After nearly a decade of pop-ups, Atlanta restaurateurs Mike and Shyretha Sheats are taking their culinary vision from the pop-up circuit to a permanent home.
The husband-and-wife team opened Mule Train on Sept. 30 at 87 Broad St. in South Downtown Atlanta, marking their first brick-and-mortar restaurant. The 40-seat concept grows out of The Plate Sale, the pop-up they launched after building careers across Atlanta, Athens, and Charleston, South Carolina.
The Sheatses say the business was built on years of industry experience, community relationships, and a willingness to find alternative paths to capital.
“We were talking about pop-ups before we knew we were gonna do pop-ups,” Mike told Rough Draft Atlanta
. Their first Plate Sale event in 2017 drew roughly 200 people after the couple initially expected 40 to 60.The restaurant’s menu draws from Northeast Georgia foodways, seasonal ingredients, and the couple’s broader culinary influences. Mike, whose résumé includes McCrady’s Tavern, Muss & Turner’s, and Staplehouse, describes the cuisine as “Southern-leaning,” rather than strictly Southern.
“I’m obviously inspired by the South, but I’m not just inspired by the South,” Mike said.
That approach shows up in a menu designed to change with the seasons and the
ingredients available from local farm partners. The concept nods to the meat-and-three tradition while giving the format a modern spin. Lunch focuses on rotating offerings, while weekend dinner service takes a more full-service approach.Behind the scenes, Shyretha is also building a hospitality business with workplace culture in mind. After years in restaurants, she wants Mule Train to be a place where employees can develop careers instead of simply cycling through jobs.
“We’re creating a culture that debunks traditional restaurant culture,” Shyretha said.
The road to opening was not without obstacles. The couple told DiningOut that traditional lenders wanted consistent financial records from an established business, something their pop-up operation could not provide. They ultimately turned to private lenders to help finance the restaurant.
“The probability of a lender supporting a new neighborhood, a new startup, was a little more difficult than we anticipated,” Shyretha said. “But we found success in navigating that journey, and here we are.”
Mule Train’s name comes from a gathering place associated with Mike’s family in rural Northeast Georgia. That spirit of gathering also shapes the restaurant’s hospitality philosophy.
“You can always come in; they have something to offer,” Mike said. “We wanted a space where when you entered, it felt like walking into someone’s home.”
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