Welcome to The Regulars, where we explore what it means to be a frequent restaurant patron. In this series, we’ll introduce you to everyday Atlantans and local characters who have found a sense of belonging and community at restaurants and bars around town and what keeps these regulars coming back week after week.
When R. Thomas’ Deluxe Grill opened in 1985 on Peachtree Street, it was more than two decades ahead of the healthy, fast-casual dining trend now proliferating the restaurant landscape in Atlanta, and beyond.
At the time, the eclectic Buckhead restaurant and its extensive menu of organic, vegetarian- and vegan-friendly salads, bowls, and sandwiches stood out in Atlanta, which was full of meat-and-three mainstays and high-end steakhouses. So did its kitschy decor – inside and out – complete with a lush garden surrounding the property and resident tropical birds, Ruby the parrot and cockatoos Peaches and Cream, squawking away near the restaurant’s side entrance.
In a city where most coffee shops close by late afternoon and restaurant kitchens stop serving food by 10 p.m. (or earlier), R. Thomas’ has become a much-needed third space for late-night diners like Albert Loman. Loman counts himself among the restaurant’s many regulars.
The actor, now in his 30s, grew up in Marietta and began dining at R. Thomas’ when he was a teenager. He immediately fell in love with the restaurant’s chargrilled chicken wings—and its quirky, all-day (and night) vibe.
“Back in the day, if it was 5 or 6 in the morning and you needed to eat, you either had Waffle House or you had R. Thomas’,” he said. While he currently splits his time between Atlanta and Los Angeles, the restaurant is always one of the first stops when he’s back in town. On a recent Friday evening during a late-night date, Loman feasted on his favorite wings, served lemon pepper-style, and portobello mushroom linguine.
Related Link: The legacy of R. Thomas’ Deluxe Grill
However, according to R. Thomas’s longtime manager, Jason Feghan, late-night crowds have been hit or miss since the restaurant resumed the service in April. They ceased 24-hour dining at the start of the pandemic, forced to pivot to takeout like so many restaurants during the global health crisis.
When the restaurant reopened for dine-in service again, R. Thomas’ kept hours to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But now the Peachtree Street restaurant remains open until 5 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, attracting a crowd of hospital workers, high school and college students, and health-food loyalists.
“It’s really one of the only vegan- and vegetarian-focused late-night options in the city,” Feghan explained. Popular dishes like a customizable Thai express bowl and hearty plant-based burgers help make late-night dining at R. Thomas’ desirable, too.
One of the restaurant’s late-night regulars is Buckhead native Jack Adams, who works in the cannabis and entertainment industries and has been dining at R. Thomas’ since it opened nearly four decades ago. Like Loman, he started frequenting the restaurant as a teenager.
Related Link: More stories part of Rough Draft’s series “The Regulars”
“It’s a cool vibe, and there’s still nothing quite like it in Atlanta,” he said of the restaurant’s whimsical atmosphere. “I mean, where else can you see live birds at dinner?”
Adams usually orders the grilled vegetable and raw hummus plate. His dining companion, Newnan-based yoga instructor Shelby Ware, is a former vegan and another long-time regular.
“It’s one of the few places where I have so many options to choose from because I am dairy-free and gluten-free,” she said. Her go-to dish is the meatless “meatloaf,” which she calls “the ultimate comfort food for vegans.”
For Loman, R. Thomas’s affordable, approachable dishes are part of its enduring appeal.
Namesake owner, the incomparable Richard Thomas, passed away in 2016, but the family-owned restaurant still carries on his legacy through its unpretentious service, affordability, and continued care of his beloved birds.
“If you keep serving amazing food, and you keep your prices relatively the same, you’re going to keep your clientele, even as the neighborhood changes,” Loman said.
With late-night hours back at R. Thomas’, at least on the weekends, the hope is that new generations of city dwellers and visitors seeking food in the small hours of the morning will discover this curious little restaurant on Peachtree, become regulars, and help it live on in Atlanta.
1812 Peachtree Street, Buckhead. Open Sunday – Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Wednesday – Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 a.m.
