English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Athens, GA

Athens Banner-Herald

Meltwich, a Canadian gourmet grilled cheese and comfort food chain, is coming to Athens.

The fast-casual restaurant has signed a lease at Rambler Athens, a mixed-use development near the University of Georgia.

The 1,606-square-foot restaurant, located at 558 West Broad St., is expected to open this fall, according to Atlas Real Estate Advisors.

Rambler Athens with over 700 residents, is conveniently located near downtown Athens and the UGA campus. The addition of Meltwich enhances the already vibrant retail scene.

Georgia Meltwich locations

Along with Athens, Georgia will have another location coming soon in Tucker, at 4349 Lawrenceville Hwy.

Where is Meltwich based?

This chain was founded in Canada in 2015. The chain plans to open 20 locations across the U.S. by the end of 2025.

Meltwich menu

This spot serves 10 varieties of grilled cheeses, along with burgers, Phillies, Hot Mess Fries, and even alcoholic beverages.

Here are some of the famous grill cheeses:

For more information, visit htmeltwich.com/us.

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.

A Buffalo Wild Wings long planned to move into the former Red Lobster location on Broad Street now has an opening date.

The first Athens location will have a ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before opening the doors.

"Buffalo Wild Wings is all about bringing friends and family together to cheer on their favorite teams – whether they’re celebrating a great play or are on the edge of their seat down to the final seconds – while enjoying craveable food and refreshing beers," the restaurant claims. "With a large menu of delicious food and beverages and wall-to-wall TVs, B-Dubs provides the ultimate gameday experience that rivals being live in the stadium."

When will the Buffalo Wild Wings in Athens open?

B-Dubs, as it's commonly known, will open Aug. 11 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Athens Chamber of Commerce will lead the event.

Buffalo Wild Wings in Athens to give away free food

The first 100 customers in line on opening day will receive free wings for a year. These promotions usually come with a punch card or voucher that allow one free meal a week for a year, or 52 total free meals.

What's on the Buffalo Wild Wings menu?

The name really says it all. Bone-in and boneless wings with nearly 30 sauces to choose from highlights the sports bar's menu. But the restaurant also has burgers and sandwiches to choose from, along with fries and appetizers such as fried pickles, mozzarella sticks and beer-battered onion rings.

What is the Buffalo Wild Wings location in Athens?

The new establishment will be at 1956 W. Broad Street. Many in Athens know it as the former Red Lobster location.

What happened to Red Lobster in Athens?

The Red Lobster in Athens was abruptly closed in May 2024 when the seafood franchise closed more than 80 restaurants nationwide. The eatery was an Athens staple since 1973, but was one of many closures by the company after its "2023 'Endless Shrimp' promotion was partially to blame for an $11 million loss, and the company was considering filing for bankruptcy."

Good news has arrived for Athens townies looking for a taste of home when traveling outside of the Classic City. Maepole has taken a huge step forward in expanding their fast-service comfort food brand by teaming up with another local original who knows a little something about how to grow a franchise.

Maepole founding chef Peter Dale has sold the majority ownership of his restaurant to Zaxby's co-founder Tony Townley, who told the Banner-Herald that he plans to "keep things the same" in terms of menu, portions and prices while streamlining Dale's business model to reach more customers in other cities beginning in 2026.

Dale and cofounders Nathan Goodman and Michael Clancy will retain 20% ownership of Maepole and will remain involved to help preserve the restaurant's original vision.

"The bottom line is that our mission at Maepole won't change," said Townley, who co-founded Zaxby's with former Athens schoolmate Zach McLeroy in 1990 and was named this year by Forbes as one of the world's richest people. "We're going to follow Peter's strategy by continuing to serve healthy food to people."

Dale, who also owns Athens restaurant The National and co-owns Condor Chocolates with his brother, became owner of popular local fine dining establishment Five & Ten in April 2024. Though Maepole opened an Atlanta location in 2021 and a second Athens location in 2022, Dale told the Banner-Herald that growing a brand wasn't in his "skill set" and Townley was the best person to move the business forward.

"We're excited about getting good food to more people, and we've got some new menu items rolling out," said Dale. "I want to assure people in Athens that (Maepole) will continue to get better and better and they'll be able to see the difference for themselves."

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.

As chains and franchises continue to populate Athens, townies hold on tighter and tighter to their locally-owned and operated favorites. One of those is Maepole, a fast-service comfort food spot that opened on Chase Street back in 2018. Big city folks got a taste when Maepole 2 opened near Zoo Atlanta in 2021, and the gluten-free gospel recently spread to Oconee County.

Located in the Markets at Epps Bridge shopping center in suite 207 at 1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy., Maepole 3 is a great option for early lunch or late dinner, particularly for those looking for a health-conscious meal that incorporates familiar southern elements without compromising the best things about the way they taste.

