She said in a follow-up interview that she had never met Thomas and he never showed up to any of their meetings, though representatives of his have done so. (Thomas said he has attended meetings before and even signed a Grant Park “good neighbor policy.”)
Rocereta said race had nothing to do with the neighbor complaints. She said a supper club owned by a white guy in Grant Park has caused similar complaints. And there were noise issues when a Mexican restaurant that had been on Bar One’s property played music too loud as well, she said.
Thomas said he hopes to have his new Bar One on Auburn Ave. open by early spring of 2015.
After I interviewed Thomas, I found that Bar One had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March of 2013 although his finances were not really in bad shape. In a filing to the court of his financials in February, 2013, he actually made a net income of $951 on more than $98,278 in revenue. (That particular month, he paid $2,700 in police protection, the statement said.) The case was ultimately dismissed in January, 2014.
Heather Kenney, Thomas’ business manager, said the filing was a preventive measure to protect assets because Thomas was worried about the messy landlord situation at the property. She thinks a new investor is lined up for the Memorial Drive property, which is why Fidelity has no signage there.
“We’re going to a positive force in the Sweet Auburn area,” Kenney said.
Thomas’ prior club in downtown Atlanta called Uptown Restaurant and Lounge but closed its doors in 2010, which he blamed at the time on the recession.
Article Appeared @http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/17/peter-thomas-outraged-by-former-grant-park-bar-one-neighbors/