Culinary star Kevin Rathbun prioritizes making his restaurants accessible

 

      Kevin Rathbun and his wife Melissa       

While most restaurateurs prioritize location, location, location - Chef Kevin Rathbun’s secret is accessibility. When launching restaurants he chooses off the beaten path locales, like Krog Bar – Fire Coal Pizza his latest eatery located in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center  (ADAC) in Peachtree Hills. Forgoing the usual haunts for upscale dining such as Buckhead and Howell Mill, the award-winning chef chooses less assuming enclaves like Inman Park. Rathbun says parking is his first consideration when opening a new restaurant.   

“I’m always looking for price reduction and rent reduction,” Rathbun says. “But I’m always looking for parking, parking, parking first and foremost so your guests have ample access to your restaurant.”

A star in the Atlanta culinary scene, Rathbun owns Kevin Rathbun Steak- voted the best steak in America, KR Steakbar and Krog Bar- Coal Fire Pizza. When he opened Rathbun’s, his first restaurant in Inman Park, at the end of 2003 he had never heard of the Atlanta Beltline. He just loved the area and for $15 a sq ft and a restaurant that was prebuilt, it was affordable. Rathbun could “lead his own destiny.” Originally from Kansas City, Rathbun wanted to open a steak house that was for everyone offering the same hospitality as Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, where he built his reputation as a chef in Atlanta. He opened Rathbun’s for $300,000 setting up shop in the former Atlanta Stove Works building in a neighborhood that was considered a bit sketchy at the time.

“I wanted to be a big fish in a small pond and not a small fish in a big pond, so I was looking for these off-location areas because of pricing, rent structure, and occupancy cost” Rathbun says. “That’s why I looked in these obscure locations.”

Longtime Rathbun loyalists who made the trek from Buckhead to Inman Park questioned his location choice, but soon they were singing a different tune. “It became sexy,” Rathbun says. People were clamoring to come to the remote area on Atlanta's Eastside and dine in the modern space. The risk paid off, and  in 2005 Rathbun applied his formula of rent structure, occupancy cost and parking to a 750 sq ft space he called Krog Bar. The communal vibe and Spanish tapas were a hit making Krog Bar a mainstay in Inman Park for 15 years.

The patio at Krog Bar - Coal Fire Pizza

He went on to open Kevin Rathbun Steak in 2007 in Inman Park and KR Steakbar in 2013
in Peachtree Hills. Pulling on his background in hospitality, each patio offers a unique setting to eat and unwind during the fall. At Kevin Rathbun Steak guests can sit on the patio overlooking the Atlanta Beltline, a popular 22-mile loop of trails that cut through the Inman Park neighborhood. Krog Bar – Coal Fire Pizza offers diners bistro tables, umbrellas, beautiful plants and foliage under a shaded canopy. The cozy atmosphere at KR Steakbar includes a patio that seats about 40 people and is surrounded by greenery. 

Rathbun takes a different approach to preparing steak at each restaurant. He went back to his roots and installed a hickory and oak woodfire hearth when he opened KR Steakbar. At Kevin Rathbun Steak he uses an infrared broiler to sear fast and bake internally. However, it’s the steak salt that perfects that the taste of the meat. Made in house with parsley sage, thyme, salt, black pepper, and garlic he turns the blend into an aromatic rub for his steaks at Kevin Rathbun Steak. The flavor profile at KR Steakbar draws on classic Italian herbs and vegetables like dried mushroom, thyme, basil and a little sugar to balance out the savory notes.  

   A pizza at Krog Bar- Coal Fire Pizza   

Rathbun decided to expand his Italian menu by reimaging Krog Bar. This year he opened Krog Bar – Coal Fire Pizza in ADAC. Just a little bigger than the original Krog Bar, at 950 sq ft, the restaurant brings another lunch option to the interior design center. Featuring signature pies, sandwiches, salads and a full bar the cozy eatery also has remnants of its original namesake. Lighting fixtures, pecky cypress wall panels, mirrors, personal photos, and even the iconic black walnut front door have been lovingly repurposed in a space that pays homage to the past while introducing something entirely new.

"I love all my restaurants, but this one was my comfort, my hideaway. It reminded me of our cool family basement when I was a kid, where food and music happened, everyone got along, cards were played, drinks were had, and community was created,” says Rathbun. “Bringing it back, with a new purpose and in a neighborhood I love just felt right. It’s intimate, soulful, and deeply personal – an ode to where we started, and to the people and places that inspired me along the way.”