Atlanta chef and restaurateur Ford Fry announced his first restaurant, JCT Kitchen and Bar, will close by the end of the year.
Fry made the announcement on his Instagram account, citing a desire to “do what I feel would benefit the neighborhood” and promising “something new” in the space in 2022. JCT Kitchen will remain open through dinner service on New Year’s Eve.
Fry opened JCT Kitchen in early 2007 at 1198 Howell Mill Road in what was then known as the Westside Urban Market (now called Westside Provisions and home to restaurants including Taqueria de Sol, Redbird and Forza Storico).
Named for a nearby freight train, JCT Kitchen became known for its Southern farm-to-table menu, including its popular fried chicken. It garnered a four-star review in 2007 from former AJC food editor Meridith Ford.
A decade later, former AJC dining critic Wyatt Williams praised the restaurant in a review, writing “This is a restaurant that still respects its founding principle: Make the classics and make them well.”
Fry has since opened a number of popular Atlanta restaurants. Locally, the Rocket Farm Restaurants portfolio includes No. 246, the Optimist, King + Duke, St. Cecilia, Superica, Marcel, BeetleCat and Little Rey. It also operates concepts in Nashville, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Fry’s native Texas.
Fry, his business partner Toby Franklin, and Rock Farm Restaurants culinary director Drew Belline did not immediately return a request for comment.
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