Brick House on the Boulevard held a soft opening Monday in the former Kitchen 64 space, which has been remodeled. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
Parking around the former Kitchen 64 diner was once again at a premium Monday morning, as the brothers behind Midlothian’s Brick House Diner held a soft opening of their newest location in the city ahead of an official opening today.
Brick House on the Boulevard, the fourth outpost of the locally based restaurant chain, opens to customers today (Tuesday) at 3336 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., where it’s taking over for Kitchen 64, which shuttered last fall after a 15-year run.
Working the grill Monday were Vic and Nick Routsis, who run the business with their brothers Bill and John. The foursome opened the original Brick House in Midlothian in 2004 and have since added locations in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
The Routsis brothers, from left: Bill, Nick, Vic and John.
The Boulevard location, near the Interstate 64-95 interchange where Arthur Ashe Boulevard converges with Hermitage Road, will be open for breakfast and lunch daily, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8-2 Sunday.
Breakfast will be served all day, with menu items including Brick House’s signature omelets, benedicts, skillets and scramblers.
Since signing a 10-year lease in October, the brothers have updated the 3,300-square-foot space with a remodeled bar and other interior adjustments. Vic Routsis said they spent over $75,000 on the renovations, which they handled themselves.
The 3,300-square-foot restaurant includes a bar and table service.
The location employs 20 workers, who were busy Monday serving invited friends and family. Routsis said the soft opening would let them know what they were doing well and any kinks needing to be worked out.
“We’ve got a great staff on board that’s been helping us get this all together, a lot of staff from the other restaurants helped out a lot, and we’re ready to come over here on this side” of town, Routsis said.
He added that the project had gone according to plan and schedule, save for a few weeks added coming out of the holidays.
“Christmas, New Year’s, we didn’t think about that coming right around the corner, so that set us back a little bit,” he said. “The city did well for us. We got all our permits and everything going right.”
The building at 3336 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. had been home to Kitchen 64 for 15 years.
The brothers signed their lease with landlord Pamela Saunders, who has co-owned the property since 2012. The lease includes the adjacent ice cream stand that formerly housed Sweet 95 and Suzy Sno. Routsis said they don’t currently have a plan for that structure.
Kitchen 64, opened in 2007, was co-owned by Ernest von Ofenheim and Katrina and Johnny Giavos, the local couple behind the Stella’s Grocery markets whose other restaurants include Sidewalk Café, Little Nickel, and The Continental in Westhampton and Manchester. The Giavoses recently purchased the former Lafayette Pharmacy building across from the Stella’s restaurant for $1.5 million.
Meanwhile, the brothers Routsis also are planning a relocation and expansion of their Midlothian Brick House, which is slated to move in 2025 from 13520 Midlothian Turnpike to a new building at Westchester Commons.
Brick House on the Boulevard held a soft opening Monday in the former Kitchen 64 space, which has been remodeled. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
Parking around the former Kitchen 64 diner was once again at a premium Monday morning, as the brothers behind Midlothian’s Brick House Diner held a soft opening of their newest location in the city ahead of an official opening today.
Brick House on the Boulevard, the fourth outpost of the locally based restaurant chain, opens to customers today (Tuesday) at 3336 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., where it’s taking over for Kitchen 64, which shuttered last fall after a 15-year run.
Working the grill Monday were Vic and Nick Routsis, who run the business with their brothers Bill and John. The foursome opened the original Brick House in Midlothian in 2004 and have since added locations in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
The Routsis brothers, from left: Bill, Nick, Vic and John.
The Boulevard location, near the Interstate 64-95 interchange where Arthur Ashe Boulevard converges with Hermitage Road, will be open for breakfast and lunch daily, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8-2 Sunday.
Breakfast will be served all day, with menu items including Brick House’s signature omelets, benedicts, skillets and scramblers.
Since signing a 10-year lease in October, the brothers have updated the 3,300-square-foot space with a remodeled bar and other interior adjustments. Vic Routsis said they spent over $75,000 on the renovations, which they handled themselves.
The 3,300-square-foot restaurant includes a bar and table service.
The location employs 20 workers, who were busy Monday serving invited friends and family. Routsis said the soft opening would let them know what they were doing well and any kinks needing to be worked out.
“We’ve got a great staff on board that’s been helping us get this all together, a lot of staff from the other restaurants helped out a lot, and we’re ready to come over here on this side” of town, Routsis said.
He added that the project had gone according to plan and schedule, save for a few weeks added coming out of the holidays.
“Christmas, New Year’s, we didn’t think about that coming right around the corner, so that set us back a little bit,” he said. “The city did well for us. We got all our permits and everything going right.”
The building at 3336 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. had been home to Kitchen 64 for 15 years.
The brothers signed their lease with landlord Pamela Saunders, who has co-owned the property since 2012. The lease includes the adjacent ice cream stand that formerly housed Sweet 95 and Suzy Sno. Routsis said they don’t currently have a plan for that structure.
Kitchen 64, opened in 2007, was co-owned by Ernest von Ofenheim and Katrina and Johnny Giavos, the local couple behind the Stella’s Grocery markets whose other restaurants include Sidewalk Café, Little Nickel, and The Continental in Westhampton and Manchester. The Giavoses recently purchased the former Lafayette Pharmacy building across from the Stella’s restaurant for $1.5 million.
Meanwhile, the brothers Routsis also are planning a relocation and expansion of their Midlothian Brick House, which is slated to move in 2025 from 13520 Midlothian Turnpike to a new building at Westchester Commons.
Yeah!