Maepole Is Coming to West Forsyth With a First-of-Its-Kind Drive-Thru
Maepole is opening its first drive-thru location at Southard Exchange in west Forsyth. The new Cumming restaurant offers build-your-own plates featuring Southern flavors and healthy ingredients.
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A Georgia restaurant built around vegetables, grains, Southern flavors and customizable meals is preparing to enter Forsyth County — and the Cumming location will introduce something the company has never tried before.
Maepole is under construction at Southard Exchange, the new commercial development at Bethelview and Castleberry roads in west Forsyth County. The restaurant is expected to open this fall and will be Maepole’s first standalone location with a drive-thru pickup lane. (Forsyth News)
The opening will give west Forsyth a relatively uncommon addition to its fast-growing collection of drive-thru restaurants: a concept centered largely on build-your-own plates rather than burgers, fried chicken or sandwiches.
Maepole describes its food as healthy Southern comfort food served quickly. Customers choose a base such as brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato or salad greens, then add vegetables, a protein and one of several sauces. Chicken, tofu and black-eyed-pea-and-mushroom fritters are among the protein choices.
The sides are where the restaurant’s Southern roots become more apparent. Current choices include mac and cheese, green beans and onions, black bean salad, roasted potatoes and red cabbage, while sauces range from Carolina Gold barbecue to sriracha-honey and turmeric-ginger vinaigrette. Vegan, gluten-free and keto-friendly combinations are also possible.
A smaller build-your-own meal with one base, one side, one protein and sauce currently starts at $9.99, while the larger customizable plate starts at $12.50.
The company began in Athens in 2018 and currently operates two Athens restaurants and one in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood. Additional expansion is planned for Cumming, Decatur, Lawrenceville and Gainesville.
The Forsyth restaurant represents a notable change in how Maepole operates. Its existing locations occupy conventional storefronts, while the Cumming restaurant is being designed as a freestanding building with drive-thru pickup.
Southard Exchange is a roughly 17-acre development at one of west Forsyth’s busiest neighborhood intersections. Eight outparcel buildings are planned across the site, with restaurants, banking and other commercial uses positioned between established Publix- and Kroger-anchored shopping centers.
Maepole will not be arriving alone. Southard Exchange is also bringing Forsyth County its first Shake Shack, along with Chick-fil-A, 7 Brew Coffee and Fifth Third Bank. The 7 Brew building is designed with dual drive-thru lanes, while the new Chick-fil-A has been projected for a September opening.
North Atlanta Star previously reported on the planned Shake Shack at Southard Exchange. The newer Maepole construction adds another piece to a development that is rapidly shifting from site plans and grading into an identifiable commercial center.
For residents west of Ga. 400, that change is particularly visible. Much of Forsyth County’s restaurant growth has historically clustered around Ga. 400, The Collection at Forsyth, Market Place Boulevard and newer developments farther south. The Bethelview-Castleberry corridor serves a large residential population farther west, where new subdivisions have expanded more quickly than major dining districts.
Southard Exchange is beginning to fill some of that gap. Maepole is a particularly interesting addition because it is not simply bringing an existing suburban format to another shopping center. The company appears to be using Cumming to test whether its build-your-own, vegetable-heavy menu can work in a drive-thru-oriented setting.
If it does, the Forsyth restaurant could become a model for future Maepole expansion beyond traditional storefronts.
The company’s roots are distinctly Georgian. Maepole was created after its founders saw room for a faster restaurant that could still serve food made from scratch, eventually shaping the menu around both familiar Southern ingredients and newer influences. Collard greens, chow chow and Hoppin’ John have appeared alongside quinoa, kimchi and globally influenced sauces.
That combination distinguishes the restaurant from many of the national chains opening around it.
An exact opening date for the Cumming Maepole has not yet been announced. Construction was visibly underway at Southard Exchange on Sept. 3, and the restaurant is expected to open later in 2026.
Southard Exchange is located at 5509 Bethelview Road, near the intersection with Castleberry Road in west Forsyth County.
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