Smalls Sliders opened its third Georgia restaurant this week, a shipping-container drive-thru at 3240 N. Cobb Parkway in Acworth that welcomed its first customers Wednesday morning. The new spot, known in company parlance as a Can, is owned and operated by Rocky Moore of PAR Concepts, the same operating group that already runs a Smalls Sliders in nearby Marietta.
A Third Can for Georgia, Built From a Shipping Container
The Acworth location officially opened at 10 a.m. local time on Nov. 11, according to franchise.org. Like other Smalls Sliders restaurants, the Acworth Can is built from repurposed shipping containers and offers ordering through either a walk-up window or a drive-thru, per the same report. Smalls Sliders is based in Atlanta, and this marks the brand's third restaurant in the state, as Fast Casual reports.
The grand opening came with the kind of neighborhood touches that have become something of a signature for the brand's rollouts. The first 100 guests who showed up received a free pair of Smalls Sliders slides, according to franchise.org, and the celebration was slated to continue at 5:30 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a check presentation to Cub Scouts with Scouting America: Pack 730 of Acworth.
PAR Concepts Expands Its Georgia Footprint
PAR Concepts, led by Rocky Moore, now owns and operates two Smalls Sliders locations in the Atlanta area: the new Acworth Can and its existing restaurant in Marietta. Moore said on LinkedIn that the Acworth opening represents the group's third Can overall, posting that “Our third Can has officially dropped in the Peach State.”
Per Fast Casual, PAR Concepts has said it plans to keep growing Smalls Sliders' presence across Georgia. That ambition tracks with a deal reported by franchising.com, in which PAR Concepts signed on to open three Smalls Sliders units in Georgia on top of a previous six-unit agreement, with plans at the time pointing toward restaurants in Northern Atlanta, Macon, and Warner Robins.
Middle Georgia and Northwest Atlanta Sites Still in the Works
Those Middle Georgia plans have taken more specific shape in earlier reporting. According to macon.com, a Smalls Sliders was planned for 2691 Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins, with a drive-thru, walk-up window and covered patio seating for roughly 12 to 15 people but no indoor dining. The same report quoted PAR Concepts saying, “It's more than likely going to be Macon for that second location, and then for the third, we certainly haven't ruled out Perry,” while also noting plans for six more Smalls Sliders restaurants in the Northwest Atlanta area. The evidence does not establish the current status of those Warner Robins, Macon, Perry, or Northwest Atlanta locations.
Smalls Sliders has also been expanding beyond Georgia. Fast Casual reports that the chain signed a three-unit expansion deal in Northwest Indiana, and separate reporting has pointed to additional growth avenues. A What Now Atlanta report put the number of Smalls Sliders locations in development at 200, while Moore's LinkedIn post separately described the chain as having “50+ Cans open and hundreds more in development.” A macon.com report, meanwhile, put the chain's location count at 19.
Moore's LinkedIn page has also pointed to experimentation on college campuses, including a test location at the University of Central Florida that includes a dining room, with a second campus location at the University of Mississippi expected to follow. Smalls Sliders' broader franchising story is also expected to be a topic at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, set for March 8-10 in New Orleans, according to Fast Casual.
