Smiley’s Burger Club, the smashburger operation that started as a Decatur pop-up, is opening a second location on Georgia Avenue in Summerhill next week. The new spot fills the space vacated by How Crispy Express, and it comes with plans for family-friendly patio seating and, eventually, beer and wine.
Co-owner Ean Camperlengo confirmed the expansion, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reports the Summerhill restaurant will open at 717 Georgia Ave. on September 1. Permitting for the new location is already underway, and the ownership group plans to secure a liquor license early next year. Camperlengo told the paper the Summerhill spot is also designed to court the college crowd nearby.
Smiley’s built its name on a 400-square-foot walk-up window in Decatur, and the AJC’s report notes the ownership group behind the expansion includes Camperlengo alongside co-owner Tanner Crotty, Tanner’s father Sean Crotty, a former owner of Decatur’s Kelly’s Market, and local investment partners Randolph Kallenberg and Ron Peterson. That Decatur storefront, at 310 E. Howard Ave., took over a compact space previously occupied by BBQ Cafe, according to Rough Draft Atlanta, and its tight walk-up footprint helped shape the model Smiley’s is now bringing to Summerhill.
From Monthly Pop-Up to Second Storefront
The growth arc has been fast. Rough Draft Atlanta’s coverage of Smiley’s origins shows the concept debuted in March 2024 as a monthly pop-up hosted at Kelly’s Market in Decatur, founded by Camperlengo after he ran a hot dog pop-up called GoDog. Camperlengo also co-founded Mothers Best Fried Chicken in Decatur, which opened in December 2024 in the former Calle Latina space near the Decatur MARTA station with partners Ross Winecoff, Armando Celentano, and Donald Durant, per the outlet’s reporting…