About

David has lived in Atlanta since he was 5 years old. After attending Arizona State University, he moved back to Atlanta in 1991.  Starting his restaurant career at the age of 16, he went on to work for Morrison’s Corporation in their casual dining division with L & N Seafood & Silver Spoon.  David was the General Manager of the Atlanta Fish Market during the Olympics.  David moved on to become the Director of Operations for Here To Serve Restaurants for 14 years, growing the company from 3 to 14 restaurants.

Despite his multifaceted job and busy schedule, he is a family man at heart.   In his free time, he helps his wife Julie with her edible cookie dough concept, called Batter Cookie Dough Counter. They have a daughter Amanda, who is an Occupational Therapist, and son Mitchell who is a recent graduate of University of Maryland, and on the sales team at Eagle Rock Distributing.  Mitchell's diagnosis of Type One Diabetes at the age of 2 has made David a passionate supporter of JDRF as well as The Atlanta Community Food Bank. Following Here To Serve, David became the Regional Director of Operations for LDV Hospitality, then COO for the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group overseeing 9 restaurants in Georgia and 4 in South Florida.  His lifetime of experience inspired him to start Dash Hospitality Group, now a leader in hospitality management and consulting.  The ability to revitalize distressed businesses led to his legacy project in Dunwoody. In 2020, David stood in the nearly empty corridor of Dunwoody Village and had a vision for a center of gravity for Dunwoody.  His plan to create a vibrant hub of restaurants centered around an open and inviting courtyard quickly sprang to life.  In November of 2021, Bar{n} booze {n} bites, a neighborhood whiskey & wine bar opened along with a stationary food truck, dubbed The Funwoody Food Truck.  Morty’s Meat & Supply, which opened in December of 2022 is already a neighborhood staple, and a seafood restaurant,  Message in a Bottle opened in November 2023. His next project for The Village is transforming the Food Truck to Yoffi featuring hummus, falafel & Middle Eastern Street Food.

As a hospitality professional with over 37 years of experience, there isn’t much Phil hasn’t done in restaurants. He started in hospitality working for a caterer at age 13 in Jacksonville, FL. His first job was at a Naval Air Station for a Change of Command.

Phil graduated from New England Culinary Institute. In addition to being a certified sommelier, Phil’s career has progressed in to becoming a beverage, bar, and operations expert throughout Greater Atlanta. Phil has successfully opened restaurants ranging from neighborhood taquerias and luxurious FrenchBrasseries to scratch cooking concession stands in major Athletic stadiums.

Phil maintains his passion for the industry by mentoring and coaching all levels of hospitality employee. His infectious love of food and beverage comes through as soon as he speaks to employee or guest alike.   For fun, Phil likes to host guerilla wine dinners, play poker, enjoy live music, garden and hike. Phil volunteers with TrulyLiving Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture.

Meredith grew up in St. Petersburg, FL, and has had a great love for all things food since before she could walk. Birthdays and other celebrations have always been centered around food for her, and even when there wasn’t a reason to celebrate, Meredith found an excuse to gather her family and friends together so she could cook for them. As a result, she created a small catering business and was a private chef during high school and college. 

After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in Retail Entrepreneurship, Meredith decided to make Atlanta her home and follow her dream, pursuing her life-long passion of working in the kitchen. She got her first job in the industry as a Prep Cook at Nick’s Westside in West Midtown, Atlanta, where she started working with Chef Nick Leahy. From there, she helped open Bar{n} Booze {n} Bites as the Kitchen Manager, then the Executive Chef.

Outside of the kitchen, Meredith loves to spend time hiking, volunteering at the local food bank, yoga, and wandering local farmers markets.

The Smokehouse Stage comes alive every Friday and Saturday with Morty's Dueling Pianos. Expect audience requests, sing-alongs, and a high-energy show that's different every time you visit. Reserve your table or stop by and join the fun.