It’s hard to believe it’s almost August. Fall will be upon us before you know it. It’s also hard to believe I’m over six months into the job as the Senior Editor and Dining Editor at Rough Draft Atlanta. 

Departing my position in January as Eater Atlanta’s editor after six years was difficult. I greatly admire and respect my colleagues at Eater and continue to be an avid reader of the national and city sites, including Eater Atlanta, now led by one of my former freelancers, Henna Bakshi. 

However, the pressure of click-driven storytelling and the constant need to produce content and dining maps – a publishing model dependent on eyeballs to boost site traffic – had become overwhelming. I wanted time and resources to dig deeper into local dining coverage that truly impacts my community. I also wanted to lend my editorial skills to a team of reporters covering stories outside of food and dining. 

Rough Draft offered me these opportunities. It was time to leave Eater. 

Since starting with Rough Draft, we’ve launched a series highlighting readers like you who became regulars at restaurants around Metro Atlanta. “The Regulars” has been a great success, and one of our most-read monthly stories, thanks to Atlanta food and lifestyle writer Laura Scholz. 

We continue dialing in our hyperlocal dining coverage in the city and communities of Buckhead, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Tucker, and beyond. That includes deep dives into the formation of entertainment districts and parking woes at restaurant-heavy shopping centers. You’ve read reports on Atlanta’s thriving vegan scene, the listening bar trend, and the cultural significance of restaurants such as Kamayan ATL.

We’ve beefed up original dining content in our Thursday newsletter, Side Dish, adding weekly series like “The Move”, where subscribers learn where and what I’ve been eating. 

The editorial calendar for the rest of 2024 features stories just like these and much more. Look for Rough Draft events, including the 30th anniversary of Atlanta Intown, where food and restaurants will play an integral role in the celebration. And you’ll likely hear me more on local radio stations 99X and WABE breaking down the latest Atlanta dining trends, restaurant news, and local food stories. 

I’m already planning end-of-year coverage and will soon begin fleshing out the dining editorial calendar for 2025. But with six months under my belt, and having assessed our current dining coverage, it’s time to hear from Rough Draft readers. 

What food coverage do you want to see more of over the coming months? What aren’t other local publications bringing to the table that you feel Rough Draft can add to our dining coverage lineup? Remember, we serve the communities we live within, and these stories matter just as much to us as they do to our readers. 

Feel free to reach out to me personally with your feedback and story ideas at beth@roughdraftatlanta.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for embracing me as part of the Rough Draft Atlanta team, a group of fantastic reporters and editors I’m grateful to work alongside every day. 

Cheers, y’all!

🍸 Beth McKibben, Senior Editor and Dining Editor at Rough Draft Atlanta