Stir-fry spot closes after less than a year in West Midtown

One Rooster Lo Mein bowl with calamari, veggies, ginger teriyaki sauce, and seared salmon. Photo credit - Mia Yakel.

Credit: Bob Townsend

Credit: Bob Townsend

One Rooster Lo Mein bowl with calamari, veggies, ginger teriyaki sauce, and seared salmon. Photo credit - Mia Yakel.

One Rooster Mongolian Bar has closed in West Midtown after less than a year.

The create-your-own stir fry restaurant from Atlanta restaurateur Mike Blum  opened in February 2017 at 1016 Howell Mill Road NW. The space is also the former home of Blum's previous -- and similar -- concept, The Real Chow Baby. The closure was first reported by Tomorrow's News Today.

Blum said he jumped at the idea of returning to the location he'd run a business in a decade earlier, but said One Rooster wasn't sustainable in the changing West Midtown neighborhood.

"So much has opened in the area," he said, alluding to businesses on Northside Drive. He also cited low foot traffic and high valet costs as reasons behind the closure. "At some point you've got to look at the numbers," he said.

Beyond grilled-to-order bowls, with a choice of spices and meat, sauce, veggies and noodles or rice, the One Rooster menu included appetizers such as pot stickers, edamame, egg rolls, and crispy char siu pork buns. Customers could also upgrade their bowls with seafood or turn it into tacos, lettuce wraps, soup or quinoa salad.

While Blum said One Rooster will be his last stir-fry concept, he said he's looking forward to focusing his attention on the restaurants he's a partner on with Guy Wong , including Miso Izakaya, Le Fat and Ton Ton.

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