After two weeks of confusion, very public social media call-outs, and a visit from DeKalb Public Health, Qommunity EAV — the miniature food hall in East Atlanta Village that’s home to Las Tres Salsas, Lifting Noodles Ramen, and Poke Burri — plans to rebrand as Buford Hwy EAV, but uncertainty remains as to exactly how the business will proceed. Former owner Quynh Trinh told Eater Atlanta on March 6 that Las Tres Salsas has purchased the business and is subleasing the space, and is acquiring We Suki Suki, Trinh’s banh mi and pho shop, which has been rebranded to Banh Mi 101.
The owners of Las Tres Salsas have not responded to a request for comment, while a representative from DeKalb Public Health (DKPH) says the Environmental Health division has requested a meeting with Trinh to discuss Buford Hwy EAV.
The events of the past two weeks, which included Qommunity EAV temporarily closing on February 28 after a DKPH visit, left tenants frustrated and confused. Two tenants — Ruki’s Kitchen and Tony’s Chicago Beef — say Trinh effectively shut down their operations; they’ve moved out entirely as a result and say they’re blindsided by the events. (Eater has reviewed communication from all parties involved. Due to the highly personal subject matter in these conversations, we’ve chosen not to publish them.) And as the food-focused community art space tries to move on, tenants and local officials are scrambling to determine what’s next.
Tony Kerr, founder of Tony’s Chicago Beef and a Qommunity tenant since late 2023, says that a representative from DeKalb Public Health visited Qommunity on Wednesday, February 28. “They just came in to ask [Trinh] questions,” Kerr said.
Ali Lemma, founder of Ruki’s Kitchen, which has been a Qommunity tenant since May 2022, says he received a text from Trinh that afternoon, saying that the health department came by and the business was shutting down immediately.
“I proceed to ask her, ‘What’s going…
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