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.
Throughout the week, Atlanta’s restaurant and bar workers spend their time catering to other people’s needs—cooking and plating food, mixing drinks, and waiting tables. After long shifts, especially during peak weekend times, they’re often looking for a place to unwind.
Enter Sunday “industry night” at Thinking Man Tavern, the brainchild of longtime Atlanta hospitality veterans Davy Wilson and Alan Connor, who took over ownership of the low-key Decatur bar in 2022. Wilson and Connor also own Dakota Blue in Grant Park.
“A lot of industry people work on Sunday nights and have off on Mondays, so that’s a night they can go out without worrying about doing anything the next day,” Wilson said of the idea to launch a dedicated service night complete with drink specials, DJs, and later hours for folks kicking off their weekends.
When they purchased Thinking Man Tavern, the industry was still recovering from the pandemic. Wilson said there wasn’t a place for restaurant industry workers to gather after a Sunday evening shift. Many of Atlanta’s previous restaurant-centric party spots like Noni’s and Southern Comfort had shuttered or changed ownership—much like Thinking Man Tavern itself.
“We used to have all of these 24-hour clubs in Atlanta when 4 a.m. was last call, then everyone in Buckhead got mad and forced the whole city to shut down earlier,” he said of Atlanta’s general lack of late-night bar and dining options.
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When they bought Thinking Man Tavern in 2022, Wilson and Connor decided to take advantage of the Decatur location and launched a late-night industry night. Bars are legally allowed to stay open until 3 a.m. on Sundays in Decatur. The kitchen at Thinking Man Tavern remains open through 1 a.m., with drinks served from the bar until 3 a.m.
The partners overhauled the bar program, introducing a cocktail list, along with a deep selection of amari, craft beer, and small-batch tequilas. Next, they added DJs to the industry night lineup. The crowds soon followed. It’s not unusual for 200 people to gather at Thinking Man Tavern on Sunday evenings.
The bar’s industry night has grown organically via word of mouth, which is how regulars Jameson D. and Daniel D. first heard about it and began making Thinking Man Tavern a post-shift Sunday night stop.
“There’s really not anything to do late night over here,” said Jameson, who works with Daniel at nearby Bench Warmers Sports Bar in Decatur.
“It’s really fun, especially if you’re just getting off a long day of work and dealing with customers, to have the opportunity to chill out and kick back and have a good time with like-minded individuals,” he added.
Jameson appreciates the price point—$9 to $10 for easily shared appetizers like Bavarian-style pretzels, $12 to $15 for a burger or sandwich, and cocktails priced between $11 and $12.
“It helps that the drinks are always good and super cheap because you don’t want to spend all of the money you just made in one night out,” Jameson quipped.
That’s exactly how Wilson designed the bar program, which features industry night specials like $2.50 PBR pints, $4 well drinks, and $5 specialty shots of Fernet Branca.
It’s a model that’s attracted regulars from outside the service industry, too, including tech professional Rahul Chadha, a Queens, New York, native who moved to Atlanta eight years ago and discovered Thinking Man Tavern while searching for late-night bars that reminded him of home.
“This is one of the best places to be in Atlanta on Sunday nights because it’s one of the few places with a nice, late-night atmosphere,” Chadha said.
The Avondale Estates resident usually orders cauliflower wings or sliders, plus a couple of cocktails to sip while listening to live music and chatting with bartenders.
Chadha enjoys the variety of music played by the DJs on Sunday nights, ranging from hip-hop to post-punk darkwave, something Minor takes very seriously at Thinking Man Tavern.
In addition to working in restaurants over the last two decades, Minor has worked in music for the past 20 years. He founded music publication “Ohmpark” and local record label Deer Bear Wolf. A decade ago, Minor became the music director of street festival East Atlanta Strut.
One of Thinking Man Tavern’s regular DJs is Jordan Reynolds, who’s been spinning tunes at Thinking Man’s industry night since its inception nearly three years ago.
“Davy’s a great person to work with, and it’s fun because he lets all the DJs do their own thing, so every night when you come to industry night, it’s a different vibe,” said Reynolds, an Atlanta-based indie folk singer-songwriter who performs under the moniker “Rose Hotel.”
Reynolds, who also works in the restaurant industry to make ends meet, likes that she sees past and present co-workers stopping by Thinking Man Tavern after their shifts on Sunday night. It’s become a gathering place for many service industry workers at the end of the week.
For Minor and Conner, that was the motivation behind industry night at Thinking Man Tavern from the very beginning.
Thinking Man Tavern, 537 W. Howard Ave., Decatur.
The post Sunday Night is industry night at Thinking Man Tavern in Decatur appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