Much like the menu at Maepole, the interior design reflects a commitment to functionality with flair. Customers have the option of placing their order at one of two kiosks near the front door or walking to the counter to customize their plate based on the sights and scents. Much like the way a sub sandwich shop works, the four-step ordering process is clearly marked with large-print signage, and the ingredients are visible behind glass.

Kiosk orders and online orders are picked up on a cart just outside a service window near the fountain drinks, and counter orders are completed and paid for cafeteria-style. In the post-COVID world of touchless ordering, the only hitch the Banner-Herald encountered on our visit was with ordering drinks using the kiosk system. As a courtesy, the staff member at the counter gave us our beverages on the house. Being patient with new businesses is never a bad idea.

For longtime Maepole customers and those with specific dietary needs, the build-your-own protein plate option allows for a tailored culinary experience that can range from, "I know what I like" to "let's see what it'll taste like to mix this with that." For others, seasonal chef plates are available with expertly-curated flavor combinations like the "Boxcar" staple (sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, green beans and pork with a Sriracha vinaigrette).

The Banner-Herald ordered a variation on the "Sunshine Daydream" plate, starting with a base of brown rice and pork and adding a double helping of bean salad covered in spicy avocado dressing. The portions are perfectly sized to serve one person, and creating a vegetarian version could be done easily with tofu or black bean fritters. Maepole's signature, food that tastes just as clean as is it presented, remains front and center.

For hours of operation, menu details and online ordering, visit maepole.com.

BULLDOGS-EXTRA

Athens Banner-Herald

Georgia football will cash in by playing its annual rivalry game with Florida for the first time in 2026 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — even if it’s not quite the same pay day as the teams will make when they return to a reconstructed stadium in Jacksonville under their new deal.

Georgia and Florida will each be paid $7.5 million for the 2026 game by AMB Sports & Entertainment, the company owned by Arthur Blank that owns and operates the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to a non-binding memorandum of understanding released by UGA to the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday under an open records request.

The schools announced before last year’s game that the 2026 game will be played at Mercedes Benz Stadium and the 2027 game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa while a $1.4 billion major renovation project is being done to the stadium in Jacksonville.

The teams will play at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville this season and the game is under contract to return there from 2028-2031.

The City of Jacksonville is guaranteeing a minimum of $10 million to each school in 2028 and 2029, as previously reported. The minimum guarantee goes up to $10.5 million for each school in both the 2030 and 2031 seasons.

Georgia is believed to make between $5 million to $5.5 million annually for the game now.

Both Georgia and Florida will also receive $1.5 million from Jacksonville during the 2026 and 2027 seasons for a total of $3 million each.

The game has been played annually in Jacksonville since 1933, except for 1994 and 1995 when the stadium also underwent construction.

Financial details for the 2027 game in Tampa have yet to be released, but terms are laid out for the 2026 game in the MOU dated Nov. 12 that was signed by AMB Sports & Entertainment vice president Doug Roberts on Nov. 26, Georgia president Jere Morehead on Dec. 12 and Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin on Jan. 7.

The schools will also get a cash pool of up to $500,000 as travel compensation to be allocated at the schools’ direction for travel, lodging and other related expenses.

AMBSE and the schools will mutually agree on the ticket pricing model.

AMBSE will have right of first refusal for its club personal seat license members to buy their seats for the game. All remaining club and general bowl seating available to school donors and season ticket holders will be split 50/50 between the schools via a presale. Each school will sell their allotment without the standard 18% Ticketmaster fee but will have a flat $5 fee per ticket.

Remaining tickets after the schools’ presale will go first to general Mercedes-Benz Stadium PSL owners, then the schools’ general databases, AMBSE general databases and Atlanta United’s season ticket holders before a general public sale, according to the MOU.

Mercedes-Benz annual suite owners will be able to purchase tickets in their suites before tickets for suites are offered for Georgia and Florida suite owners. Georgia and Florida will each be provided with three complimentary suites and 1,500 complimentary parking spaces each.

AMBSE will cover payment of all staffing and operational expenses for the game, pay taxes on ticket sales and provide Mercedes-Benz Stadium rent-free and retain 100% of all ticketing, suite and premium, ticket fees, food and beverage, hospitality and parking revenues. AMBSE will also control local and in-stadium commercial advertising, marketing rights and all associated revenue.

The game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, like the game in Jacksonville, “will have look and feel of a neutral site game with each school represented in one of the end zones, game presentation, PA, etc, with the schools having the right to review and approve the look and feel,” according to the MOU.

The date and time of the game will be determined by the SEC.

AMBSE has title sponsorship and intellectual property rights for marketing and monetizing the game. Any presenting sponsor shall need school approval.

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