By Taylor Allen

The scent of freshly sliced meat lingers as customers walk under the black-and-white checkered awning into the store. To the left is a wall of wines and a refrigerator filled with prepared meals, cake, ice cream and cheese. To the right, a variety of meat is visible through a glass display, accompanied by the smiling faces of employees.

About a year ago, Greg Wheat and his wife visited a franchise of the New York Butcher Shoppe in Sandy Springs. Today, they own their own New York Butcher Shoppe in Midtown with Wheat’s brother-in-law Rick Wolfe.

“My wife and I were looking to start a business in the neighborhood,” Wheat said. “We thought [the New York Butcher Shoppe] was a cute shop and exactly what the neighborhood needed.”

There are 11 locations of the meat shop throughout Georgia and South Carolina, making the Shoppe across from Grady the 12th in the Southeast.

“The store reminds me of an authentic deli that makes sandwiches and has good meats,” said first-time customer Brad Coolidge.

Wheat has found business to be successful so far and  said he knows his customers “won’t be disappointed.”

“It’s fabulous,” Wheat said. “The holidays have been really good to us.”

The New York Butcher Shoppe offers an array of products that are all prepared in-house.

“I enjoy making the Italian sausage, Wisconsin Bratwurst and Kabasa. I also freshly grind the hamburger meat daily,” said employee Rob Wheat, who moved from Tampa to help his brother Greg.

Greg Wheat said their most popular item is their steaks, which are a higher quality meat than grocery stores carry.

The New York Butcher Shoppe’s second most popular items are the prepared meals. Rob Wheat has had lots of students come in after school to grab a prepared meal for  someone else, he said.

“I would definitely go here on my way home to pick up a meal for dinner,” said junior Nia Tippet, as she studied the variety of meals in the refrigerator. “Everything here looks so fresh. If only I were going straight home today.”

The Wheat brothers are looking forward to getting involved with the community. Currently, no promotional discounts for Grady students are being offered, but Greg Wheat said he is interested in providing discounts.

“We also want to have a hamburger and hotdog cart at Grady football games,” Wheat said. “Some of the sales could be given back to the Grady Athletic Booster Club.”

Midtown’s New York Butcher Shoppe has future goals that involve putting a hotdog and hamburger cart on the BeltLine.

Greg Wheat admits the hardest thing about opening the shop was feeling out the neighborhood—getting an idea of what the customers wanted from his business.

“We can’t carry everything,” Wheat said. “We’ve had to figure out what the demand is and what the community is looking for.”

The Wheat brothers said they are confident their success will continue.

“The feedback has been unbelievable,” Greg Wheat said. “People are excited we’re here, and we’re excited to be here.”