Smiley's Burger Club, the smashburger operation that started as a Decatur pop-up, is opening a second location on Georgia Avenue in Summerhill next week. The new spot fills the space vacated by How Crispy Express, and it comes with plans for family-friendly patio seating and, eventually, beer and wine.
Co-owner Ean Camperlengo confirmed the expansion, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reports the Summerhill restaurant will open at 717 Georgia Ave. on September 1. Permitting for the new location is already underway, and the ownership group plans to secure a liquor license early next year. Camperlengo told the paper the Summerhill spot is also designed to court the college crowd nearby.
Smiley's built its name on a 400-square-foot walk-up window in Decatur, and the AJC's report notes the ownership group behind the expansion includes Camperlengo alongside co-owner Tanner Crotty, Tanner's father Sean Crotty, a former owner of Decatur's Kelly's Market, and local investment partners Randolph Kallenberg and Ron Peterson. That Decatur storefront, at 310 E. Howard Ave., took over a compact space previously occupied by BBQ Cafe, according to Rough Draft Atlanta, and its tight walk-up footprint helped shape the model Smiley's is now bringing to Summerhill.
From Monthly Pop-Up to Second Storefront
The growth arc has been fast. Rough Draft Atlanta's coverage of Smiley's origins shows the concept debuted in March 2024 as a monthly pop-up hosted at Kelly's Market in Decatur, founded by Camperlengo after he ran a hot dog pop-up called GoDog. Camperlengo also co-founded Mothers Best Fried Chicken in Decatur, which opened in December 2024 in the former Calle Latina space near the Decatur MARTA station with partners Ross Winecoff, Armando Celentano, and Donald Durant, per the outlet's reporting.
The brand has also picked up visibility beyond its own storefronts. In June, Camperlengo served as the featured Giving Kitchen chef at Truist Park during an Atlanta Braves homestand, selling Smiley's smashburgers and its signature smiley-face tater tots inside the ballpark, according to MLB.com.
A Turbulent Stretch for Georgia Avenue
Smiley's is stepping into a commercial corridor that has seen real turnover. How Crispy Express, the fried chicken concept that previously occupied 717 Georgia Ave., closed in May after four years in business. The closure followed failed lease renewal negotiations with landlord Asana Partners, combined with rising ingredient costs, including a reported 240 percent surge in chicken costs since 2022, and new neighborhood paid parking, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. How Crispy Express began as a pandemic pop-up out of neighboring brewery Halfway Crooks Beer before opening its own brick-and-mortar window in January 2022 and later earning national attention on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
That closure was part of a broader wave of restaurant turnover on the strip. Georgia Avenue has also lost Hero Diner and Psito, along with Junior's Pizza, which shut down in December 2024 citing economic hardship, according to Tomorrow's News Today - Atlanta.
New Arrivals Amid the Churn
Even with the closures, Georgia Avenue is drawing new investment. The strip sits within an 80-acre mixed-use redevelopment in Summerhill led by real estate firm Carter in partnership with Georgia State University near Center Parc Stadium, according to SaportaReport. Smiley's Summerhill location will also open on the same block as chef Demetrius Brown's anticipated Heritage Supper Club, an Afro-Caribbean dining concept slated for the corridor, the AJC's report notes.
The pattern echoes what's happening elsewhere along Georgia Avenue, where Poach Social recently rebuilt its brunch business after a fire, and where Georgia State's five-year athletics plan continues to reshape the area around Center Parc Stadium. For now, Smiley's opening gives the corridor one more reason for foot traffic heading into the fall, even as the neighborhood works through a stretch of empty storefronts and new construction alike.
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