March 14, 2017

Meet Bunny Aug of Battle & Brew in Sandy Springs

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bunny Aug.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bunny. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Battle & Brew was founded in 2005 in Marietta with the dream of creating a “Man Cave” for gamers. We had a few beer taps, basic bar foods, and gaming. In 2010 the original owner decided to sell the business to focus on his family. Our now-current owner purchased the business and immediately set to work making improvements. He took the idea of “Man Cave” and changed it to be more of a haven for Geeks & Gamers. He added in knowledgeable staff, increased gaming stations, increased beer taps and had us start a craft beer program, and we started hosting events like Geek Trivia. In 2014 B&B closed in Marietta to relocate to our current space in Sandy Springs that is over 4 times larger than our old space. We increased gaming, added on more events like Cosplay Night, and now have a full kitchen serving up fantastic dishes late into the night. We still have a fantastic craft beer menu, now accompanied with a craft cocktail menu and cafe. We never would have been able to grow if it wasn’t for our fantastic customer base that are from all over the Atlanta area that have supported us before, during and after our move.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
If anyone ever told you it was easy, they were lying. We closed our doors in Marietta in August 2014, anticipating a 1-2 month move. Due to delays in construction, we were unable to open until March 2015. We luckily didn’t lose our customer base, as they very much wanted us to be open, and would routinely check in with us to make sure we were still progressing. Our grand opening saw over 1000 people come out.

We originally had a satellite bar, but we never ended up using it. It has since turned into our cafe, and we now have a variety of Coffees, Teas and Italian Sodas added to our beverage menu. This was welcomed not only by our younger fans, but by those who simply wanted a good latte or tea instead of beer.

“So… how does this work?” When you’re a bar, restaurant, and LAN center, sometimes things can get confusing. People sometimes aren’t sure how they’re supposed to use our space. Can they stay all night? Can they eat at the gaming stations? We do our best to answer these questions when people come in. We also have an upcoming video series of FAQs to help.

We’re sure we’ll hit more obstacles as we continue to grow, but we’ll take the input of customers and employees alike to figure out a solution that will not only work, but be well received.

Please tell us about Battle & Brew.
We specialize is something very unique- video games and beer. We are truly a Geekbar. We cater not only to gamers, but to anyone that identifies as a geek. We host Geek Trivia, Cosplay Night, Magic Drafts, and TableTop nights weekly. We have game companies, local twitch and geek groups meet up at our place. We are known for being Atlanta’s Geekbar.

We also take pride in our menu- both beverages and food. We want to crush that stereotype that gamers only eat chips and soda. We have a fantastic craft beer menu and a wonderful cocktail menu. Our Bartenders are passionate about what they do and can talk at length about the brewing process for the beers, what makes them unique, and where they’re from. They can tell you all about our spirits, which ones are rare, their history, and what cocktail they would go best in. Our menu changes seasonally, and our Chef chooses dishes that are both reminiscent of comfort food like our Homestyle mac n cheese, and also dishes that are unique and fun like our Yoshi’s Egg. Our chef really shines when we host our Feast events that are themed on a franchise like Harry Potter or LOTR as all the dishes he creates are inspired from the movies the dinner is centered around.

What sets us apart from other restaurants, bars and Barcades is our community. So much of what we do is based on the communities’ wants and needs. We listen to them, and provide them with what they want. We have been told repeatedly by customers that we offer a place where they can come in and not feel like an outcast- they feel at home with us, and honestly, that is one of the best compliments we can receive.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly I think much of what we would want to change is simply back end. Our building is old and has had some surprise repairs that have had to be done. I think we would have liked to done more remodeling in the beginning, and stayed open in Marietta until all construction was complete. Most everything else about our relocation was well thought through as we had fleshed out a lot of problems in our old location that we could fix immediately by moving in to a new location.

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