Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvette Ramirez, Terry Clark and Tory Thomas.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I knew one of the owners, Tory Thomas, from when I was working in the music industry as road manager for an artist on Def Jam Records. We were in Norfolk, Virginia on a promo run and tour with Chris Brown. Tory and I continued to stay in touch. Once he moved to Atlanta, and in the summer of 2013, he contacted me about a new restaurant/lounge he and his brother Terry Clark were about to open (the old Luckie Lounge).
I had no prior experience in hospitality, but told him I was available to help them from an administrative standpoint. We met in the dust and dirt of this building which had been closed for nearly 2 years and planned on how we would renovate and re-establish this place of business. We closed the name, color palates, decor, staffing from Front of House to Back of House to office personnel.
We opened in September 2013. I started out just helping in the office, handling dinner reservations and booking VIP Sections. As time went on, my responsibilities grew and the business grew. I then hired staff to take on the reservations component as I ran the day-to-day functions of the business becoming Operations Manager. Event requests from wedding receptions to corporate events started coming in heavily, then adding to my responsibilities and title as Director of Events, facilitating the process of booking these events to completion for such companies as Microsoft, TitleMax, ESPN, Fox 5, Columbia Records, NBA, TBS, Marta, Bravo TV, Ford Motors, Lincoln Motors, VH1 and many others.
About a year later, we opened another location which was a small diner (Atlanta Breakfast Club) next door. I handled the administrative responsibilities for that location as well.
In Fall of 2016, we started working on our 4th location in West Midtown which is a 9,000 square foot event space called Revel. I am the Director of Events at this upscale venue. So far things are going well and have several corporate and unique events coming down the pipeline.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The difficulties of running this popular establishment is trying to run both sides of the business as a restaurant and as a club. We knew it would be a challenge in that one side of the business would overpower the other and compromise the integrity of the other. However, we have been able to maintain the two separately but it has not been easy.
Once you’re known as being a club, it’s hard to for the average restaurant customer to deem your establishment as a place to bring their family or come in to enjoy a good meal. The marketing aspect of this is difficult and it takes a team to help bring a balance to the two components.
The demographics of the wide range of programs we have at Suite can go from one extreme to the other. Balancing this so that you don’t scare off another demographic (especially, with social media and guest review platforms) is a constant battle.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Suite Food Lounge – what should we know?
We are an upscale restaurant and a premier event space, lounge. We also host one of the city’s hottest jazz series each and every Thursday night. We bring nationally known jazz recording artist from across the country to perform up close and personal. This jazz series has so many jazz and RnB recording artist wanting to perform on our stage. The city’s only jazz station, WCLK features our series and interviews the artist weekly.
Additionally, we provide dinner and a show every Saturday wherein we feature local bands that have a great following the city. We have the ability to host multiple large parties for guest that want to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or milestones in their lives with their friends and family with a dinner party while listening to live music.
We are probably one of the few venues in the city that can have several events going on simultaneously due to having 2 levels in our over 11,000 square foot facility. Many times, we have private events going on upstairs on the rooftop (which has the capacity of having an event inside as well as outside) all while accommodating dinner service or another event on the main floor.
We also have the city’s #1 voted cigar lounge which is attached to the building called Trilogy.
Our venue is so multifaceted with a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system. We also have over 40 large/flat screen televisions and projectors that can display photos or perfect for any movie or television screening. There are 3 full-service bars within the venue.
We are also listed on the Georgia Production website and have recently had the opportunity to have FX film an episode of Academy Award Winner Donald Glover’s Atlanta in the building.
Look for our newest location Revel in West Midtown to hit the scene very soon!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Suite Food Lounge is an upscale dining and entertainment venue. To balance both a restaurant and a club takes a team of people, a team which we currently stretch to the limit. Some staff a playing duo, triple roles. It takes lots of meetings, constant updating of policies and procedures, communication and vigilance.
Once we open daily as a restaurant, we have floor managers and staff leads that help to make sure dinner service runs smoothly. On the weekends we transition from dinner service to a club in which we have to overlap that same management team to ensure that we convert the venue not only logistically, but also from a reservation, menu and bar standpoint.
Everyone helps to make this system work!
Contact Info:
- Address: 375 Luckie Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30313 - Website: www.suteatl.com
- Phone: (404) 577-2500
- Email: suiteatl@gmail.com
- Instagram: Suite Food Lounge
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/suitefoodlounge
Image Credit:
Roderick Horton
Event Snappers
Aric Thompson
Dream Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
