In a short meeting with no contentious items on the agenda, the Smyrna City Council Monday evening approved a beer, wine and liquor pouring license for a new barbecue restaurant at the shopping center on South Cobb Drive at its intersection with Concord Road.

The shopping center was previously the site of a small Kroger store before the larger Smyrna Crossing Kroger was built across the street.

Benjamin Woods Jr. spoke on behalf of his company, B & T Restaurant Group LLC, dba (doing business as) Tonyo’s BBQ Experience.

Woods described the upcoming restaurant as “a family restaurant that is going to offer a different spin on barbecue.”

“Everybody’s basic knowledge of barbecue is normally the checkerboard tablecloths and those Styrofoam to-go platters,” he said. “We’re actually going to do a full table service. Not upscale but nice, just giving a different outlook on barbecue.”

Woods estimates that once the assessments from the city are in the occupancy will be around 80 customers.

He said this is not his first restaurant in the county, as he owned Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant in Austell previously.

The address for the restaurant is 3315 South Cobb Drive SE, Suite 300, and it is located between the Post Office and  Little Caeser’s restaurant.

In other business, the council approved 

• the purchase of a Peterbilt rear-loading sanitation truck for $358,090.00 funded with the FY24 Vehicle Replacement Fund
• a contract with Match Point Tennis of Marietta for resurfacing of the tennis courts at Tolleson Park and Rose Garden Park in the amount of $60,400.00 to be paid from ARPA funds
• The appointment of Ward 4 resident Blake Rogers to the Smyrna Parks and Recreation Commission to fulfill a term through December 31, 2023.

The following agenda item was tabled pending the preparation of necessary documentation:

Approval of the Framework Agreement with Cobb County to fulfill role as Project Administrator with Georgia DOT for South Cobb Improvement Project and authorize the Mayor to sign and execute all related documents.

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About the City of Smyrna

Smyrna is the third-largest city in Cobb County, after newly incorporated Mableton, and county seat  Marietta.

Smyrna was incorporated by an act of the Georgia legislature in 1872. To see a copy of the original incorporation legislation, follow this link.

The U.S. Census Bureau gives the latest quick facts about Smyrna:

Smyrna city, Georgia
Population Estimates, July 1 2021, (V2021)	55,685
PeoplePopulation
Population Estimates, July 1 2021, (V2021)	55,685
Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2021)	55,689
Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2021, (V2021)	0.0%
Population, Census, April 1, 2020	55663
Population, Census, April 1, 2010	51271
Age and Sex
Persons under 5 years, percent	7.8%
Persons under 18 years, percent	23.2%
Persons 65 years and over, percent	9.3%
Female persons, percent	53.0%
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent	46.8%
Black or African American alone, percent(a)	33.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a)	0.3%
Asian alone, percent(a)	8.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a)	0.3%
Two or More Races, percent	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino, percent(b)	13.6%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent	42.9%
Population Characteristics
Veterans, 2016-2020	2352
Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020	16.5%
Housing
Housing units, July 1, 2021, (V2021)	X
Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2016-2020	55.5%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2016-2020	$309,000
Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2016-2020	$1,871
Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2016-2020	$471
Median gross rent, 2016-2020	$1,326
Building permits, 2021	X
Families & Living Arrangements
Households, 2016-2020	24760
Persons per household, 2016-2020	2.27
Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2016-2020	81.1%
Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2016-2020	21.1%
Computer and Internet Use
Households with a computer, percent, 2016-2020	97.9%
Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2016-2020	95.6%
Education
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	94.0%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	55.7%
Health
With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2016-2020	6.2%
Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent	13.8%
Economy
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	77.8%
In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	72.9%
Total accommodation and food services sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	152259
Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	293700
Total manufacturers shipments, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	208663
Total retail sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1028830
Total retail sales per capita, 2012(c)	$19,541
Transportation
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2016-2020	29
Income & Poverty
Median household income (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$77,713
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$48,063
Persons in poverty, percent	8.2%
BusinessesBusinesses
Total employer establishments, 2020	X
Total employment, 2020	X
Total annual payroll, 2020 ($1,000)	X
Total employment, percent change, 2019-2020	X
Total nonemployer establishments, 2018	X
All firms, 2012	6575
Men-owned firms, 2012	3108
Women-owned firms, 2012	2808
Minority-owned firms, 2012	2970
Nonminority-owned firms, 2012	3230
Veteran-owned firms, 2012	687
Nonveteran-owned firms, 2012	5483
Geography
Population per square mile, 2010	3339.5
Land area in square miles, 2010	15.35