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Nygren grew the chain to 34 restaurants across eight states before selling them in 1994 and founding the new urban utopia Serenbe.
In 1973 Steve Nygren and Dick Dailey opened the Pleasant Peasant on a seedy stretch of Peachtree Street just north of downtown. The country French bistro launched then-innovative concepts like chalkboard menus, oversized portions, and—gasp—a no-jacket-required dress code. Within months, lines stretched out the door.