Restaurant Revival! A number of new restaurants are opening in metro Albany.

Aug. 30—ALBANY — Sometimes business people come up with great ideas ... all at the same time.

That would appear to be the case in Albany, as new restaurants are springing up in the metro area like mushrooms after a spring shower ... the kind of mushrooms chefs use in their recipes, of course.

"From a business standpoint, it looks like this is the perfect time to open a new restaurant," Jenna Luke, the manager/social media manager for Fuzzy's Tacos on U.S. 82, said.

Luke has reason to express optimism after Fuzzy's record-breaking success in southwest Georgia. The franchise had the best opening of any of the 150 or so stores in the chain's portfolio. That bodes well for the Georgia Area Restaurant Group that owns the new Fuzzy's, which, Luke said, plans to open 50 restaurants in the next five years. The group currently owns the Albany restaurant and one in Auburn, Ala.

Fuzzy's shares the limelight with a slew of other restaurants that are either open now or are about to open. Some of them include the Decanter Chop House and The Tavern Sports Lounge and Poolside Grille, both located at Stonebridge Country Club, as well as La Luna and Bianca's, both on Dawson Road.

Those new dining establishments are not, however, the only culinary news in southwest Georgia.

The celebrated Pearly's restaurant on Dawson Road is set to change ownership on Thursday, as are regional 3 Squares Diners that were purchased by the same group. Throw in new food trucks that are about to hit the streets and the re-opening of the DED Event Center on Radium Springs Road — plus the strongly rumored return of Gargano's on Slappey Drive — and it's easy to see why foodies in the region are licking their chops.

"They (Stonebridge management) came to me and my wife and talked with us about opening restaurants at the club, and we kicked the idea around for a while before I turned them down," Rob Michie, the celebrated chef/owner of Cork's Charcuterie in Albany, said. "They came back later, and after a while I decided 'let's give it a go.' They offered this beautiful space, and we basically gutted it and started rebuilding. They've been very generous with the facilities.

"We're looking at opening in maybe the second or third week of September."

Like Cork's, the Decanter Chop House will be an upscale restaurant serving high-grade beef, chops and seafood. The spacious restaurant will leave space open for ballroom dancing and other events, and eventually will feature valet parking.

Downstairs at the country club, Michie said staff will serve "upscale finger foods" (like a "bourbon-soaked quail breast Wellington") at the poolside grill and offer seven televisions for sports viewing.

"I'm partnering with some celebrity chefs on this project; in fact, I'm bringing in my niece who is an award-winning executive chef in New York," Michie said. "My main focus is going to be Cork's, but I am not going to be absent from the restaurants. I'll be splitting my time."

As the remodeling continues, Michie said he expects Decanter to be open Thursdays-Saturdays from 4-11 p.m. The Tavern will be open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 11 a.m. to "8 or 9 p.m."

Bo Henry and the Stewbo's Group have been ready to open their newest venture, the La Luna Taco Cantina (and, yes, they know the sign-maker left the "n" out of Cantina ... they're making the changes) for weeks. They have their business license; they have their liquor license. But what they don't have are 30 margarita machines that were scheduled to be here "in about three weeks" for the last four months or so.

"I'm ready to open, but we can't have a final inspection without all of our equipment in place," Henry said Tuesday. "You just have to be patient; there's nothing you can do. American Fryer, one of the biggest suppliers of restaurant equipment, now is telling everyone you need a 43-week lead time for orders."

Henry said he expects La Luna to be a good fit with Albany diners and that it will be different enough to distinguish itself from other Mexican restaurants in the area.

"We'll offer something different, not traditional Mexican food," he said. "Ours will be more Americanized, Tex-Mex and street taco-type stuff.

"The trouble is we can't hire all our people yet because we don't know when we'll open. I wish we could open next week; this has taken longer than any other restaurant we've opened."

Henry's expected date to open?

"In about three weeks," he quipped.

In a nod to the difficulty many establishments are having in hiring staff, Luke noted that Fuzzy's, while fully staffed now, had to "borrow" employees from other "taco shops" in Albany.

"It's great that other establishments were willing to pitch in and work with us," she said. "We are still looking to hire other staff."

Bianca's, which is working out its kinks through "soft-openings" right now, is expected to open to the public shortly after Labor Day. The restaurant will seat diners through reservations only, at least initially.

And while Gargano's owner/namesake Johnny Gargano has closed his historic restaurant in recent weeks, sources close to the chef indicate he is "taking a mental break before reopening."

The DED Event Center, located on Radium Springs Road across from Albany State University's East Campus, offers space for events large and small. Once the Savoy restaurant, the space had sat vacant for some time, being used occasionally for special events, owner Winfred Dukes said.

"I made sure I had my Christmas parties there every year," he said. "We've been continuously using it. Now we're doing a little more marketing. Things are happening."

The businessman initially considered opening a restaurant himself in the building but ultimately gave that idea a pass.

"We did a business plan for a restaurant," he said. "With everything you've got to do, you've really got to have your heart in it."

The kitchen is currently being renovated, and once that's completed a chef will be available to provide meals at the facility. Dukes said he is now working on getting the word out about the availability of the location.

"It's for weddings, family reunions, repasts, dinners, baby showers," he said. "Whenever you need a facility to be able to provide accommodations. We're in the process of bringing in a caterer for that function."