Charred co-owner Walied Sanie with his wife Morgan and son Amir. (Jack Jacobs photos)
Several years in the making, a restaurant concept that launched in Chesterfield County has opened the doors of its second location in the region.
Charred launched this week at 9325 Chamberlayne Road, Suite 200, in The Shoppes at Rutland Place in Hanover County.
The Hanover outpost has been in the works since 2019. Co-owner Walied Sanie said pandemic-induced shortages of construction materials and equipment slowed down the opening, as did a COVID outbreak late last year among the buildout crew.
“My plateware is totally different from Swift Creek because in September I couldn’t find anything. So, I had to get all new plateware. A lot of the equipment I ordered last April,” he said.
Sanie said $1.1 million was invested in the restaurant’s buildout, which came by way of investors and personal money. RGI was the general contractor. Bob Architecture did the design work.
The new restaurant features a slightly different menu with fewer pizzas and a stronger emphasis on Charred’s wood-fired and smoked entrees compared to its sister location in Chesterfield.
“The main focus of the restaurant revolves around the wood-fired oven,” Sanie said. “We shaved down our pizza selection here. A, out of respect for PBR (Pizza & Beer of Richmond, which is in the same shopping center), but also it allows us to showcase entrees like cauliflower steak, pork chops and wood-fired chicken.”
He added, “We are looking for some uniformity (between the two locations), but I think you also can’t be part of the community if you don’t have some things different. I jokingly say if we were to open a Charred in Maryland, I’m pretty sure we would have crab cakes on the menu.”
Charred opened this week in The Shoppes at Rutland Place in Hanover County.
Sanie described Charred as a casual restaurant concept. Its entrees in Hanover run $15 to $27, and pizzas cost $13 to $16. Sanie said he added shrimp tacos to the Hanover spot’s menu to balance out the entrees.
“Because there’s less pizza here, we added one extra handheld,” he said. “If you pulled out the menu and it’s nothing but entrees, it takes away from the casualness of it and it makes it more of a date night, once-a-year, anniversary kind of restaurant and that’s not what we wanted.”
The Hanover Charred is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The plan is to add lunch service and open on Mondays in mid-April, Sanie said.
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant has capacity for 115 diners, counting both indoor and patio seating.
Sanie hopes to set Charred apart in Hanover with its cocktail menu, which he described as a mix of old standbys and lesser-known drinks.
“The cocktail program is extremely new (to Hanover). I’m not saying other people don’t do it but I would say it’s not just mojitos and margaritas. It’s some classics, some cocktails you’re familiar with and some you’re not. We have some things we have a riff on.”
The Chesterfield Charred is in Swift Creek Place shopping center and has been open for about two years.
“It has, I think, established itself very well as a destination family restaurant,” Sanie said of the Chesterfield location.
Sanie co-owns Charred with James Baldwin, and the duo also own Social 52 in the Fan.
Charred co-owner Walied Sanie with his wife Morgan and son Amir. (Jack Jacobs photos)
Several years in the making, a restaurant concept that launched in Chesterfield County has opened the doors of its second location in the region.
Charred launched this week at 9325 Chamberlayne Road, Suite 200, in The Shoppes at Rutland Place in Hanover County.
The Hanover outpost has been in the works since 2019. Co-owner Walied Sanie said pandemic-induced shortages of construction materials and equipment slowed down the opening, as did a COVID outbreak late last year among the buildout crew.
“My plateware is totally different from Swift Creek because in September I couldn’t find anything. So, I had to get all new plateware. A lot of the equipment I ordered last April,” he said.
Sanie said $1.1 million was invested in the restaurant’s buildout, which came by way of investors and personal money. RGI was the general contractor. Bob Architecture did the design work.
The new restaurant features a slightly different menu with fewer pizzas and a stronger emphasis on Charred’s wood-fired and smoked entrees compared to its sister location in Chesterfield.
“The main focus of the restaurant revolves around the wood-fired oven,” Sanie said. “We shaved down our pizza selection here. A, out of respect for PBR (Pizza & Beer of Richmond, which is in the same shopping center), but also it allows us to showcase entrees like cauliflower steak, pork chops and wood-fired chicken.”
He added, “We are looking for some uniformity (between the two locations), but I think you also can’t be part of the community if you don’t have some things different. I jokingly say if we were to open a Charred in Maryland, I’m pretty sure we would have crab cakes on the menu.”
Charred opened this week in The Shoppes at Rutland Place in Hanover County.
Sanie described Charred as a casual restaurant concept. Its entrees in Hanover run $15 to $27, and pizzas cost $13 to $16. Sanie said he added shrimp tacos to the Hanover spot’s menu to balance out the entrees.
“Because there’s less pizza here, we added one extra handheld,” he said. “If you pulled out the menu and it’s nothing but entrees, it takes away from the casualness of it and it makes it more of a date night, once-a-year, anniversary kind of restaurant and that’s not what we wanted.”
The Hanover Charred is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The plan is to add lunch service and open on Mondays in mid-April, Sanie said.
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant has capacity for 115 diners, counting both indoor and patio seating.
Sanie hopes to set Charred apart in Hanover with its cocktail menu, which he described as a mix of old standbys and lesser-known drinks.
“The cocktail program is extremely new (to Hanover). I’m not saying other people don’t do it but I would say it’s not just mojitos and margaritas. It’s some classics, some cocktails you’re familiar with and some you’re not. We have some things we have a riff on.”
The Chesterfield Charred is in Swift Creek Place shopping center and has been open for about two years.
“It has, I think, established itself very well as a destination family restaurant,” Sanie said of the Chesterfield location.
Sanie co-owns Charred with James Baldwin, and the duo also own Social 52 in the Fan.
Welcome to Mechanicsville! I have heard over and over how it is such a need in the area. I love the Swift Creek location and can’t wait to meet friends over at Rutland and check it out!!
I wish the owners much success. I have always told my clients that the second location is the hardest since you can’t be at two places at the same time. Delegation is required vs. hands on. Hopefully they have the staff in place to to maintain the success of their original restaurant while they grow the second.
I’m surprised it’s not mentioned in the article but the same guy also owns Social52 in The Fan, so he actually has 3 restaurants now. Nevertheless your point is valid, especially given how all three restaurants are in different parts of the region.
Looking forward to checking this place out.