New Athens Cafe and Cocktail Bar to Open in December

Owners of Puma Yu's are expanding their operations with a new cafe and cocktail bar concept in the Five Points neighborhood.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Openings & Closings

New Athens Cafe and Cocktail Bar to Open in December

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Restaurateurs Pete Amadhanirundr and Ally Smith, who operate Puma Yu's, will open a new cafe and cocktail bar named Hin in Athens in December 2026. The new venture is situated in the Five Points neighborhood.

Why it matters

Expanding into a second location at a new neighborhood site allows operators to leverage an established local brand identity while diversifying service offerings. The move comes as the team grows their portfolio beyond the Southern Mill complex.

The operators are moving from their single restaurant location opened in 2022 to a two-site footprint in Athens. The new Five Points space is their third documented project following the 2016-2020 run of the Side Hustle pop-up.

The players

Pete Amadhanirundr

A restaurant operator in Athens who co-founded Puma Yu's in 2022.

Ally Smith

A restaurant operator in Athens who manages business growth alongside her partner.

Molly McClintock

A partner joining the team for the development and operation of the Hin cafe and cocktail bar.

The details

Amadhanirundr and Smith are partnering with Molly McClintock to launch Hin, a concept that combines cafe and cocktail bar services. The operators secured the Five Points lease prior to the summer of 2026, marking a transition from their previous model of securing growth capital through crowdsourced fundraisers like the one used for Puma Yu's.

Timeline

  1. 2016: The Side Hustle pop-up began operations in Athens.

  2. 2020: The Side Hustle ceased operations.

  3. Summer 2022: Puma Yu's opened at the Southern Mill complex.

  4. December 2026: Hin cafe and cocktail bar is scheduled to open.

Market Landscape

This expansion follows the successful 2022 opening of Puma Yu's at the Southern Mill complex. The team is now scaling their operations by adding a second, distinct venue in a different neighborhood.

Operators scaling to new neighborhoods should evaluate how their existing supply chain and staff management can support multiple venues. The shift to a second site requires balancing resources between the established location and the new December launch.

The takeaway

Multi-site expansion requires coordinating capital and management across distinct geographic footprints. Owners should monitor the upcoming December debut to assess how the team integrates the new concept into their existing operational workflow.

Further reading

For more on new local ventures, visit the Openings & Closings section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Rough Draft Atlanta.

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Do you believe new local restaurant openings are a positive sign for your community's growth?