🔵 The $65M CNN Center revival (and what it means for downtown)

Hey.

Welcome to ATL Grind.

I’m Andrew (your host) who’ll be showing you the best events, news, jobs, and more in Atlanta’s business world. Let’s get started.

Startup Chowdown at ATV Buckhead: Fridays, 12 PM. The largest weekly tech lunch in Atlanta, averaging 250+ people. Catered lunch, no formal networking, just grab food and meet someone new. You don't have to be a Village member. $10 for non-members. Read more here.

TRANSACT 2026: March 18-20, Georgia World Congress Center. The premier payments industry conference. 3,000+ payments professionals, fintech founders, processors, and banks under one roof. Expert-led sessions, exhibit hall, after-hours networking. Read more here.

Future Festival Atlanta: March 25, City Winery at Ponce City Market. One-day AI-driven innovation conference by Trend Hunter. Theme: "How to Innovate in the Era of AI Super Agents." Starbucks, Netflix, Samsung, NASA, and Google rely on these guys. Worth blocking the calendar. Read more here.

Super South Summit: March 30 to April 1, Metro Atlanta Chamber + Georgia Aquarium. CleanTech, sustainability, and innovation summit. Speakers from Georgia Tech, Tech Square Ventures, Norfolk Southern. Plenary sessions, breakouts, innovation expo. Read more here.

For decades, the CNN Center was a fortress. Closed off. Single-tenant. More symbol than destination.

That era is over.

CP Group just announced their reimagined 1.2 million-square-foot complex, now called The Center (The CTR), will reopen in May 2026 with a 24,000-square-foot food hall, a signature restaurant, Atlanta's largest bar, and public art installations developed in partnership with SCAD.

Here's what's moving in:

CTR Food Works: a 12-concept food hall curated by Robert Montwaid, the same guy behind Chattahoochee Food Works and New York's Gansevoort Market. Concepts include Latin, seafood, Mexican, Italian, burgers, and desserts. Plus a massive full-service bar.

Mastro's Ocean Club: the steakhouse chain's Georgia debut. 8,200 square feet on the ground floor. Locations in Manhattan, Miami, and Newport Beach. Now Atlanta.

CP Group has invested $50 million in exterior renovations and another $15 million in atrium work. The CTR will also serve as the official FIFA World Cup 2026 Atlanta Volunteer Headquarters and home base for ATL House, the Atlanta Host Committee's private event space. Connected to State Farm Arena and the Omni Hotel, it's positioned to be downtown's central hub this summer.

Chris Eachus, founding partner at CP Group, put it plainly: they're reconnecting one of Atlanta's landmarks with the people and energy of downtown.

Read more here.

A Michelin-starred Miami restaurant group just bet big on Atlanta.

The concept: contemporary Italian built around open-fire cooking, handmade pastas, seasonal Georgia ingredients sourced within a 300-mile radius, and an Italian-leaning natural wine program. The 150-seat space features low ceilings, warm reds, an open hearth, and a dedicated pasta-making room visible from the dining room.

Executive chef Sebastián Vargas grew up spending summers in Italy with his Italian stepfather. He says the restaurant works exclusively with local producers and farms, using seasonal ingredients with Italian philosophy at the core.

Early OpenTable reviews are glowing. Rated 4.7 stars. Multiple reviewers calling it one of the best dining experiences in Atlanta right now.

Read more here.

Featured: VP, Corporate Strategy and M&A at Fleetcor/Corpay ($200K-$225K). Norcross-based global payments giant. Lead strategic initiatives, M&A evaluation, and cross-functional execution. Actively hiring.

Read more here.

Senior Director, FP&A (Corporate) at a major Atlanta-based corporation. Actively hiring. 5 days posted. Read more here.

Director of Business Development (International) at an Atlanta-based firm. Early applicant window open. Read more here.

Director of Marketing at a growth company in Braselton, GA. Posted 6 days ago. Read more here.

VP, Head of Operations at an Atlanta company. Actively hiring. Read more here.

Associate, Strategic Finance in Atlanta. Actively hiring. Read more here.

Atlanta's dining pipeline for 2026 reads like a Michelin guide wish list. Check it out:

Ikara — Fine dining Indian opening in March at Atlantic Station. Chef Yugal Sharma is building two distinct experiences: a main dining room and a separate 30-seat chef's tasting room with a nine-course menu. Regional dishes from Bihar, Kashmir, Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh. This follows the success of Ghee Indian Kitchen, confirming Atlanta's Indian fine dining wave is real. Read more here.

Koshu Club — From the team behind Michelin-starred Mujō, opening across from The St. Regis in Buckhead. Charcoal-grilled seafood and meats, premium sake, refined small plates. Designed by Smith Hanes Studio with Japanese midcentury modern aesthetics. Read more here.

Sozou — The newest concept from Chef Fuyuhiko Ito (Umi, MF Buckhead, Ishin). Ground floor of Ten Twenty Spring in Midtown. Sushi bar, robata grill, wagyu, caviar, truffles, double-fermented soy imported from Japan. Pastry chef Lisa Ito will run tableside dessert presentations in the 4,000-square-foot space. Read more here.

The pattern is clear: Miami, Tokyo, and NYC-caliber operators are choosing Atlanta. West Midtown, Buckhead, and Midtown are pulling serious culinary weight heading into World Cup summer.

Waterfront living inside the Perimeter. 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 5,297 square feet on 1.22 acres in Buckhead's Rivermeade neighborhood. Directly on the neighborhood lake with a private dock.

Built in 1972, thoughtfully expanded. New pool and spa overlooking the water. Outdoor fireplace, mature trees, kayak-ready lakefront. Non-through streets, walkable feel, minutes from top private schools. $472/sqft. $58/mo HOA.

Status: Active.

Read more here.

Former CNN Center reopens as The Center in May with 12 restaurants, Mastro's Ocean Club, and Atlanta's largest bar. $65M in renovations. FIFA World Cup HQ. Read more here.

PGA Tour Superstore opens a new Atlanta location March 7. CEO hinted at more stores on the horizon. Read more here.

F1 Arcade opened at The Interlock on Howell Mill Road. 15,500 square feet. Full-motion racing simulators, globally inspired menu, high-energy bar. Read more here.

PopUp Bagels made its Atlanta debut on Auburn Avenue. First Georgia location with plans for more statewide. Read more here.

Global venture funding hit $189 billion in February, the largest month on record. 90% went to AI. OpenAI raised $110B, Anthropic raised $30B. Atlanta startups raised $756M in 2025, up 23% YoY. Read more here.

That’s it.

What’d you think? Reply and share some thoughts.

See you next Tuesday.

Andrew