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.
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 |
