Busy Bee Café Expanding Again
An Atlanta institution known for its meat and three menu is making some changes
Creating Buzz: The Busy Bee Café is opening a third location in Atlanta. Photo credit: Contributed
A legendary soul food restaurant is expanding in Downtown Atlanta. The Busy Bee Café will open a new location at The Mitchell, an apartment tower in Centennial Yards across the street from Mercedes-Benz stadium. The restaurant will have indoor and outdoor seating and offer its famous fried chicken, Southern sides and desserts, as well as beer, wine and cocktails. It’s expected to open sometime next year.
In 1947, the café’s original owner, Lucy Jackson, opened its first location in Vine City. It later became known as a meeting place for Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, Joseph Lowery and John Lewis, not to mention attracting modern-day politicians like Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Milton Gates bought the Busy Bee in 1983, and his daughter Tracy Gates is the current owner. In recent years, the Atlanta institution has been honored with a James Beard Foundation award and achieved Michelin Bib Gourmand status multiple times.
In April 2025, Gates announced the restaurant was opening a location at Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta, with a full bar, patio and new menu items. That one is expected to open this summer. The Vine City location will continue to focus on catering and takeout, which it has done since the dining room closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
