Why Richmond restaurant owner Chris Tsui closed Foo Dog and Hot Chick
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Foo Dog was at Main and Lombardy streets in the Fan District. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
If it were an emotional decision, Foo Dog restaurant would still be open, owner Chris Tsui tells Axios.
But it was a business decision — driven by the numbers, an offer and the state of Richmond dining — that pushed Tsui to close Foo Dog and Hot Chick, two of his popular city restaurants, at the end of the year.
Why it matters: Remote work — and continued hybrid work — has kept Richmond's population centers close to home in the suburbs more often and stymied quicker recovery in the city.
- "What the city is missing is people from the county," Tsui says.
What's happening: As the president of Eat Restaurant Partners, Tsui runs the largest restaurant group in Richmond by number of establishments (12).
- He says both shuttered restaurants were doing well, but overall his city restaurants haven't recovered to pre-COVID sales like his suburban ones, where sales now surpass pre-COVID business.
Zoom in: Tsui said he wasn't looking to make any immediate moves with either restaurant when Sushi-O owner Andy Wu approached him about taking over the Foo Dog space.
Plus, in the eight years since Tsui opened Foo Dog in the Fan, city nightlife has shifted to Scott's Addition.
- Closing Hot Chick in Shockoe Bottom was a bit of an easier decision because "17th Street didn't deliver," Tsui says. And he's had interest from folks in taking over the space.
Both restaurants will reopen later this year in a food hall he has in the works in Scott's Addition.
Of note: Tsui hasn't been immune to the staffing challenges that continue to plague the industry, which is why it makes sense to move some concepts into a food hall — where kitchen prep and dish can be centralized in one place for six restaurants.
What's next: Tsui isn't giving up on the rest of the city outside of Scott's Addition — he still has three restaurants in town.
- But his next moves will be the opening of Wong's Taco in Western Chesterfield County in the next few weeks — plus an out-of-town expansion plan for it — and the Scott’s Addition food hall, which should open by the end of the year.