Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2007 > November > 04 > Entry
11/4: The Zone opens Stats restaurant
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
790/The Zone has spent more than four years trying to put together a restaurant. The management has gotten a space, set to open November 12 with a pre-opening party this past Friday.
Stats is located about two blocks from the Omni Hotel and CNN Center at 330 Marietta St., an area that didn’t have much of anything but is now a hot development area.
By its very name, it sounds like a sports bar and restaurant and in some ways, it is. The 15,000 square-foot space boasts 70 flat-screen TVs, exposed brick and cool personal beer taps that charge by the ounce. They say they are one of the only places in the country that has these taps. The restaurant just measures the amount of beer that has been consumed and charge you accordingly.
It even has a ground-floor radio studio with a two-way glass window overlooking Marietta St. which the Zone will use several times a week. (Think “Good Morning America” or “The Today Show” in New York City.) The studio should be ready by next week, according to Steak Shapiro (above), the station’s resident hypester who truly follows the edict “Always Be Selling.”
Parts of Stats exudes a Midtown nightclub/lounge feel with mood lighting, leather seats, private VIP rooms, wood floors galore and an outdoor bar area with a retractable roof. There’s even a separate room that will be used for private parties and comedy nights. Plus, Bob Amick’s Concentrics Restaurant Group (which also includes Trois, One Midtown Kitchen and Two Urban Licks) is involved and provides the food that’s a wee bit more sophisticated and a wee bit pricier than, say, Jocks and Jills over at CNN Center. There’s a crabcake BLT ($15), a short-rib pot pie ($22) and cheese fondue ($13).
The restaurant hopes to draw convention traffic as well as pre and post-game sports fans for the Hawks, Falcons and Thrashers. Here’s the Web site..
ABOVE: Sandra Golden, producer for the Zone’s morning show, Hawks broadcaster and former NBA player Dennis Scott and Cody Hicks, the Zone’s marketing man.
Among the notables who popped by the opening party after Friday’s Hawks opening victory: chef Kevin Rathbun, former Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor, CEO of the Atlanta Spirit Bernie Mullen, Hawks NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, Astros shortstop Adam Everett and several current Hawks players including Solomon Jones, Tyrone Lue and head Zaza Pachulia.
Radio folks were there, too, including most of the the Zone personalities, Star 94 afternoon team Cindy Simmons and Ray Mariner, 95.5/The Beat’s Crystal “C.J.” Simpson (above),Q100 morning co-host Bert Weiss and WGST’s sports guy MItch Evans.
Bert (above, with admirers) as of Friday night said he didn’t know if the station had reached its goal of 375,000 letters for all oversease military for Thanksgiving. He’ll know by Monday morning.
ABOVE: The Zone’s Chris Dimino with Astros shortstop Adam Everett
ABOVE: Zone’s Mike Bell (left) with CNN correspondent Mike Brooks CREDIT: Rodney Ho
Also, fellow AJC writer Drew Jubera, one of our best scribes, did a profile on 790/The Zone’s morning co-host Mike Bell in Sunday’s Living section. No news peg per se but Drew just felt he was worth profiling given the fact he’s 39 going on 10 and the most purely entertaining part of “Mayhem in the AM.” Check it out here.. It’s a fun read.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By I was there
November 5, 2007 9:58 AM | Link to this
Rodney —- it was good you sucked up to Steakie, you may be waiting tables there soon. The new numbers are in and the AJC lost more readers than any paper in the top 25. Good times on Marietta Street, huh?
By Paulie
November 5, 2007 10:14 AM | Link to this
After reading the Mike Bell feature. My “gaydar” is ringing.
By Al
November 5, 2007 1:44 PM | Link to this
A radio station operating a restaurant? How about getting a better signal?
By Steve
November 5, 2007 2:22 PM | Link to this
Hey Steak! You might want to call Randall Bloomquist over at WGST. He will looking for a job soon. Maybe you can hire him as the janitor, as that is all he is qualified to do.
