Slim and Husky’s to open second Atlanta location on Juneteenth

Slim and Husky's California Love pizza with spinach basil pesto, house cheese blend, artichoke, sliced tomato blend, red onion, and shrimp. Photo credit- Mia Yakel.

Slim and Husky's California Love pizza with spinach basil pesto, house cheese blend, artichoke, sliced tomato blend, red onion, and shrimp. Photo credit- Mia Yakel.

A popular Tennessee-based pizzeria that made its Atlanta debut last year is set to open its second area location this week.

Slim & Husky's Pizza Beeria will open in Adair Park on June 19. The date is also known as Juneteenth, which marks the last day of slavery in the U.S.

Co-founder Clint Gray said the opening date, which was originally set for March before the coronavirus pandemic spread to the U.S., was chosen because it’s “symbolic for the community.”

Founded by childhood friends and Tennessee State University grads, Clint Gray, Derrick Moore and E.J. Reed, Slim & Husky's opened its first Atlanta eatery in May 2019 on Howell Mill Road in West Midtown. 

Signature pies, such as Got 5 On It, Rony, Roni, Rone!, and Cee No Green, are named for the founders’ favorite jams and hip-hop and ’90s R&B artists.

“Our theme is ‘Pizza. Art. Music.’ And we like to highlight our culture because the media doesn’t always do the best job of showing success stories in African American neighborhoods,” Gray, who serves as Slim & Husky’s chief marketing officer, told the AJC in 2019. “So we want to put out a product that’s excellent and kind of change the narrative where it needs to be changed.”

Gray said the new location’s menu will be the same as the one offered in West Midtown, including expanded plant-based offerings.

The Adair Park building will feature new art, including a mural on the ceiling paying homage to the iconic KFC scene in the Spike Lee film “School Daze.”

Gray said while it was “somewhat frustrating” for the opening to be delayed, it gave the business time to perfect its takeout as well as its dine-in operations in the era of COVID-19.

“Now we’re ready to open to the public and show the West End area what Slim & Husky’s is all about,” he said.

In addition to its Atlanta restaurants, Slim & Husky’s also has three locations in Tennessee and one in Califorina. The pizzeria reopened all of its restaurants for dine-in service over the weekend, and continue to offer carryout.

581 Metropolitan Pkwy., Atlanta. slimandhuskys.com/location/581-metropolitan-pkw/

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