The owners of Atomic Burger, a Metairie-based fast-casual restaurant, are moving forward with plans for a Baton Rouge location after closing on property near LSU.
Joe Spitale, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother Nick, says he closed yesterday on the 0.8-acre plot of land at Ben Hur Road and Burbank Drive. The Spitales bought the property for $872,000 from Vincent Price Leblanc.
“We’re working with the architectural and design team right now to finalize the building,” Joe Spitale says. “We’re looking at beginning construction sometime early to mid-December.”
The Spitales have been eyeing the Baton Rouge market for over a year and are among the first tenants announced for the Arlington Marketplace, a commercial development that will be anchored by Rouses Supermarket at the corner of Burbank and West Lee drives.
The 2,500-square-foot Atomic Burger building is on an outparcel fronting Burbank Drive, about two miles from LSU’s campus.
The burger joint features liquid-nitrogen-frozen milkshakes, with flavors like espresso and apple pie, along with craft burgers and other items. Spitale says he is targeting a late April 2018 opening, adding the restaurant will have a patio, drive-thru and local craft beers on tap.
—Sam Karlin
