Would this be a good location for a restaurant?

No. It’s in a scary place that will get very little traffic. The building having an uninviting exterior will further jeopardize its chances. It would take an incredible PR investment for this to be viable and even then it would have to be really good food.

The restaurants on the Hill that have done well get a fair share of their business from folks outside the neighborhood. Most of them would be scared off by how close this is to Mosby.

I think it would be wonderful if this property was developed but I think there are a number of important things to consider.

First, parking around this area is always tricky. I used to live right down the street and often had to circle the block or park a few streets over due to events or services at the church. It’s not just on Sundays (also a peak brunch time!) but many weekday evenings as well (peak dinner time) that the church has events that generate a lot of street parking.

Second, as Alex stated, this location is definitely on the edges of what has been developed and is considered “safe” versus what many people consider to be an area that they don’t feel comfortable venturing into. I think many Church Hill/Union Hill residents would be comfortable traveling over to patronize the restaurant, but non-locals might not.

If you consider that a restaurant needs customers from outside the area to sustain it, then the parking and perceived safety issues might be substantial barrier to a successful business.

I’m all about seeing that corner developed, but PLEASE do it thoughtfully. We don’t need another Que Pasa or Buff’s Corner up here!

Richmond’s acclaimed Roosevelt is two blocks away. This corner is ready for Prime Time. All the church parking stands empty for most of the week. They only pack it in for funerals and sunday morning. There are never weddings at that church.

Je, we need you, come back!!!

As much as I’d like to say “Yes”…unfortunately, I have to agree with Alex. The neighborhood has got some work to do to get cleaned up before others will venture in. ewc- your perception of the neighborhood’s safety does not extend to others. These restaurants will definitely need the support of the larger Richmond area to survive since there’s a density issue.

Once the housing in the area get’s cleaned up, businesses will come later and be able to survive.

Alex and Laura, you are not well informed. The Roosevelt and Alamo give lie to your location argument.. And when they peel that dumb 50s brick out of the windows of this building, it will be all window. You could be right if they make the same design error of OMG and That Nightclub That Has Never Opened On Leigh And Jefferson and leave the windows bricked up. Those places are like Yogi Bear’s cave from Kings Dominion.

The truth is almost everything up by this is renovated. The house next door is pretty heinous but it is the exception, and thus stands out.

The real scar within the immediate blocks of this is the acres and acres of windswept empty parking lots the church has given us. Everywhere else up here smells like fresh mulch and looks like a Rose Parade float … Except that church parking lot. Plant a tree, people.

Yes, DA – Sally Field was telling me when i saw her there that she chose the Roosevelt for a dinner party because she was travelling down Nine Mile on her way to Hotter Dryers, not because of the restaurants good reputation.

It’s more of a thoroughfare than Pescado’s or Mama Zu have on Pine Street. If a good tenant with a good reputation came here, it would be a game changer. But I guess H8rs gotta h8, it being the east end and all. Good luck, Daniil – get a good commercial retail broker!

Sorry if I pissed anyone off, just stating facts as I see them. I would love to see another good new restaurant in the area. I just don’t think that this would draw enough business from anyone other than maybe a hundred or so folks who live very nearby. Folks from outside Union Hill are not likely to drive this far back unless the restaurant is very very good. Even if it is very very good, they’d always be better off opening up somewhere less ‘scary’ to some of their potential customers. If you want to blow smoke up this guys ass and talk him into building out a restaurant, be my guest. I’ll go if the food is good but think those of us like that may be in the minority. Opening a restaurant is hard enough without cutting out potential customers.

Here’s hoping the owner and any tenant prospects base their decisions on good information and sound advice!

I think it’s a great location to do a restaurant. I’ve been in this neck of the woods for years now and think it’s a prime time spot ready for a new venture. This block looks a little dreary because of this building, once its brought back around perceptions will change. Daniil please, please take out that brick and give us some nice glass to look at and a patio off the rear. I’m ready to commit to drinks and apps 3 nights a week just to see you turn this into a great spot. Who else is with me??!!

Daniil – I would seek out Chef Nate from the old Louisiana Flair restaurant. One of my favorite all-time Richmond spots. They had a dedicated customer base and I know he is looking to get his own restaurant going again. And anyone from New Orleans should not be afraid of a Richmond neighborhood that is rough around the edges. He’s on Facebook if you look up Louisiana Flair. Good luck!

If you are looking to put a restaurant in, why not talk to members of the Cedar Street Baptist congregation for leads? Instead of viewing church activities in that area as a potential hindrance, I would see that as potential business. If there are a lot of weeknight activities as well as Sunday services, that seems like a huge clientele waiting to be tapped. I’m sure many of the congregants would look to that location for lunch after Sunday service, or perhaps dinner before an evening event. Plus, to counter some other arguments, the fact that Cedar Street attracts people from Church Hill and outside of Church Hill/Union Hill means that there is actually a lot of drive by traffic that would be exposed to a restaurant here.

I work near Croaker’s spot in manchester, which is an area with less development than this proposed spot. It seems to always be full…

Is this the site located across the street from Cedar Street Bapist church but also next to the seminary?

Jessica – yes this is the property that sits next to the seminary on the corner of Cedar and 23rd. It used to be the Seminary’s cafeteria and had classrooms upstairs. Those pictures are pretty current – you can actually see they are time-stamped from 2011.

Daniil, on-and off-street parking will be an issue during church services, but I’d encourage you to talk with the church about the possibility of renting one of their lots at night and other times when the church isn’t using them. I’d encourage you to do whatever you can to NOT build more surface parking in Union Hill. With the exception of one other small structure, the entire block on which that building sits is a surface parking lot that stays vacant almost all the time.

How about a convience store with actual good beer . Good food . Not a malt liquor and potatoe chip outlet . It would be a lot easier than a restaraunt . Even though that would be sweet. The building needs too much work. And that means rent would go up. And any real investor with a clue would pay the same money for a better location…. But good luck with whatever you do.

K.M. #33, if you are interested in helping, why not call Boychick’s yourself or find a good phone number for Chef Nate and either post it or get in touch with Daniil on Facebook? Seems like it might help put them in touch quickly, thanks.