CIM Group Signs Lease with Atlanta Soul Food Icon The Busy Bee for New Location at Centennial Yards

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 1, 2026--

CIM Group announced today that The Busy Bee, one of Atlanta’s most storied restaurants, has signed a lease for a new 2,985-square-foot location at The Mitchell residential tower in Centennial Yards, the $5 billion, 50-acre mixed-use redevelopment transforming Downtown Atlanta.

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Founded in 1947, The Busy Bee is a historic icon that has been a cornerstone of Atlanta’s culinary and cultural heritage for nearly eight decades. Renowned for its from-scratch Southern cooking – particularly its award-winning fried chicken – The Busy Bee has earned national recognition including the James Beard Foundation’s America’s Classics Award (2022) and MICHELIN Bib Gourmand honors (2023, 2024, 2025). Rooted in the city’s Westside and Vine City communities along the Martin Luther King Jr. corridor, Busy Bee’s legacy continues to reflect the authentic flavors, consistency, and hospitality that define Atlanta.

“As we continue to build Centennial Yards into Atlanta’s next great neighborhood, we’re extremely proud to welcome The Busy Bee, a legacy restaurant that represents the very best of Atlanta’s history, and hospitality,” said Brian McGowan, President of Centennial Yards Company. “This lease underscores our vision to create a district that is authentic to Atlanta, where global entertainment meets local culture.”

The Mitchell, Centennial Yards’ first ground-up residential building with 304 homes and 16,000 square feet of retail, is part of the development’s residential offerings alongside The Lofts at Centennial Yards South. At The Mitchell, The Busy Bee will introduce a quick-service format centered on the slow-cooked flavors and soul the restaurant is known for. The menu will be tailored for high-traffic event days, destination dining, and casual meetups, featuring its signature chicken, classic Southern sides, and desserts, with both indoor and outdoor seating across the street from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For the first time in its nearly 80-year history, The Busy Bee will also introduce a bar program, marking the restaurant’s debut offering of beer, wine, and cocktails.

“The Busy Bee has always been about love, tradition, and doing things the right way – slow, from scratch, and with care,” said Tracy Gates, Owner of The Busy Bee, who has carried forward her family’s legacy since joining her father at the restaurant in 1987. “Centennial Yards lets us honor our Downtown Atlanta roots while welcoming new guests to the neighborhood. We’re bringing the same intentional flavors people grew up with, preparing true Southern dishes with seasonal ingredients and trusted farmer relationships that keep our cooking consistent year after year. We’re even introducing a bar program for the first time in our history to give guests a full experience while keeping our traditions intact. We’re proud to continue that tradition in this next chapter.”

The Busy Bee’s new location at The Mitchell in Centennial Yards marks a major milestone in one of the largest and most ambitious city center redevelopments in the country. The 50-acre site, located where Atlanta was founded, is being transformed into a dynamic mixed-use destination encompassing several new city blocks with 8 million square feet of new development. Plans include 1,800 hotel guest rooms, 2,000 residential units, and more than 2 million square feet of world class office and retail space. The district is anchored by premier entertainment partners and features a dynamic public realm with open-air plazas, walkable streets, and gathering spaces designed to welcome Atlantans and visitors alike. Centennial Yards Company was created by CIM Group to act as the owner and master developer of Centennial Yards.

In addition to The Busy Bee and The Mitchell, existing developments at Centennial Yards include the 162-unit The Lofts at Centennial Yards South. The 292-key Hotel Phoenix opened on December 1. Khao Thai Isan, a Thai Tapas concept from Atlanta-based 26 Thai, is expected to open at The Mitchell in spring 2026. Cosm’s immersive sporting experience and Shake Shack’s first downtown location plan to open in 2026 and a 5,300-seat Live Nation venue, announced earlier this year, is expected to open in 2027.

“The Busy Bee represents the type of authentic cultural pillar that ensures Centennial Yards reflects the soul of Atlanta while creating a destination with global appeal,” said Shaul Kuba, Co-Founder and Principal, CIM Group.

Across the street from The Mitchell, the Entertainment District at Centennial Yards is revitalizing underutilized land in the heart of Downtown Atlanta into a hub with immersive venues, restaurants, retail, and hospitality offerings adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena. With major tenants like Live Nation and Cosm already announced, the district is set to become one of the Southeast’s premier destinations for live entertainment and culinary experiences.

ABOUT THE BUSY BEE

Established in 1947 by self-taught cook Lucy Jackson, The Busy Bee has become an iconic soul food destination rooted in tradition, consistency, and community. Known for its welcoming hospitality and unforgettable flavors, the Vine City restaurant has served generations of Atlantans and earned national acclaim, including the 2022 James Beard America’s Classics Award and multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand honors. In 1983, the restaurant was purchased by Milton Gates, and since 1987, his daughter Tracy Gates has led The Busy Bee with passion and purpose — preserving family recipes, investing in her team, and keeping Lucy’s legacy alive. From local legends to global visitors, The Busy Bee remains a treasured part of Atlanta’s culinary and cultural landscape. For more information, visit thebusybee.com.

ABOUT CENTENNIAL YARDS

Centennial Yards is a $5 billion transformational mixed-use development in Atlanta, the Southeast’s biggest and most influential market. As one of the largest and most ambitious city-center developments in the country, Centennial Yards is expected to revitalize 50 acres of underutilized land in the heart of Downtown Atlanta to connect surrounding communities and create several new city blocks at the junction of the rail lines where the city was founded. Once complete, Centennial Yards is expected to offer 8 million square feet of world-class new commercial and residential space comprised of 4 million square feet of dynamic retail, entertainment, modern office, and hotel, and 4 million square feet of new residential, as well as a vibrant public realm that will provide outdoor gathering spaces to all Atlantans and visitors of Centennial Yards. Centennial Yards recently announced the additions of a Live Nation music venue and Cosm to the entertainment district.

