Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Good-time seekers clog parking at popular barBy MICHAEL BOYLAN Though the food at Hangar 74 in Peachtree City is good, its not just the grub that keeps the crowds coming in, and coincidentally, causing parking problems for neighbor businesses. The restaurant, which offers sports and spirits, also offers special events every night of the week. Whether it is billiards, karaoke, live music or comedy, Hangar 74 has something for area residents to enjoy and that is what had made it a hot spot in Fayette County. The success of Hangar 74, and the other restaurants in the Wisdom Pointe retail center off Ga. Highway 74 North, has led to an overcrowding issue in the parking lot for the complex. With parking at a premium, the developer of the shopping center, John Barrow, is looking for additional parking in the area, and more parking spaces will come with a new building in the plaza that should be ready by August. Its like I tell the tenants: the worst problem is you dont have any cars out in the parking lot, said Curt Hirsch, a Barrow representative. Theyd be complaining more for that than for not having enough parking spaces. When the first phase of Wisdom Pointe was brought before the planning commission, the city did not know what type of tenants would occupy the building, noted City Planner David Rast. The parking problem developed over time, and when the second phase of Wisdom Point was developed for the Mellow Mushroom restaurant, additional overflow parking was built there to address the issue. Now, the parking is overflowing onto the adjacent parking lot of the not-yet-open Three Dollar Cafe, which is undergoing the finishing touches, officials said. The new Georgia Shrimp Co. is one of the restaurants suffering because of the overflow parking from Hangar 74. One recent weeknight, the restaurant had to park its own employees vehicles in its drive-thru lane to keep bar parkers from using that space. That shut down the drive-thru window. The fact that there are numerous restaurants and bars in the wisdom Pointe retail center and they all appear to be successful is the probable cause of what appears to be a parking shortage, Rast said. The city is looking at possible changes to its parking ordinance which would establish thresholds for restaurants and bars, Rast noted. The citys current ordinance bases the minimum parking standard on the square footage of the buildings the parking lot serves instead of the particular use of the building, he noted. As for Hangar 74, owners Cyndy and Steve Zombik celebrated their second anniversary of owning and operating the facility yesterday. Steve was an executive chef for eight years and when the couple got a chance to take over the restaurant, they took it. We had no dreams to own a place like this before, but we couldnt pass the situation up, said Cyndy. Its been very good for our family life and our partnership. The Zombiks have three boys and though either Cyndy or Steve is at Hangar 74 most nights out of the week, there is also time to be at home and work with their catering business. The Zombiks didnt make any huge changes when they took over ownership. They continued karaoke nights, which had a strong following, and brought back The Comedy Zone, but only once a month instead of every week. Aside from a few management changes, the Zombiks added a monthly themed party, such as a Jimmy Buffet party or a Mardi Gras party, and have also added Texas Hold Em poker tournaments, which are becoming increasingly popular around the country. We try to stay on top of what people want, said Cyndy. With some of the stuff we offer, people dont have to drive to Atlanta. That approach seems to be working. By providing good service, food and entertainment, Hangar 74 boasts a large number of regulars. The Zombiks feel that they took over as Hangar 74 was really starting to boom and they have been able to continue to grow the popularity. They also feel that they are entering a transition period and they are looking for some new things to bring to the restaurant. One thing they are considering is a dueling pianos night. The situation at Hangar 74 and the Wisdom Pointe area isnt perfect. Anyone that has gone out to eat in one of the four restaurants in that development can tell you that the parking situation is awful and is something that many feel the city needs to address. The other tenants of the development sometimes put the blame on the clientele of Hangar 74 for littering in the parking lot. In fact, Cyndy Zombik, who feels Hangar 74 is often looked upon as the black sheep of the Wisdom Pointe, recalls coming in one morning to find a bag of trash hanging on their doorknob. Hangar 74 has also recently been cited for exceeding their maximum occupancy limits, before having a much needed re-evaluation afterwards. Our layout is different now and we should have had a re-evaluation long ago said Cyndy. The maximum occupancy of Hangar 74 is now 200 but the Zombiks feel that they will typically hold the door at 150 people to limit overcrowding and the problems that are associated with it. The Zombiks are happy with Hangar 74 and have no plans to change locations, though they are looking into opening an affordable and upscale restaurant somewhere in Fayette County where they can also operate their catering business out of. Hangar 74 will likely continue to attract a wide variety of clientele, which stretches from 21 to over 60 and Cyndy Zombik feels this is driven by the desires of local residents. There is something offered for everybody during a typical week at Hangar 74 from modern rock to comedy, karaoke and dancing. For more information on Hangar 74, visit www.hangar74.com. |
|
Copyright 2004-Fayette Publishing, Inc. |