Restaurants

A franchisee plans to open his second smoothie shop mid-month, but his ambitions are far from realized.

Add Mesopotamian inspired cuisines, and a new rooftop deck, to the menu in Jackson Ward.

Having tested the road ahead, a Richmond-based frozen yogurt chain is looking to shift its franchise offerings into gear. SweetFrog began selling truck and trailer franchises this month, in addition to the brick-and-mortar franchises it has sold since 2012. The company owns one truck and two trailers, but had not offered mobile franchises until now…. Read more »

The seven years Truman and Moya Parmele owned Ashland Coffee & Tea were not without hardship. First came the downpour. Not long after the couple acquired the business in 2009, “six inches of rain came down in 15 minutes,” they said, seeping into and damaging the shop. The Parmeles spent $7,000 on repairs. Then Moya… Read more »

A seasoned Richmond restaurateur is diving into the Southside for her fifth eatery. Kendra Feather, owner of the Roosevelt, Garnett’s Café and Ipanema, is preparing to open Laura Lee’s at 3410 Semmes Ave. in the Woodland Heights neighborhood. Still mulling over menu options and bar concepts, Feather hopes to open Laura Lee’s in the former… Read more »

A hole left in the Carytown food scene is set to be filled by a new restaurant. The former Dixie Donuts shop at 2901 W. Cary St. is being converted into the neighborhood’s newest Vietnamese restaurant. Sen Organic-Small Plate plans to open this summer in the 1,345-square-foot space, which was left vacant when Dixie shut… Read more »

A four-year-old Richmond Indian restaurant is serving up an expansion plan in the nation’s capital. Lemon Cuisine of India at 3215 W. Broad St. recently signed a lease to open a new location in Washington, D.C.’s rapidly growing Dupont Circle neighborhood. Owner Gurjeet Singh said Tuesday that he and his family hope to open the… Read more »

Eric Greenwald, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria president and chief operating officer, didn’t mince words when discussing the potential for additional growth across Richmond: he likes what he sees. “We feel Richmond is going to be a great market for us,” Greenwald said. “So far, things have been going very well with our new location, and we anticipate… Read more »

A former Carytown eatery is setting up new digs in Church Hill. Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant, plans to open in the coming days at its new 800-square-foot location at 306 N. 29th St. The restaurant formerly occupied 2907 W. Cary St. in Carytown before vacating the space at the end of 2015. Yoseph Teklemariam, an owner… Read more »

With a pair of new deals inked in the suburbs, a Mediterranean restaurant chain is eyeing a push to open more eateries across the region. Birmingham, Alabama-based Taziki’s Mediterranean Restaurants recently leased space in two shopping centers in western Chesterfield County to bring its local store count to three. Taziki’s signed a lease in late… Read more »