For more information, visit www.centennialyards.com.

ABOUT CIM GROUP

CIM is a community-focused real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender and developer. Since 1994, CIM has sought to create value in projects and positively impact the lives of people in communities across the Americas by delivering more than $60 billion of essential real estate and infrastructure projects. CIM’s diverse team of experts applies its broad knowledge and disciplined approach through hands-on management of real assets from due diligence to operations through disposition. CIM strives to make a meaningful difference in the world by executing key environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and enhancing each community in which it invests. For more information, visit www.cimgroup.com.

The Busy Bee, one of Atlanta’s most storied restaurants, has signed a lease for a new 2,985-square-foot location at The Mitchell residential tower in Centennial Yards.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used his first major address since launching his war in Iran to assure Americans that all of his military objectives will be completed "shortly” and urge an increasingly skeptical electorate to give him a little bit more time.

Trump in his Wednesday evening speech dialed back the bluster that's dominated his rhetoric in recent days as world markets convulse and a badly battered Iran is still landing some effective blows on Gulf neighbors' infrastructure and U.S. bases.

But the Republican president's promise to “finish the job” hardly built confidence with a jittery market as oil prices surged and Asian stocks fell as he vowed that the U.S. will continue to hit Iran very hard.

He offered no detail about the state of negotiations with Iran that could bring about a promised endgame that he insists could come in a matter of weeks. There was also no overt lashing out at NATO allies for failing to fall in line and help him reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway — something White House officials had said would be a prominent part of his roughly 20-minute address.

The U.S. will continue to hit Iran hard for the next two or three weeks, he said, without saying how much longer the war would last. But he offered a plea to Americans to show a little patience.

“We are in this military operation, so powerful, so brilliant, against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days, and the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat,” Trump said. “This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future. The whole world is watching, and they can’t believe the power, strength and brilliance.”

Trump finds himself not only negotiating with an enemy that refuses to throw in the towel but also dealing with an American tolerance for a conflict that's being stretched.

Most Americans believe recent U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, and many are worried about affording gasoline, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in mid-March, a couple of weeks after the war started. While Trump is deploying more warships and troops to the Middle East, about 59% of Americans say U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive.

Meanwhile, 45% are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won reelection with promises that he would improve the economy and lower the cost of living.

Americans, Trump noted, have certainly shown patience during times of war.

“American involvement in World War I,” he said, “lasted one year, seven months and five days. World War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days. The Korean War lasted for three years, one month and two days. The Vietnam War lasted for 19 years, five months and 29 days. Iraq went on for eight years, eight months and 28 days.”

Hours before his address, Trump seemed to reflect on the domestic pressure he’s feeling to wrap up the war.

Speaking at a private lunch at the White House to mark Easter, Trump argued that the U.S. could “very easily” use this moment to take Iran’s oil. It is "unfortunate," he lamented, that there did not seem to be patience among the American people for such an effort.

“They want to see it end,” he said. He added, “People in the country sort of say, ‘Just win. You’re winning so big. Just win. Come home.’ And I’m OK with that, too.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Trump's speech was “grounded in a reality that only exists in Donald Trump’s mind.”

The president, Democrats fumed, offered no plan for how he would go about reopening Hormuz, the critical waterway for oil tankers that a battered Iran has effectively choked off even though Trump claims it's been defeated.

For allies worried about a global economy that's been rattled by rising oil prices, Trump suggested they “buy oil from the United States of America” and “build up some delayed courage” and help the U.S. secure the strait. Trump made no attempt to answer his European critics who say he entered his war of choice against Iran without consulting global allies but is now expecting the world to help him fix the unintended damage that it has caused.

“We are losing this war," Murphy added. "We cannot destroy all their missiles or drones, nor their nuclear program. Iran projects more power in the region than they did before the war, especially if they now permanently control the Strait of Hormuz. We are spending billions we don’t have and losing American lives in a war that is destabilizing the world and making us look feckless.”

Trump offered cautious optimism that those now in power in Iran after more than a month of U.S. and Israeli strikes are “less radical and much more reasonable" with much of the pre-war Islamic Republic’s hierarchy taken out. He didn’t explicitly mention a Monday deadline he has set for Iran to open the strait or face attacks from U.S. forces on its energy infrastructure, though he made clear that he remains open to targeting the heartbeat of Tehran’s economy.

“If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously,” Trump said. “We have not hit their oil, even though that’s the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. But we could hit it, and it would be gone.”

Trump also notably did not signal that he's making any preparation for a ground invasion by American troops.

He seemed to steer away from the possibility of sending ground troops to secure Iran’s nearly 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium, saying it “would take months” for Iran to get to it as it’s buried under the rubble created by last year’s American bombing campaign of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Trump has offered shifting reasons for launching the war, but he has been consistent in articulating that a primary objective in joining Israel in the military action is ensuring that Iran will “never have a nuclear weapon.”

But over the course of the conflict, he has been more circumspect about how far he’s willing to go to follow through on his pledge to destroy Iran’s weapons program once and for all, including seizing or destroying the near-bomb-grade nuclear material that Iran possesses.

“We have it under intense satellite surveillance and control,” Trump said in his prime-time speech. “If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we’ll hit them with missiles very hard again. We have all the cards. They have none.”

Associated Press writers Collin Binkley, Michelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is seen speaking about the Iran war on a television screen in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)