Atlanta’s Colonnade Restaurant struggling to survive in pandemic

ATLANTA — You’re probably familiar with the neon sign of the Colonnade Restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road, but you may not know that 94 years after it first opened its doors is now in danger of closing for good.

When the Colonnade first opened, Calvin Coolidge was in the White House. It survived the Great Depression and everything that followed, but the owners say it may not survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“I’m on my fifth generation of customers. The customers are our family. Same thing with our employees,” owner Jodi Stallings told Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen.

They’ve owned the restaurant for 41 of its 94 years but worry 2020 could be their last.

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“It’s so grim right now. This place is one of the most Atlanta things I can think of. We just can’t let this happen. I felt called to action to save this,” customer Suzi Sheffield told Petersen.

Sheffield set up a Gofundme account for the restaurant called “Save the Colonnade.” So far, loyal customers have raised $48,000 of it $100,000 goal.

“I really hope we can save this place because its such a landmark,” she said.

Stallings says she didn’t ask her customers for help, but it fills her heart with hope.

“The fact that they’ve supported us like they have, and the outpouring of love and generosity, is amazing to me.”

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