Pros and Cons: Atlanta restaurants pulling out all the stops for Dragon Con's 60,000 attendees

Sci-fi enthusiasts dressed as Star Wars characters march past onlookers during the Dragon-Con Parade through downtown Atlanta, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006.

JOHN AMIS / Associated Press

While the hallways of Peachtree Center Mall are quiet on an early Friday morning, the kitchen of one of the center’s vendors — Firehouse Subs — is bursting with high energy, occasional banter and the completion of various food preparations.

Within minutes, large quantities of meat are sliced and stored, trays of chocolate chip cookies are baked and wrapped, and the inventory for the latest food supply shipments are signed off and sealed.

The high volume of items and fast-paced movement of team members signals the near beginning of a high-profile event that many Atlanta-based entrepreneurs, employees and vendors have been preparing for months to conquer — Dragon Con 2022.