Randy McCray hopes Mac’s Chophouse will become what longtime Mariettans grew to love about the previous restaurant that occupied the space on the city’s square for more than four decades.
McCray and his wife, Kelly, will soon open his steakhouse-style eatery in the same location as Shillings on the Square, which closed in November after 41 years.
Plans for the new restaurant at 19 N. Park Square are materializing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that has not only taken 1,000 lives in Georgia, but has stalled the local economy.
McCray told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that work on the space is about 90% complete, and could open by the middle of June.
“I do believe that people are going to be nervous and that’s understandable, but I feel like we all have to take care of ourselves,” he said, add the restaurant will take the necessary precautions to make sure customers and employees are safe.
McCray said the restaurant will mostly be a steak and seafood spot with main courses like shrimp and grits, short ribs and chicken.
RELATED | After 41 years, Marietta Square mainstay Shillings has sold
McCray’s leap into the Marietta restaurant scene isn’t a step taken by a novice. He and his brother, Scott, own and operate restaurants such as The Mill Kitchen & Bar in Roswell and McCray’s Tavern in Lawrenceville.
McCray said he and his wife moved to Marietta two years ago and felt “the area was missing something.” After he heard that Shillings owner Dave Reardon was interested in selling, the pair met and the deal fell into place quickly.
“We are excited about being part of the downtown Marietta community and hopefully we will create a neighborhood restaurant that people will go to and frequent,” he said.
The building, which sits on the north side of Marietta Square, overlooks Glover Park and is owned by former Marietta Councilman Philip Goldstein.
Frederick E.A. Schilling, a native of Hamburg, Germany, came to America in 1870 and ended up in Marietta in 1875, later opening a hardware store, Schilling’s.
A fire destroyed the building in 1930 but another structure was built in its place to house the hardware store until 1972. Reardon opened his restaurant named Shillings — without the C — in 1978.
Credit: Edgar Treiguts
Credit: Edgar Treiguts
Shillings grew to become the go-to meeting spot for doctors, judges and average Joes. Any politician who came to Cobb County knew that a stop at Shillings was part of the visit.
“It was like home for a lot of people,” Reardon said.
Reardon said he hopes McCray’s venture will operate in the space for another 40 years.
“He’s a very knowledgeable gentleman and he’s a real nice guy, so he knows what he’s doing and he’s done a wonderful job on the space,” he said. “I wish him luck and I think he’s going to do great there.”
Mayor Steve Tumlin said the addition of Mac’s Chophouse on the Square will also compliment the lineup of eateries the city has in its downtown and allow McCray to distinguish himself from the shadow of Shillings.
“It’s going to be first class,” he said. “He’s a pioneer in an area we need.”
McCray added he hopes the pandemic won’t put too much of a dent in his plans.
“I think people right now are extremely nervous, but at some point we have to get back to our regular lives,” he said. “And we can do that, but we just have to do it in a different manner and a little more cautiously.”
AJC reporter Jennifer Brett contributed to this story.
