Proposal would privatize state liquor stores

It could be last call for Virginia’s state-owned liquor stores if a bill proposed by Sen. Mark Obenshain passes.

Senate Bill 443 would force the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control to close its retail operations. The ABC would auction off “package store” licenses to vendors that wish to sell liquor and other alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises. “My goal with the bill is to get the state out of the retail business,” said Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg.

New café to deliver coffee by bike

An old brick service station on the southern edge of the Fan is being reborn as a coffee shop and roasting company. Local owner Noelle Archibald says the Lamplighter Roasting Company should be open next week. The new business is located at 116. S. Addison St., one block south of Cary Street. Earlier this week BizSense wrote about a new coffee shop in the Museum District that roasts coffee beans.

Restaurant roll call

We hope you’re hungry, because there’s a smorgasbord of restaurants applying for ABC licenses and preparing to open in the next couple of months. Several restaurants have opened recently, including the Republic and F.W. Sullivan’s (formerly Easy Street Café). Another restaurant that recently opened but is awaiting its ABC license is Mama J’s Kitchen at 415 N. 1st St. in Jackson Ward. But there are several more in development, including Sakura Sushi and Steak at 711 N. Lombardy St. The hibachi restaurant is in the process of building out the vacant Movie Gallery across from Kroger. This will be a second location to the one located at 9008 W. Broad St.

Restaurants to quit cigarettes cold turkey

On Dec. 1, Virginians can no longer light up in most restaurants. If statistics provided by Virginia Department of Health are accurate, it will be business as usual for 73 percent of the commonwealth’s fast food and full-service restaurants that already are smoke-free. For the others, owners and managers must decide how much time and money they’re willing to spend to comply with new regulations while continuing to offer patrons the opportunity to smoke on premises. Christine Johnson, general manager of Milepost 5 in Midlothian, is in discussions with a state health inspector to determine whether putting up a door between the restaurant’s smoking and non-smoking sections will be enough to keep the facility in compliance. Milepost 5 already has separate rooms and separate ventilation systems for smoking and non-smoking areas, which would appear to satisfy two of the exceptions specified in the smoking ban.

Last course for two restaurants

Two Goochland restaurants – both high-end and both in converted farm houses – have cooked their last meal. The first to close was The Farmhouse at 1840 Manakin-Sabot Road. The 150-year-old house has operated as a restaurant for many years and was formerly known as the Foxhead Inn. After a number of ownership changes, in 2007 it was purchased by New Jersey transplant Ronnie Lower, who moved here with her husband to be closer to their daughter and her family.

Extended stay extends its reach

A new extended stay hotel chain has its sights set on the Richmond area, starting with a new property in Colonial Heights.

That business should be open in the next few weeks.

The Wichita-based chain, Value Place, was launched in 2003 by Jack DeBoer, the hotelier who created the Residence Inn and Candlewood Suites brands.

Hotelier finishing new Hilton, hiring 100

While some hotel operators have lost footing in the past 12 months, Chester-based Shamin Hotels has gained ground by adding 10 hotels to its portfolio.

And the company, founded more than 25 years ago by brothers-in-law P.C. Amin and B.N. Shah, is putting the finishing touches on its crown jewel — a 254-room Hilton west of the Short Pump Town Center mall. It will be their biggest and most upscale property.

A hiring fair for all positions at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa runs today and through tomorrow at the Comfort Suites at Innsbrook.

Chief executive Neil Amin, son of one of the co-founders, said the hotel plans to hire more than 100 people.

Infuzion reopens, but hold the ice

When Paul Blacker opened the country’s first “ice bar” in Richmond a year and half ago, many were intrigued by the concept.

Customers would pay $15 to wear a parka and spend a few minutes in a giant freezer decked out with a bar made of ice while enjoying shots of vodka.

But the novelty didn’t quite work as a business plan, and within eight months Blacker’s dreams had melted. He filed bankruptcy and owed more than $2 million to the landlord and other vendors.

New restaurant brings the farmhouse to Shockoe Slip

A new restaurant concept is launching this fall in Shockoe Slip. Urban Farmhouse Market & Café is the brainchild of native Richmonder Kathleen Richardson and will primarily serve sandwiches and salads made from local ingredients. “The idea is you are in a warm friendly, kitchen environment. It’s a comfortable place to have a quick bite to eat or hang out. That’s what I am shooting for,” said Richardson.

Sayonara: Sushi bar closes

Sayonara Nara. After four years in business, Nara Sushi at 1309 W. Main St. has closed. In a city that has been inundated by a tsunami wave of sushi bar openings over the last couple years, Nara carved out its niche by hosting punk rock and heavy metal shows in its basement.

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