Shorty’s Diner recently vacated a Chesterfield storefront near Chesterfield Towne Center. (Jack Jacobs photo)
An out-of-town diner has pulled the plug on a short-lived expansion into Chesterfield County after first entering the market north of the river a few years ago.
Shorty’s Diner in recent weeks closed its location at 11161 Research Plaza Way near Chesterfield Towne Center in Midlothian.
The chain has locations in Henrico and the Williamsburg area that remain open. Shorty’s serves breakfast and lunch with a menu that features things like biscuits and gravy, omelets, pancakes and sandwiches.
What prompted the restaurant to close the Chesterfield location was unclear. Shorty’s did not respond to emails seeking comment. Shorty’s appears to have closed the outpost in recent weeks, and the restaurant wasn’t operating during its regular business hours last week.
The restaurant operated in the space for about a year, having opened there in January or February 2023, according to an Axios report from the time.
The freestanding, 3,400-square-foot building on Research Plaza that Shorty’s has vacated is currently listed for sale with an asking price of $1.8 million.
Sperity Real Estate Ventures has the listing on the property, which is located behind a Wawa gas station on Midlothian Turnpike. Prior to the stint by Shorty’s in the space, the property was occupied for years by a Denny’s restaurant. The site is owned by a trust tied to John and Traci Norris, according to county records.
Shorty’s opened its first location just outside Williamsburg in 2012, and followed that up with a Henrico location that opened in 2021 at 5625 W. Broad St. in the Libbie Place shopping center.
Other restaurants to recently close down in the region include Baker’s Crust in Carytown and Carrabba’s in Short Pump.
Shorty’s Diner recently vacated a Chesterfield storefront near Chesterfield Towne Center. (Jack Jacobs photo)
An out-of-town diner has pulled the plug on a short-lived expansion into Chesterfield County after first entering the market north of the river a few years ago.
Shorty’s Diner in recent weeks closed its location at 11161 Research Plaza Way near Chesterfield Towne Center in Midlothian.
The chain has locations in Henrico and the Williamsburg area that remain open. Shorty’s serves breakfast and lunch with a menu that features things like biscuits and gravy, omelets, pancakes and sandwiches.
What prompted the restaurant to close the Chesterfield location was unclear. Shorty’s did not respond to emails seeking comment. Shorty’s appears to have closed the outpost in recent weeks, and the restaurant wasn’t operating during its regular business hours last week.
The restaurant operated in the space for about a year, having opened there in January or February 2023, according to an Axios report from the time.
The freestanding, 3,400-square-foot building on Research Plaza that Shorty’s has vacated is currently listed for sale with an asking price of $1.8 million.
Sperity Real Estate Ventures has the listing on the property, which is located behind a Wawa gas station on Midlothian Turnpike. Prior to the stint by Shorty’s in the space, the property was occupied for years by a Denny’s restaurant. The site is owned by a trust tied to John and Traci Norris, according to county records.
Shorty’s opened its first location just outside Williamsburg in 2012, and followed that up with a Henrico location that opened in 2021 at 5625 W. Broad St. in the Libbie Place shopping center.
Other restaurants to recently close down in the region include Baker’s Crust in Carytown and Carrabba’s in Short Pump.
Location, Location, Location, it was in a very out of the way place. Great breakfast…….
I wouldn’t say ‘very out of the way’ but definitely not street front. It’s at least on the correct side of the road for morning commuters who did know about it. The location itself has always felt like a misfit of use on the remnant land behind a bank and in the middle of a very busy route for cars into and out of the Wawa right there.
Want to grab breakfast behind the gas station?
Didn’t think so.
The building has been there for 10 or more years. We ate there in the past and I think it was the American Diner or something like that, I don’t remember the name Shorty’s.
It was a Denny’s (per street view) from October 2011 through Nov 2022. It as was built for Denny’s. The May 2023 street view still has the “Now Open” sign for Shorty’s. Too bad. Never tried this one but liked occasional visits to West Broad one by Target. But McLean’s was so much better!
This very well may be one of the worst locations for a restaurant in all of Chesterfield. I live near there and go to that Wawa every so often and still forget that the building is there. Who thought to put it behind a gas station?