Philips Arena Signs 10-year lease with Metrotainment

September 21,2012

Philips Arena has signed a 10-year lease with Atlanta-based restaurant group Metrotainment Cafes Inc. to bring a new location of Hudson Grille to downtown Atlanta.

The 3,500-square-foot sports bar will be located at the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Marietta Street, across the street from Philips Arena and CNN Center. It will seat 150 people inside and 175 people on its large patio. The space is a former Golden Buddha.

“We’ve always wanted to go downtown,” said Jeff Landau, CEO at Metrotainment Cafes, which currently operates four locations of Hudson Grille in metro Atlanta.

“Per square foot, I’m very confident it will be our busiest Hudson Grille,” Landau said.

The downtown location is set to open in mid-October, in time for the start of the Atlanta Hawks season on Nov. 2.

“We’re excited about the relationship and the partnership,” said Andrew Steinberg, senior vice president and chief revenue officer for the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. “Obviously, it’s a high-traffic location.”

A new exterior marquee for Philips Arena is being constructed on top of the Hudson Grille, a spot 30 million people pass each year. The former screen was destroyed during the 2008 tornado that ravaged Downtown Atlanta.

“The new signage is a seven-figure investment by our ownership group to improve the exposure of the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena brands,” spokeswoman Alison Sawyer said in an email.