Written By: Adrienne Fry

After nearly four months of construction, Valdosta’s new Mellow Mushroom will be officially open for business on Monday, exciting members of the Valdosta community.

This Mellow Mushroom franchise has been planned for over a year, according to general manager Wes Kennedy, and the theme of this Mellow Mushroom? Comic Books.

“Most Mellow Mushrooms are unique. They all have a different flare,” Kennedy said. “Some have rock-and-roll, some are hippie…Ours is comic books.” The comic book theme explains the giant metal Hulk and Superman statues outside the building.

Kennedy mentioned that the owner of this new franchise also owns the GTC Valdosta Stadium 16 movie theater. In Pooler, Georgia, there is a “movie-themed” Mellow Mushroom decorated with movie posters from the 1950s to present-day.

In addition to pizza, the menu will feature hoagies, appetizers, wings and salads, as well as gluten-free crust, vegetarian and vegan options. They will also have over 40 different beers on tap.

According to Chandler Makuta, VSU senior and now server at Mellow Mushroom, the new restaurant currently employs anywhere from 125 to 150 people, which includes hosts/hostesses, servers, bartenders, cooks and dishwashers. Management received over 700 applications, and they are no longer hiring.

“A good majority of the employees are [VSU students] as far as servers go,” Makuta said. “There was an interview process going on in early to mid-August that they posted about on the Facebook page. You could just bring in an application and they interviewed you right then.”

With over 2,000 Facebook likes before the restaurant has even opened, it is clear that people in the Valdosta community are excited.
“There is a Mellow Mushroom back home in Augusta, so it’s really exciting that I’m getting a ‘slice’ of home here in Valdosta,” Jennifer Dandron, senior VSU mass media and political science major, said. “I can’t wait to see what the inside looks like.”

Located approximately 1.2 miles from campus, the new Mellow Mushroom sits on Baytree Road, between First State Bank and Office Max. It will open at 11 a.m. everyday; however, the daily closing time has not yet been finalized.

Kennedy is excited about showing the Valdosta community how unique this new restaurant will be.

“Everyday is a celebration,” Kennedy said. “It’s Mellow Mushroom.”