Columbus restaurant at crossroads. Seeks new owner while opening second location
A Columbus restaurant is looking for a new owner while beginning its expansion.
Mak Son, owner of Spudzilla, 6600 Whittlesey Blvd., Suite 101, is at a career crossroads. He announced in a Facebook post this month that he is looking to sell his business.
“I want to start with clarifying that Spudzilla will continue to wreak havoc on your appetite here in Columbus, GA, for as long as you all want to keep it around,” Son wrote in the Oct. 4 post. “However, I would like to go back to focusing solely on all my furbabies and living out this dream of mine that I’ve been chasing for all my life. With a heavy heart, I am offering Spudzilla Monster Loaded Potatoes & More for sale!”
Son told the Ledger-Enquirer selling Spudzilla always was part of his plan. He also owns Fur-Baby Pet Services, 4257 Milgen Road, and his passion always has been to take care of dogs.
He has been dreaming of opening and operating a dog ranch since he was young. Opening Spudzilla was a way for him to raise money to buy land for his rescue project.
“Everything I do is for them,” Son said. “I want to be able to pass the blessing forward, back to this creature.”
Son also plans to expand on other projects like Paws for Patriots, using animal-assisted therapy to help veterans, and building out a nonprofit called the Furever Love Foundation, a dog rescue organization.
But shortly after he posted his buyer callout, a developer called.
“They reached out to me and told me not to sell it,” Son said. “They loved the concept, and they believed it could be something one day.”
So he is opening the second location of Spudzilla in Opelika. The new restaurant will be at 2810 Pepperell Parkway, between Walmart and Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the former Brick and Spoon building. A grand opening date has not been announced.
Son is postponing his plans for the dog ranch while he develops the second location of Spudzilla.
“As an entrepreneur,” he said, “I can’t pass this type of opportunity up.”
While Son looks for a buyer, Spudzilla remains open, and hiring for the second location is ongoing. Son said he is patiently waiting for the right owner, someone who wants to continue growing Spudzilla to develop more locations.
“They have to have the hunger for success,” Son said. “They’ve got to have the drive to operate a business to make it successful, because it’s a lot of work. … This is something that they have to dedicate their life to.”
Interested buyers can contact Son at spudzilla706@gmail.com.