Now open on the Boulevard at Grant Park alongside the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Path, the brand new Mellow Mushroom presents kiosk ordering, cellular funds, and distinctive menu gadgets, similar to “panizzi”—sizzling sandwiches made with pizza dough.
“Our dough is our bedrock,” says Govt Vice President of Advertising Elizabeth Brasch. “We take an extra-small dough ball and run it by way of the pizza oven. It’s the right marriage of a sandwich and a pizza and could be eaten on the go.”
Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom
The three,400-square-foot area encompasses a smaller footprint than most Mellow Mushroom areas. Nevertheless, because it resides alongside the BeltLine, it does embrace a 50-seat patio. With an outsized purple fake mushroom hanging over the bar and two funky murals protecting the partitions, it maintains the ’70s model the chain is understood for. On the identical time, it introduces trendy conveniences, together with self-service ordering and tap-to-pay.
“Eating inside a restaurant is turning into much less necessary for a lot of visitors,” says Ahsan Jiva, government vp of technique and transformation. “We needed a sooner, seamless choice for visitors.” Although there aren’t servers, meals runners (directed by RFID know-how) ship meals and drinks to in-restaurant patrons.
Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom
Mellow Mushroom aficionados will discover a number of variations on the menu. Hoagies have been swapped for the aforementioned panizzi—suppose hen pesto or steak with spicy pickled peppers and garlic ricotta—and new pizzas have been added. These pies embrace Cosmic Cheese (traditional cheese with a pesto and vodka sauce swirl), Home Occasion (Italian sausage, bacon, ham, pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms), and Fajita Steak (ribeye, mozzarella, onions, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, chives, bell peppers, and chipotle aioli).
Different new choices embrace Magic Meatballs (hen and beef varieties with three sauces) and Apple Monkey Bombs for dessert (dough bites with apple compote, caramel icing, and cinnamon sprinkles). The bar presents new drinks, together with the Java Lamp (Tito’s, cappuccino, and chocolate syrup) and a Orange Tango mocktail (Monin orange syrup, easy syrup, orange juice, lemon juice, water, and chilly foam cream).
Extra adjustments, although invisible to the shopper, enhance the back-of-house expertise. These embrace implementing digital show techniques within the kitchen and utilizing automated knowledge and analytics to foretell ordering and preparation wants, in flip decreasing waste.
“We’ve a protracted and storied historical past as a model,” Brasch says. “Proper now, we’re coupling effectivity with preserving and uplifting the vibe and soul of the model.”
Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom
Commercial
