CL
n NEWS & NOTEWORTHY n
The Green Room of
Mableton opens with
eclectic mix of food, drink
and entertainment
BY HUNTER RIGGALL
Visitors to The Green Room of Mableton,
a massive, 4,800-square foot space in a
nondescript strip mall, may wonder what
they’re walking into. It’s part-pizza joint,
part-concert venue, part-café, part-art gallery
and part-bar.
That all-in-one style is intentional. The
Green Room is technically classified as a
restaurant, and its owners plan to keep it that
way by making sure more than 50% of sales
are from food. But they also have ambitious
plans to offer a range of events, food and
drink to a diverse group of customers.
Linda Brackner co-owns the restaurant
with her husband, Ben. Ben has worked in
a number of pizza restaurants and took his
experience and love of cooking pizza to the
restaurant. His pride and joy is a 4,000-pound
Italian-made, wood-fired pizza oven, which
is visible from the dining areas, is the focal
point of the restaurant, the signature product.
For now, they have a bar offering craft
beer and wine, with plans to get a liquor
license in the future. There are also plans to
sell house-made ice cream and organic soda.
They may end up hosting a tea party or offer
performance art and other theatrical acts.
“It’s steps, you know,” Linda said. “You
want to grow into it, so that you’re not
overwhelming yourself. And it gives kind of a
freshness to what you’re doing.”
The name is a reference to the green
room, a term for a backstage area where
artists hang out before and after performing.
The Green Room’s green room is nicknamed
“The Grizz Room,” in honor of a nowdeceased
friend and musician whose
nickname was “Grizz.”
Going forward, the Brackners plan to have
free shows in the early evening for families,
followed by ticketed shows after 9 p.m.
Formerly occupied by a music store, the
space was empty for years. When they picked
Ben and Linda Brackner pose in their new
restaurant, The Green Room of Mableton.
The space will also offer alcohol, live music
and art. By Hunter Riggall
PHOTO BY THE GREEN ROOM
it out, the only other business in the strip mall
was a Dollar General.
“We picked the worst plaza in the area,
to make the biggest impact and the biggest
difference,” Linda said.
For now, The Green Room’s capacity is 169
people with socially distanced tables. They
hope to increase that when the pandemic
ends.
“We want to show people that you can
have fun, you can make changes in the world
and be a positive role, through food, through
music through community,” Linda said. “That’s
what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
Cobb resident and real-life
Rosie the Riveter honored
with Congressional Gold
Medal
BY HUNTER RIGGALL
A local trailblazer and real-life Rosie the
Riveter was honored at the Aviation History
and Technology Center in late March.
Cobb County resident Earline Gaither, 95,
Earline Gaither poses in front of a World War II-era Jeep at the Aviation History and
Technology Center in Marietta. PHOTO BY HUNTER RIGGALL
58 COBB LIFE | MAY 2021