Making friends in the suburbs

Chef Todd Hogan has been cooking since he was 14 years old — a passion that has taken him all over the country, working in Summerville, S.C. (just outside Charleston), Dallas and Miami before returning back home to Atlanta to start his own restaurants.

In 1997, he opened his first restaurant — Wildberries, a Bistro — in Duluth, followed by sister restaurant Wildflours Bakery Café in Duluth, then Indigo Restaurant & Lounge in Roswell in 2008 (which burned down in 2011), and Branchwater in Cumming. Soon after, Hogan partnered with Ron Wallace and John Adams to open Branch & Barrel in Alpharetta’s Avalon and then a reimagined version of Indigo in the downtown Crabapple area of Milton just last year.

And his OTP restaurant empire doesn’t stop there. Hogan’s next restaurant will be located in Liberty Hall in downtown Alpharetta, offering two dining room components: a cellar with a full-service casual atmosphere raw bar and full bar, and a main restaurant — called the Republic — that will serve top-quality steaks and seafood with an upscale yet everyday vibe.

Hogan’s restaurants not only serve consistently delicious fare, but it’s his concepts like Branch & Barrel and Indigo that also boast an ITP vibe OTP, delivering a total atmosphere (think moody lighting, sexy decor and plush details) that keeps diners flocking to their tables.

His restaurant concepts all share similar keys to success, Hogan says, including highly visible locations, commitment to quality (for both food and hiring qualified people) and treating his team with the same respect he treats his guests (in fact, many members of Hogan’s staff have been with him for years, following him from restaurant to restaurant).

When it comes to guests, Hogan explains that a guest is only a guest the first time in — from then on, they are friends. He firmly believes in this approach, as his dear friend Larry Beasley once advised him that you build a business “one person at a time.” “A guest will come and go,” Hogan says. “A friend will come and stay and bring others.”

In the kitchen, Hogan keeps things simple, believing in the history of cooking and sticking to the rudiments of oldworld techniques. “If you can master this approach, then by all means use (a) new-age approach,” he adds, “but you have to know where you come from in order to set your sights on new beginnings.”

His biggest inspiration in the kitchen is his wife and children — they’re actually his toughest critics. “If I can create a dish that makes them smile, it surely will make our restaurant friends happy,” he says.

With numerous popular restaurant concepts spread across the burbs and a new one coming soon, Hogan is about to make a lot more new friends.

Branch & Barrel, 4100 Avalon Blvd., Alpharetta. 678-4365655, experienceavalon.com/ restaurants/branch-barrel.

Branchwater, 5820 S. Vickery St., Cumming. 470-2537910, Facebook: Branchwater.

Indigo, 12635 Crabapple Road, Milton. 770-674-7671, Facebook: Indigo Restaurant, Crabapple.

Todd Hogan