The Hampton Roads Community has derived much of its success and economic stability from local business. Said businesses have been dedicated to improving the economy unity of the area.
The Peninsula Restaurant Group has four restaurants, all of which thrive on locals and outsiders. The Deadrise is a restaurant frequented by residents in the Hampton Roads area, serving seafood.
Patrons travel from Virginia Beach and Williamsburg to eat at the Deadrise: “We get people from Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Newport News, lot of Hampton people and it’s like we do for our other restaurants that we own if they go to one of ours, they’ll send them here like to try them all out.”
While some know the Peninsula Restaurant Group for the Deadrise, they also own El Diablo featuring Mexican Food; the Kismet at Hilton Village has French cuisine; and Fullers Bar opening in January will offer dishes not available at the Deadrise such as: oysters, clams, and salmon.
Charles Illes, manager of the Deadrise, has been working for the restaurant since its grand opening in 2015. Some businesses no longer able to afford certain locations, offered their property to the Peninsula Restaurant Group marking the origin of El Diablo and Fullers Bar.
El Diablo has a different vibe than the Deadrise, appealing to a younger demographic serving tacos and international entrées. The Bistro located in Virginia Beach at the Hilton Village appeals to the upper-class crowd reserving one side for a bar, and the other for a refined eating experience.
Another popular restaurant, Waffle House, is lowkey and has over 2,100 locations, with 73 located in Virginia. Restaurant Unit Manager, John Brown, has been working at the location on Mercury Boulevard in Hampton for six months. Despite the company’s many locations they have remained dedicated to supporting the community, namely through serving food, “You know we’re the food business so that’s mainly what were there for. We give out meals.”
Many organizations provide relief efforts to those in need during Natural Disasters such as American Red Cross, Fire Department and Medics. Waffle House also aids in the relief efforts.
During the summer, Brown along with other employees, voluntarily traveled to Florida to provide relief to those in need with hot meals and service:
“We were representing Waffle House’” Brown said. “It was shocking because you see the disaster… you see people that are grateful and appreciate us being there to help out”.
The owner of the company declined to have this deed broadcasted everywhere because they’re focused on community involvement, “That’s how they’ve always been as long as they’ve been open” Brown said, “If you notice you don’t see commercials or stuff like that on TV, we get our business in the community by being involved in the community”.
In the pursuit of creating this article, it was challenging to convince people to consent to an interview. I reached out to several restaurants on multiple occasions.
Some local businesses were friendly, others were rude. Upon reaching Mango Mangeaux on the phone, a restaurant in downtown Phoebus, the manager told me they were busy until next week and would be unable to help me before hanging up abruptly. I then drove to a suit store in downtown Hampton where the owner kindly told me he wouldn’t be available until after Christmas.
Because I was unable to interview the latter, I reached out to a seafood restaurant. but the owner was too busy because they were “in a meeting”. Lastly, Tommy’s on Mercury Boulevard refused to let me speak with anyone. I am grateful for the managers who allowed me to learn about their businesses and took time to participate in the interview.
Hampton Roads seem to thrive, both the friendly and unfriendly, and appear to have a secure place within the community for a while.