On Thursday, February 27, stood as proof the Michael “Killer Mike” Render and Clifford “T.I.” Harris-backed return of Bankhead Seafood is becoming reality. Render, a Douglass alum, along with former Bankhead Seafood owner Helen Harden and other city officials, were on hand for a kick-off event at the Southwest Atlanta high school to announce plans for the restaurant.
Fans of the Atlanta rap group Goodie Mob are likely familiar with the legendary Bankhead Seafood. The modest fried fish restaurant on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway (formerly Bankhead Highway) is given a shoutout in the quartet’s classic song “Soul Food”.
Bankhead Seafood’s new logo, painted on the side of the truck, includes yellow letters encircling a red fish, and is accompanied by phrases like “Homemade With Soul,” “Westside,” and “Home of the $8 Special.”
The food truck goes through an inspection process in the next few days and should begin rolling in April, with the 130-seat, two-story restaurant (re)opening next spring.
Harden closed her beloved restaurant in the neighborhood of Grove Park in January 2018 after 50 years. It simply became too much for Harden to handle on her own. Render and Harris, who also attended Douglass, along with developer Noel Khalil, purchased the restaurant property and the name from Harden in 2018, vowing to turn Bankhead Seafood into something bigger than the original brick and mortar building.