Dear Richmond,

As you may have noticed, we have been posting photographs of Richmond restaurants on social media recently as our small way to show support for our beloved, yet beleaguered restaurant community. The combined effects of COVID-19 and recent social unrest could ultimately wipe out many of the independent restaurants that make Richmond’s neighborhoods such wonderful communities. These small businesses generate tremendous positive energy, jobs and money for the city of Richmond. It isn’t a stretch to describe Richmond’s eateries as the very lifeblood that makes Richmond well…Richmond.

However, we couldn’t help but notice the sheer number of comments on our recent posts stating that some of you won’t step foot in the City of Richmond again because of the social unrest that has transpired and how these events were handled by City officials. Fair enough. For those of you who feel this way, we are not going to attempt to change your feelings. They are what they are. People are upset these days, and emotions are running hot. That anger and frustration seems to be felt with equal passion on both sides of nearly every argument related to political and current events.

However, we will respectfully ask those of you who are choosing to boycott the City (and its restaurants as a de facto consequence) to please take a step back and reconsider. Strike that, we won’t ask, we will beg. As avid lovers of Richmond and its restaurants, our pride isn’t so great that we aren’t beneath begging these days. We care more about Richmond than our pride. The stakes simply couldn’t be higher for the city and its restaurants. So here are a few thoughts we’d respectfully ask you to consider:

1. City of Richmond Restaurant Owners and Workers did nothing to create this situation, yet they are being hit hard by both COVID-19 and social unrest. Restaurants are caught in the middle and simply trying to survive. If you are angry with how Mayor Stoney, Governor Northam, the Police, or local officials handled the situation, please take that up with them. Punishing restaurants you once loved by vowing never to set foot in the city again, harms people who have nothing to do with deciding how things should be handled. Many of Richmond’s restaurant owners and staff will be financially destroyed and families will go hungry if this is how the situation continues to play out.

2. Richmond Restaurants are highly dependent on suburban patronage. Richmond’s Restaurants, especially some of its most acclaimed, simply cannot exist without ongoing support from suburban dwellers given the large concentration of wealth in the surrounding counties. If county residents stop going out for dinner in the city, many of Richmond’s restaurants will cease to exist. So please take this non-political post as a heartfelt cry for support for the Richmond restaurants we all love, and the families these small businesses sustain. After reading this post we ask that you please make reservations or place a to go order from your favorite Richmond eatery. Our restaurants symbolize what is best about Richmond. They are where we share meals, gather with friends, and celebrate with family. Let’s not lose sight of all the joy Richmond’s restaurants have brought to our lives. Here’s to keeping our restaurants alive so our kids and our grandkids can experience what we have all worked so hard to help build-a vibrant Richmond!

Peace & Love,

-The Dogtown Dish