Popular Decatur Square brunch eatery Sweet Melissa’s has closed after more than three decades.
The restaurant shuttered earlier this month, but didn’t announce the closure on its social media accounts or website until last week.
“We have chosen this time to retire and move on to our future dreams,” the post stated, alluding to “exciting things to happen” in the building that housed the restaurant.
Owner Glen Gurevitch opened Sweet Melissa’s as Pita Place in 1989 at 127 E. Court Square. He changed the name to Sweet Melissa’s in 1996, though at the time, the menu stayed the same.
“We started out when pitas were the trend,” Gurevitch told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1996. “But over the years our menu evolved from being just pitas because we had people who’d come back regularly and we’d have to give them something different. The name became restricting because people who were not regulars did not know what we served.”
Named after his daughter, Sweet Melissa’s initially served more than 50 kinds of hot and cold sandwiches, pita with various stuffings, hot dogs, hamburgers, stuffed potatoes, pizza and brunch.
Credit: Contributed by Becky Stein
Credit: Contributed by Becky Stein
The restaurant eventually pivoted to focusing on breakfast and brunch dishes, including omelets, pancakes, French toast, sandwiches, quesadillas and salads.
Sweet Melissa’s is one of several longtime metro Atlanta restaurants to close in the past few weeks. Atmosphere French Bistro in Piedmont Heights closed after 20 years and Fung Mei Chinese Restaurant in Duluth closed after 33 years. In addition, Marrakesh Market and Batter Cookie Dough both shuttered at Ponce City Market.
A representative for Sweet Melissa’s did not immediately respond to the AJC’s request for more information about the closure.
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