Blue Ribbon Grill relocating this fall, adding European-inspired sister restaurant

A beloved Tucker comfort food destination is relocating and adding a European-inspired sister restaurant next door.

Blue Ribbon Grill, which has been in operation since 1985 under multiple owners, closed in February after Jennifer and Eric Greene found the rising rent and poor conditions at the building to be untenable.

It will reopen this fall at 3352-C Chamblee Tucker Road in the North Hills Shopping Center in the same complex that houses Big Lots. However, Blue Ribbon Grill won’t be alone at its new location.

The Greenes will also open Jenovelle Cafe & Market next door, a European breakfast and lunch bistro featuring a gift shop selling European-style items. The idea behind Jenovelle came long before the couple bought Blue Ribbon Grill four years ago.

“We had the concept of Jenovelle in 2019, but we couldn’t get financing because of Covid,” Greene said. “Then we found the Blue Ribbon Grill was for sale, so we put Jenovelle on hold.”

Rent at the original location of Blue Ribbon Grill at 4006 LaVista Road continued to rise during the years that the Greenes owned it. Upkeep of the aging facility was also a factor in its closing.

“The rent quadrupled during the last four years, and on top of that, the cost of upkeep was enormous,” Greene said. “The landlord pretty much priced us out of the location.”

Related link: More stories from the Tucker Reporter

An extensive search around Tucker, where the couple wanted to stay, proved fruitless. But in April, the Greenes finally found a space to house both restaurants just north of the Blue Ribbon Grill’s former location.

The footprint of the Blue Ribbon Grill will be slightly downsized, but the restaurant will continue offering tried-and-true favorites like French onion soup, meatloaf, and other comfort food dishes. Greene said they plan to expand Blue Ribbon Grill’s martini menu and feature a brighter decor that still pays homage to its original 1980s restaurant vibe.

Jenovelle, which will be open for breakfast and lunch, will serve “the best food Europe has to offer,” Greene said. “We will close at 2 p.m. but then reopen after 4 p.m. to sell take-home meals, complete with cooking instructions.”

In addition to European-inspired cuisine, Jenovelle will sell imported gifts and food items, like honey made in Spain, British chocolates, and “curated-by-Jen” custom gifts that feature one-of-a-kind treasures.

Blue Ribbon Grill will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner and include extended weekend hours, similar to other tenants in the shopping center, like Hookah Coffee Planet, that have a nightlife presence.

“We know this is going to be a lot of work, but we are excited to launch this new venture,” Greene said.

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