By Emeril
November 5, 2007 3:10 PM | Link to this
I think your money would have been better spent on upgrading your pathetic little 25 watt station. No, wait, on second thought you did the right thing. All ten of your 790 listeners probably live inside the permiter anyway (on homeless benches).
By King
November 5, 2007 3:55 PM | Link to this
From the menu…
Steak Shapiro: A fatty cut of beef overdone in every way. Wrapped in generous portions of ham and seared to a crisp with metric tons of self infused hot air.
Perfectly complimented by any whine.. Guaranteed to make it’s name sake belch repeatedly with his microphone open while on the air.
By Former, Recovering 790 Listener
November 5, 2007 6:35 PM | Link to this
Those Goofballs on 790 make me SO very thankful for having Satellite Radio in my life now.
Chris Dimino’s baseball expertise is the ONLY redeeming quality for that drunken frat house of a broadcast station.
By George G.
November 6, 2007 7:50 AM | Link to this
Can you even hear 790 the Zone in downtown? I thought 790 could only be heard in the 2 square mile radius in and around Buckhead.
By who cares
November 6, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this
790 is still on? thought they were a dog station-barking 24/7. Would not trust STATS restaurant-may serve ooga booga food. will the Stews be cooking? they can’t hold down a show. I could care less about 790. THEY SUCK!
By Paul
November 6, 2007 11:10 AM | Link to this
The name of the place should be EGO because that’s all Steak Shapiro is.
By crazy4GT
November 6, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this
If you want local sports in this town, 790 is the place to be. Every show is way better than 680 (home of fired shock jocks, old jocks and ego maniacs - can you say Kincaid and Laurentino). I’ll take Steaks ego over Kincaid any day.
By Baby Sophie
November 6, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this
Does Stats have a kid’s play area, or do we just run around the restaurant bugging people while our self-absorbed parents ignore us while they compare their wealth with that of their peers?
By B. Thenet
November 6, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this
A sports bar with cheese fondue on the menu. If I had to explain to people what 790 was about, that sentence right there is a good place to start.
Is it me, or has Mike Bell gotten facial recontruction surgery to look like Don Rickles?
By Get Your Mind Right!
November 6, 2007 6:30 PM | Link to this
The level of hate in this town is amazing sometimes. if you can’t afford stats crab cake blt then eat crow you jealous b*******. I glad somebody is trying juice up the downtown area with nice restaurants..etc I applaud the 780 team
for your info the only am station allowed to have over 50 watts after certain time is 750 wsb due federal regulations for the atlanta area only one station for emergency purposes can have that much wattage there is nothing any am station owner can do. am signals are strange sometimes i pick up stations from chicago and new york….:)
By El Profesor
November 7, 2007 8:05 AM | Link to this
I find it very interesting that someone wants to correct others, but can’t even get the station name correct. It’s not 780, it’s 790….and paying attention to detail is probably the thing that keeps you from breaking through that glass ceiling at your job… you know, the one that will allow you to remove that name tag and 27 pieces of flare.
By Ashley & Brian
November 7, 2007 6:34 PM | Link to this
We enjoyed “Stats” beautiful place and the food was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. We look forward to coming back and spending time watching all of our favorite sporting events. I used to be a Chef at the Ritz and I was impressed with the menu. We absolutely enjoyed the establishment! It’s the nicest Sports Bar in Georgia
By Get Your Mind Right!
November 8, 2007 6:51 PM | Link to this
El Profesor habla espanol y ingles? since you have time nitpick how bout you put down the leaf blower and come clean glass cealing….:)
By Get Your Mind Right!
November 13, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this
I retrack the earlier statement as it was inappropriate and offensive…:(
By Don KeBallz
November 14, 2007 4:33 PM | Link to this
Looking forward to checking this place out! Sounds pretty cool. Only problem with 790 is the afternoon drive with the Stews. Their show makes no sense with all the barking and childish references to body functions!! The show is no good. Give Dimino the drive home.