Raging Burrito sold to new owners after nearly 30 years on Decatur Square
Raging Burrito & Taco, a Tex-Mex restaurant that’s been on Decatur Square for 27 years, was sold to a new owner.
Scott Herman opened the restaurant in 1996 in Midtown before adding a second location in Decatur two years later. The Midtown restaurant closed, but Decatur persisted.
Herman, who’s been running Raging Burrito for almost 30 years, decided to retire, business partner Parham Savadkoohi said. When Herman offered Savadkoohi the restaurant, he decided it was time to move on as well.
“I‘ve been there a long time, 17 years, and I’ve been very successful at it, which I’ve been very proud of,” Savadkoohi said. “But there’s just other parts of my life that I’ve ignored.”
The pair were determined to find a buyer who would continue operating the 4,800-square-foot restaurant at 141 Sycamore St.
Steve Josovitz of the Shumacher Group represented Raging Burrito in the sale. There are several years remaining on the restaurant’s lease, according to the sale notice.
“I wanted a local, someone with experience and someone who’s been doing this for a while,” he said.
Savadkoohi and Herman also wanted to make sure the staff members would be kept on since many of them have been there for 10 or 20 years.
The new owner is Ben Kori, a Decatur resident and “longtime fan of the restaurant,” Josovitz said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There are two other part-owners in the business, Savadkoohi said.
Kori was not available to comment on the sale.
Raging Burrito will remain the same, Savadkoohi said, and he and Herman will stay on for the next several weeks to help the new owners with the transition.
“The only reason we made this sale is because we felt comfortable with these guys, and we felt like these guys are genuine,” he said.
Savadkoohi began working at Raging Burrito in his early 20s. When he decided he wanted to open his own restaurant, he asked Herman if he would let Savadkoohi try operating a Raging Burrito. Herman suggested he just buy into the business with him and become a part owner.
Now at 40 years old, Savadkoohi has worked at Raging Burrito since college.
“The one thing that I’m gonna miss the most is Scott, because for 17 years, every single day of my life, he’s one of the first people I saw in the morning,” Savadkoohi said. “And if you were to take all the minutes of every single person I’ve ever hung out with, you (make) a pie chart, Herman is by far in first place.”
141 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-377-3311, ragingburrito.com
About the Author
Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.
