The new restaurant is heading to the Trader Joe’s-anchored Stony Point Village shopping center. (Mike Platania photo)
Bon Air is set to get a new restaurant, courtesy of a seasoned local restaurant group.
Big Kitchen Hospitality is preparing to open The Granite Grill & Bar at 3088 Stony Point Parkway in the Trader Joe’s-anchored Stony Point Village shopping center.
The Granite is a new concept from Big Kitchen, which also owns and operates the area’s three Tazza Kitchen restaurants and Conejo in the West End.
John and Susan Davenport
John Davenport, who owns the restaurant group with his wife Susan and business partner Jeff Grant, said the three of them have lived in the Bon Air area for years and spent the last year thinking about opening a restaurant there.
He said that while The Granite will be similar in price-point and style to the other concepts, its menu will be a departure from Conejo’s Mexican focus and Tazza’s emphasis on wood-fired pizza.
“We have three Tazza Kitchens in Richmond and they do well, but it’s not likely we’ll find a fourth without having too many in one city. Conejo’s been very popular and we view Conejo as a one-of-a-kind restaurant,” John Davenport said. “When we became aware of this (Bon Air) space being available, we thought a classic American grill and bar concept that we had been thinking about would be a good fit for the neighborhood.”
The Granite’s menu is still in the works, but John Davenport said the plan is to offer smash burgers, grilled seafood dishes and a variety of steaks. It’ll also include a full bar and drink menu from Big Kitchen beverage director Lauren Spain.
Big Kitchen is leasing a 5,300-square-foot space that’s been vacant for years. It was previously home to Nuevo Mexico, which recently opened a Fan location. Between the dining room, bar, patio and private dining room, The Granite will have seating for over 200, and John Davenport said The Granite plans to be open for dinner seven days per week, and for lunch Wednesdays through Sundays.
The space, once home to a Mexican restaurant, is currently an empty shell. (Courtesy Big Kitchen Hospitality)
The group has enlisted local architecture firm Johannas Design Group and interior designer Helen Reed Design for the restaurant. John Davenport said the team will begin the process of selecting a general contractor next month, with eyes on a February or March 2025 opening.
He said the restaurant is named for the granite quarries that drove industry and development in the Bon Air area in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“That area was founded on the granite quarries that were taken downtown for the cobblestone in Shockoe Slip and some of the foundations of the original buildings in Richmond,” he said. “Granite’s just been intrinsic to that area. A friend suggested the name and it just stuck with everybody.”
The Granite is the latest new tenant at Stony Point Village shopping center since South Carolina-based Ziff Real Estate Partners bought it for $10 million in 2019. It received a major boost in 2020 when Trader Joe’s signed on to open in the strip center, and since then other tenants including Planet Fitness and The Shops at 5807 have arrived. Only 5,200 square feet of the 114,000-square-foot center remains available. Thalhimer’s Jim Ashby handles leasing at the center.
Congratulations to John, Susan & Jeff. Enjoyed working with you all and we’re thrilled to have you join the tenant mix at Stony Point Village!
Sounds like a great addition to the area! Jim Ashby has done a really great job with Stony Point Village!!
Glad to see another full service restaurant going in this space. Welcome to the neighborhood!
I remember when this was Charley’s
The Davenports always do it right!