Gene's Grand Opening Set for July 23rd

Photo by@_genesgenesgenes_ on Instagram

Gene's, the Atlanta-area barbecue pop-up, is preparing to debut their brick and mortar restaurant this month, on July 23rd at 5 pm, owner Avery Cottrell told Business Debut.

The eatery will have a 99 seat shared dining space with neighbors Poor Hendrix and Mix'd Up Burgers at: 2371 Hosea L Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317. Cottrell reported that the restaurant will be family-friendly, and that they will have a kids menu.

Once 9 pm rolls around, however, the food menu will be reduced as they will emphasize their bar service. Miles Macquarrie, founding partner at Kimball House, whose bar program has been nominated for James Beard awards seven times, will be heading up the beverage program at Gene's. Macquarrie told Business Debut that Gene's will have playful, fun drinks that are balanced with high-quality ingredients.

A few drinks to anticipate: three frozen drinks, one of which will be non-alcoholic, and the others rum-based. Other cocktails will include martinis with smoked olives, yuzu citrus margaritas, herbal gin and tonics and more. Gene's will offer a selection of fine, Demeter certified wines served at cellar temperature.

Gene's food menu will be centered around small batch barbecue from a 1,000 gallon offset smoker. Cottrell, drawing on his New Orleans and coastal influences, will include items like buffalo frog legs, smoked and grilled fish collars and much more.

The sides, Cottrell shared, will all be vegetarian or vegan, aside from their tallow black beans. The aim is that while serving large portions of barbecued meat, the sides would offer lighter, more tangy flavors.

As Cottrell put it: "Yeah we are a barbecue place, but we’re a little bit different. But that’s not to say you can't come here and get your traditional barbecue plates with different meats, but we want to be able to break out of the mold a bit with different sides and techniques."

Photo by@_genesgenesgenes_ on Instagram

The eclectic space will feature folk art, old rock and roll posters, Christmas lights and a 22-foot red alligator. Cottrell told Business Debut that it is "as if Peewee Herman opened up a dive bar."

The barbecue concept launched in 2018 as a pop-up at Kimball House, and at the time, Cottrell was commuting from New Orleans to run the events. Over time, Gene's grew in popularity with its barbecue menu that drew on Cottrell's New Orleans inspiration. On the experience of growing the pop-up, Cottrell said: "Transitioning from pop-up to restaurant is a very large endeavor. I couldn’t have done it without the support of the other restaurants that helped us along the way."

With that, Cottrell intends to support other culinary startups and pop-ups at Gene's, he said.

Visit Gene's on July 23rd, at 5 pm, and check their website and Instagram for more updates.