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Cobra Burger owners Mike Epps, Joshua James Franklin and Adam Musselman say “Hell, yeah” to Mondays and remain open to provide a place for industry workers to come and eat. (Photo by Justin Chesney)
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Cobra Burger’s namesake patty with fries (Photo by Justin Chesney)
The term “day of rest” brings to mind relaxation, unplugging and unwinding, perhaps some time spent at the pool or visiting a favorite restaurant, usually on the weekend. But for folks in the hospitality business, the weekends are full speed ahead, typically with an early start time and a late finish. And while Monday presents an opportunity for industry workers to recharge, with most restaurants closing their doors, it also means finding a place to eat at the beginning of the week can be a difficult task.
Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen owner Helen Holmes say that when her restaurant was closed on Mondays, she would do deep cleaning, payroll, inventory and purchasing. But after noticing how many independently owned restaurants shut their doors on Monday, Holmes recently decided to join those that do remain open. Holmes even came up with her own workaround for the closed-on-Monday phenomenon: “I’ll have my husband pick up something on Sunday evening, and I’ll heat it up the next day,” says Holmes, who counts downtown’s Lillie Pearl as one of her go-to restaurants.
Brenner Pass Service Manager Kevin Smith says that for their team, Monday is a quiet day dedicated to odd jobs, projects and menu development. It’s also when payroll and tips are processed. Smith says he usually sees a crew of familiar faces at Pho Tay Do, Peter Chang’s and Cheng Du, all industry favorites on Mondays.
Providing a place where chefs and other restaurant staff could eat on their day off was part of chef Mike Yavorsky’s business plan when he opened Belmont Food Shop in 2012.
“We wanted to contribute to the overall industry and community of the city,” explains Yavorsky, who also operates Carytown’s Town Hall. “Monday seemed like the ideal day to not be off because everyone else was.”
Pre-pandemic, Belmont Food Shop was closed on Tuesdays to give Yavorsky a dedicated family day, but as of this summer, the Fan restaurant has been struggling to find staff and is currently open only on weekends until they can fill that gap.
Cobra Burger created a similar schedule with their fellow industry workers in mind. “We looked around and saw most of the restaurants in Church Hill are closed on Monday,” says co-owner Joshua Franklin, “so we decided to be open.”
Cobra staff take Tuesdays off instead, and Franklin says it gives him a much-needed day of rest and a chance to visit some of his fave spots, namely Bamboo Cafe and The Jasper, both of which are open seven days a week. Likewise, Pizza Bones, which opened in June, has dubbed Monday industry night, offering in-person industry workers a 15% discount.
Vietnamese coffee at Pho Tay Do (Photo by Jay Paul)
(Not So) Manic Mondays
Spots to visit when the week kicks off
Carena’s: Give the blandest day of the week a little kick with a platter of oxtail or whole red snapper escoveitch from Carena’s traditional Jamaican menu.
Stella’s: Start with cocktails and then meander through Stella’s meze for a Monday date night worth waiting for.
Akida: Tuck in for a bowl of miso soup and all your favorite rolls at this Sheppard Street sushi shop.
Lehja: You didn’t want to shuffle through Short Pump traffic on the weekend anyway, which makes Monday the ideal night for chaat-ing it up at Lehja.
Soul Taco: Sometimes the only antidote to Monday is tacos, and in that case, you’re going to want to make your way here.
The patio at Belmont Food Shop (Photo by Jay Paul)
Closed on Mondays
List subject to change; see restaurants for updated hours.
- 3 Monkeys
- Bar & Grill
- 8 1/2 Church Hill
- 23rd & Main Taproom & Kitchen
- Alamo BBQ
- Bartizan
- Brenner Pass
- Cafe Ole
- Cafe Rustika
- Dinamo
- Early Bird Biscuit Co.
- East Coast Provisions
- Edo’s Squid
- Fighting Fish
- Foo Dog
- Gersi
- Goatocado
- Grisette
- Helen’s
- Ipanema
- Kuba Kuba Dos
- Liberty Public House
- Lillie Pearl
- Longoven
- L’Opossum
- Lulu’s
- Max’s on Broad
- Metzger Bar & Butchery
- Millie’s
- Nile
- Parterre
- Perch
- Poor Boys
- Postbellum
- Proper Pie Co.
- Rappahannock
- Robin Inn
- Rowland
- Saison
- Secco Wine Bar
- Sidewalk Cafe
- Southbound
- Supper
- TBT El Gallo
- The Fancy Biscuit
- The Hard Shell
- The Hill Cafe
- The Roosevelt
- The Savory Grain
- West Coast Provisions
- Wong Gonzalez
- ZZQ
