Chili's Grand Opening on VCU Campus

BY JOSEPHINE VARNIER

The opening of a new Chili’s restaurant near Virginia Commonwealth University leads independent Richmond eateries to believe they have nothing to worry about.

Chili’s Sept. 19 grand opening at 355 West Cary Street has been long anticipated by VCU students. The restaurant, located in the Cary and Belvidere Residential College, is owned by VCU in commercial space that also includes a Starbucks and a convenience store.

The VCU campus has recently extended across Belvidere Street with the completion and opening of the new business building, Snead Hall, and the Brandcenter last January.

Before the newly opened Chili’s, most dining services were concentrated in certain areas on campus, not affecting the local restaurants and bars. However, even with the expanse of dining locations, not many restaurant owners are concerned.

“We’re not worried about it. It’s a whole different thing,” says Andrew Clarke, owner of 821 Café located at 821 West Cary Street. 821 Café is one of the nearest independent cafés to Chili’s that also includes a bar serving beer and wine.

“Richmond is a good city for independent restaurants,” Clarke continues. “Most people around here would go to a neighborhood spot over a Chili’s.”

Clarke has owned 821 Café since 1995, and the building is small, with an equally small staff that usually contains two to three workers on each shift.

Chili’s new building, on the other hand, is a large maze of tables and booths with a staff of 130 people.

Corporate trainers follow the wait staff to each table, shadowing their progress that will complete a nearly 10-day training session that includes coaching and role playing.

Many staff members have moved to Richmond from other states, including waiter William Bielefeldt from Ocean County, NJ. The trainer shadowing him, Misty Ryan, is from Texas.

Matthew Thompson, the general manager of the new chain restaurant, says “I don’t think it will [affect other businesses]. Most things here are generalized.”

Thompson adds that having a full bar on the VCU campus, “It definitely won’t affect the bars. If anything it will just bring people to the area.”

Bar disc jockey and dancer Rebecca Best agrees.

Best works in three different bars in the Shockoe Bottom area, all managed by the same owner, which includes Mars, Rocks and the newly opened Fallout.

“Many different bars downtown have different themes,” says Best. “Tucker’s [the owner] bars are more 80s, industrial and not like a family restaurant like Chili’s.

“Not many of the bars down here are, and although some are Irish pubs or concert halls, I really doubt any will lose any student customers they didn’t have before,” Best says of the effects of Chili’s on downtown bar popularity.

On what could be assumed to be one of Chili’s busiest days, with a waiting list and a full lobby, a 15 minute wait for a meal was cause for no bill at the end of lunch, with apologetic waiters and free nachos.

So with fast service and customer oriented training packed under their belts, what makes the 130 person Chili armada seem harmless to local businesses?

“I like independent over corporate restaurants because they have more character and I can usually find more people to relate to there,” says Sara Morton, a 25-year-old student at VCU. Some other Richmond locals feel the same way, keeping Clarke’s statements true.

Andrew Mowe, 2005 VCU graduate, has lived in Richmond for seven years and has similar feelings.

“By going to smaller restaurants I know I’m helping the community,” Mowe says. “In some cases you even know the people that own the place or work there and it’s like visiting, or helping out friends. It’s just a better atmosphere in my opinion.”

At 821 Café you enter through a screen door, passing windows plastered in band and art show fliers.

At Chili’s, a foyer contains pictures of VCU ram themes, where a host and server staff await you. Each of them has a walkie-talkie device clipped to their hip and they speak through small microphones attached to their ears.

Perhaps it’s easy to say local owners aren’t worried about the new competition because they know that being served by Richmond natives is preferred to being served by out-of-state robots.

Sources:

Andrew Mowe- (804) 938-2338

Sara Morton- (908) 752-1925

Andrew Clarke- (804) 649-1042

Matthew Thompson- (804) 828-8484

Rebecca Best- (571) 217-8603