Every new restaurant that has opened in Warner Robins since summer is on Russell Parkway. The next two big names are on Watson Boulevard, and they won't open until 2027. Everything comes down to how each spot is being built. On Russell Parkway, tenants are moving into storefronts that already exist. On Watson, the old buildings had to come down before any new construction could start.
That one difference sets the order. It tells you where to eat between now and the holidays, and why you'll keep passing an empty, fenced lot on Watson through the winter.
Shops at Aria Filled Up Faster Than Most New Plazas Do
The Shops at Aria sits at 3151 Russell Parkway, near the corner of Tharpe Road. In its October 9 report, the Houston Home Journal said every space in the plaza's first phase is now spoken for. The tenants opened one after another, each moving into a finished suite:
- Royal Nails and Spa opened first, in late June.
- The Brass Tap opened in Suite 600 on Labor Day, September 7.
- Pizza Inn had passed its required Georgia Department of Public Health inspection and was hiring as of October 9. It hadn't opened yet and was described as "expected to open soon."
- Bubbakoo's Burritos signed for Suite 400, between The Brass Tap and Royal Nails and Spa, and is aiming to open in the first quarter of 2027.
Bubbakoo's was the last first-phase tenant to sign, according to leasing agent Derek Foster of The Summit Group. Phase two is still being marketed, and no tenant has been named for it.
The franchisee's reason for picking this spot shows how the western end of Russell Parkway is changing. Rushabh Patel told the Houston Home Journal that he and his two partners were drawn by "the growth along the western section of Russell Parkway" and the lack of a quick-serve Mexican restaurant in that area. A brand new to Middle Georgia went looking for a gap, and it found one near Tharpe Road.
What The Brass Tap Actually Is
The Brass Tap is the busiest of the new arrivals, so it's worth knowing what's inside. The Houston Home Journal's September 10 rundown describes more than 60 rotating taps, wine, spirits and specialty cocktails, plus a full kitchen serving wings, burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. It seats about 120, has several large screens for sports, and has a covered patio the owner expects to enclose in the future. The same report lists happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. and a late-night happy hour from 9 p.m. to close.
Before the opening, the owner talked about trivia, live music, beer tastings, tap takeovers, watch parties and sip-and-paint nights, according to a March profile in the Houston Home Journal. The September rundown added karaoke and DJ nights to that list. These are planned formats, and no dated event calendar has been published.
The sources also disagree on hours. The Brass Tap's own Warner Robins page lists 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The September newspaper report gave closing times an hour later. If you're planning a late night, check the location page first, since that's what the restaurant itself posts.
The Other Russell Parkway Opening
Farther east, at 1208 Russell Parkway, Good 'n Plenty Steak House & International Buffet held its grand opening August 29. It serves a multi-cuisine buffet with a steak add-on. That makes two new buffets on the same road this fall, counting Pizza Inn's pizza buffet at Aria.
Watson Boulevard Had to Be Torn Down First
Smalls Sliders and Guthrie's show what a restaurant opening looks like when the land isn't ready. The two are going up side by side off Watson Boulevard, Smalls Sliders at 2691 and Guthrie's at 2689. Both brands are new to Middle Georgia. According to the Houston Home Journal, they were first expected to open in 2025.
The delay came down to the driveway. The project stalled over its main access point, said Rocky C. Moore, co-founder of Norcross-based PAR Concepts, the franchise company behind both restaurants. The fix was approval from the state Department of Transportation to share the main entrance with Bible Baptist Temple next door. This September, crews tore down a vacant retail store and the former Toler's Paint and Body Shop on the 6.1-acre site.
Moore was blunt in the same Houston Home Journal story:
"Fully permitted, and construction is underway."
Even with permits in hand, there's a lot to finish. Moore said the site needs "quite a bit of underground work," including a detention pond the two restaurants will share. Smalls Sliders builds its restaurants inside a modular shipping container it calls a "Can," painted the brand's "Smorange." Florida-based Valiant Modular needs 90 to 120 days to build one, and the company couldn't place its order until demolition began. A crane will then lower the finished unit onto the lot, which Moore expects to "draw a ton of attention on Watson Boulevard."
Guthrie's is a traditional build on a similar schedule. Site plans show a 2,092-square-foot restaurant with dine-in seating, a patio and a drive-thru. The Auburn, Alabama-based chain calls itself "America's original chicken finger restaurant." Its menu has centered on chicken fingers since 1978.
Compare the two timelines. The Brass Tap moved into a finished suite and opened within a season. On Watson, the order for the modular building couldn't go in until the old body shop was gone. That explains most of the gap between the two corridors.
The Calendar From Here to Spring
Put the openings in order and the next six months look like this:
- Now. Good 'n Plenty and The Brass Tap are open on Russell Parkway. Pizza Inn was close to opening as of October 9.
- Thursday, October 22. The City of Warner Robins' Trunk or Treat runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Perkins Park, near Mulberry Street and Young Avenue, with food trucks from 6 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5. The Christmas Parade starts at 10 a.m. on South Davis Drive near Warner Robins High School. This year's theme is "Dreaming of a Red, White, and Blue Christmas," and the weather backup is Saturday, December 12, at 10 a.m.
- First quarter of 2027. Bubbakoo's Burritos is set to open at Shops at Aria.
- Late February to early March 2027. Smalls Sliders is expected to open at 2691 Watson Blvd.
- Late March or early April 2027. Guthrie's is expected next door at 2689 Watson Blvd.
So the holiday season will run on the restaurants already open. Every name from Bubbakoo's down that list arrives after the new year. For a parade-morning lunch or a December night out with visiting family, the new choices this year are on Russell Parkway.
Bubbakoo's Is the One to Watch on the Menu
Bubbakoo's will bring the most unusual menu of the incoming group. The Houston Home Journal describes an assembly-line format for burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and taco salads. The signature items mix in global flavors. The papi hibachi burrito is filled with hibachi-style steak and shrimp. The General Tso's taco trio uses crispy General Tso's chicken. The chiwawa is a panko-crusted cheesy rice ball you can top with your choice of protein and sauce. The chain started in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, in 2008.
Its suite sits between a craft beer bar and a nail salon. Once it opens, the first phase of Shops at Aria will be complete, less than a year after its first tenant opened in late June.
What the Watson Lot Will Look Like This Winter
Through the end of 2026, expect more site work than buildings at 2689 and 2691 Watson Blvd. Moore said underground plumbing and electrical lines for the parking lot come first. The building to watch for is the Smalls Sliders Can. With a 90-to-120-day build that couldn't be ordered until September's demolition, it should arrive by crane sometime around the turn of the year, ahead of the late-February target. The Houston Home Journal's "before" photo, taken February 3, 2026, shows the body shop and retail store still standing. The "after" photo, from September 15, shows bare ground.
When Guthrie's opens, probably sometime in April, the second wave will be done.
Our team at AF Realty Group watches these openings because they change everyday errands and evenings on both sides of town. If you're weighing how Russell Parkway and Watson Boulevard fit into a move within Warner Robins, or a Robins AFB assignment, we're glad to talk through the corridor that fits your routine. Start Your Home Search with us, and we'll keep you posted as the Watson lot fills in.
