Coffee industry veteran Dale Donchey has always wanted to open a business in downtown Atlanta, ever since he opened Spiller Park Coffee at Ponce City Market back in 2015. The history behind the old Sears, Roebuck & Co. building on Ponce and the former ballpark that used to reside across the street both have deep ties to the city and to the name and branding for Donchey’s coffee shop. A self-proclaimed history buff and ardent baseball fan, Donchey named the coffee shop for Rell J. Spiller; the owner of defunct minor league baseball team the Atlanta Crackers.
History once again comes into play for Donchey and Spiller Park Coffee with the opening of the fourth location along Hotel Row in South Downtown on April 8. Spiller Park Coffee joins Tyde Tate Thai Kitchen, which opened last summer next door to Donchey’s shop.
Donchey will open Spiller Park in one of the city’s oldest buildings and on one of the oldest commercial strips left in Atlanta. The buildings along this stretch of Mitchell Street have remained relatively untouched for over a century. Much of the original interiors still grace the inside of the shotgun storefront at 233 Mitchell Street, including the geometric pattern of the penny tile floors, molded metal walls, and tin ceiling.
“I love history. I love old buildings,” said Donchey, a native of Richmond, Virginia. “I’m walking around in here looking at the walls, that tin ceiling. I didn’t build that. It all came with the place. There’s a beauty to working with things that are old, which isn’t always the way in Atlanta. We’ll carry on a legacy.”
In South Downtown, Spiller Park will serve a similar coffee and food menu to that of the Moores Mill location in northwest Atlanta. However, Donchey will experiment with different brewing methods in South Downtown, serving coffee not only by size but also by strength.
Look for grab-and-go sandwiches at the South Downtown location like the Grand Imperial salami sandwich. The sandwich is a hat tip to the iconic salami brand, one of Donchey’s favorite baseball quotes, and the inlaid tiles reading “Imperial Cafe” greeting customers as they enter from Mitchell Street.
“We’re going to lean into this location being a street near offices, the Capitol, and for walking. The food will be easy to carry with you as you walk to your office or a meeting,” Donchey said. “Right as you walk in, you see that sign on the floor for Imperial Cafe. My favorite grand slam baseball quote is ‘Somebody call grandma and get out the mustard and rye, because we’ve got a grand salami.’ It all sort of came together here.”
Like the other Spiller Park locations at Ponce City Market, Toco Hills, and Moores Mill, people can expect toasts and baked goods in South Downtown. For the first few weeks, this location will only operate Monday through Friday. Donchey will expand the shop’s hours to weekends if and when they see the demand.
Donchey has been with the Hotel Row redevelopment project since 2022, when he first announced the fourth location of Spiller Park Coffee. Late last year, news broke that the owners of Atlanta Tech Village (ATV) were taking over the project from Newport RE. The ownership change has been nothing but positive for Donchey. He understands the vision ATV founders David Cummings and Jon Birdsong have for Hotel Row and looks forward to when other neighboring businesses open there.
As for the rumor Donchey will open bagel shop Dear Friend, Bagels in Midtown, sorry, it’s not true. The Midtown location will be another Spiller Park Coffee, occupying a ground floor space at 999 Peachtree on the corner of Peachtree and Peachtree Place. Barring construction and permitting delays, it should open in early 2025.
Eventually, when Donchey has enough commercial kitchen space, he hopes to open his future bagel shop and Jewish deli. For now, he bakes bagels in small batches to sell out of the Moores Mill location of Spiller Park. The Midtown location could feature his bagels, too, but he’s still in the initial planning stages on the space. The kitchen will be as small, if not smaller, than the kitchen at Spiller Park on Moores Mill.
“I have a lot of personal history in that building, starting out with Hugh Acheson and Empire State South,” said Donchey. “And I’ve always wanted a Spiller Park sign on Peachtree. Now I’m getting one, and to me putting your mark on Peachtree Street like that is one of the most Atlanta things you can do.”