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The Tang & Biscuit mural was completed by artists Nico Cathcart and Shaylen Broughton. The orange-flavored drink mix Tang became popular in the early 1960s after NASA sent it along on manned space missions. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Tang & Biscuit is 18,000 square feet, and this mural occupies a 170-foot wall. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Each side of the bar features this silhouette mural. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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This mural is located in the rear of Tang & Biscuit, where people can play life-size versions of Battleship, Jenga and Yahtzee, along with corn hole and ping pong. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Photo by Eileen Mellon
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Photo by Eileen Mellon
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Colorful splashes of art adorn the walls of Tang & Biscuit. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Unless you're on a cruise ship, visiting certain beachside hotels or like to hit the court with grandparents, shuffleboard may not be on your radar. Get ready to become acquainted: Tang & Biscuit opens Sunday, Aug. 26, at 3406 W. Moore St. in Scott’s Addition, making Richmond home to the largest indoor shuffleboard court in the country, according to its backers.
The key players and owners are Dominion Payroll co-founders David Gallagher and David Fratkin, broker Clint Greene, and Henry Shield of Commonwealth Construction Management.
A trip to Brooklyn and a memorable time at the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club (also located in Chicago) kick-started the idea to re-create and elevate the same experience for Richmonders. Unlike the Royal Palms, Tang & Biscuit won’t be restricted to a 21-and-up crowd; in fact, they want to be community-minded and inclusive.
“We’re going to welcome everyone,” says COO Gary Chadwick. “Literally going for [guests aged] 5 to 95. We’ve been using the term sessionable — that’s what we want our place to be.”
Chadwick, aka Mr. Contingency, thinks one step ahead, something that comes naturally after working as the general manager of King’s Dominion for 20 years, overseeing an operation with an average of 30,000 visitors a day.
“We want people to spend time doing what they want to do,” says Chadwick, who thoughtfully incorporated multiple convenience factors into Tang & Biscuit's operations.
For example, guests can download the app SpeedETab and order menu items — and possibly drinks, pending ABC approval — from their phones, or via court attendants.
The 52-foot bar and uncomplicated cocktail menu, purposefully not “too crafty,” allow staff to focus on speed and reducing guest wait times.
Thirsty guests can expect a mix of local brews ranging from Vasen Brewing Co. to Stone Brewing and Beale's, along with domestic beer and spiked seltzers. A flagship cocktail is the Orangutang: vodka, triple sec and Tang — the orange-flavored throwback drink mix — served over crushed ice. Belle Isle Moonshine has crafted a boozy concoction for the social club using Honey Habanero moonshine and Tang that will be dispensed from a frozen drink machine.
So, does Tang & Biscuit have the Tang hookup?
“We do; we're actually having a distributor bring it in especially for us,” says Chadwick. “You can’t find Tang everywhere.”
The name Tang & Biscuit name derives from shuffleboard lingo — the paddle-like stick, or tang, is used to propel the puck, or biscuit.
Speaking of biscuits, the menu at T&B features eight to 10 biscuit sandwich options, as well as wraps and salads. Ever had a Philly-style biscuit? T&B plans to dish out one with shredded beef and Cheese Whiz, along with chicken and bacon-ranch sandwich, and a Southwestern-inspired biscuit stuffed with shredded chicken, guacamole and salsa.
“We want food to get out in three to four minutes or less,” says Steve Nardo, chief financial officer for T&B. “It’s a little different than what you can find, not high price points at all and hopefully things you can even hold with one hand while you’re playing.”
Fan of tater tots? Regular, sweet potato and cauliflower tots will be available with a variety of smothered options, like a BBQ-style topped with pulled pork and cheese, something Chadwick, an England native and tot fan, is very excited about.
“I love tater tots,” he says.
Chadwick loves them so much he even toyed with the idea of one massive tot, instead of a pile of the traditionally sized crunchy, fluffy potato pillows. But sometimes bigger isn’t always better.
“I thought [one giant tater tot] would be awesome ... and I tried them, and they weren’t very good, unfortunately,” says Chadwick. “Such a letdown.”
Chadwick is also known as the pun-ny guy, a fan of Tang double-entendres including Tang you very much, Tang-tastic and just Tang-in out.
The 18,000-square-foot space houses 10 full-size indoor shuffleboard courts, which can be rented hourly, along with six shuffleboard tables.
The social, interactive concept extends beyond the massive shuffleboard court. A back room is dedicated to giant versions of board games such as Jenga, Battleship and Yahtzee and corn hole boards.
“RVA doesn’t have entertainment places for adults to go and enjoy things; we're all big kids at heart,” says Chadwick. “We want people to interact and have something to drink and eat. The whole city has grown into a cool place to be, but there’s not enough places to go.”
Over 450 applicants applied for 100 available jobs at Tang & Biscuit. One of the early hires was artist Nico Cathcart, who has previously worked with local muralist Ed Trask. When Chadwick started searching for artists, Nico’s name kept popping up.
“I came and saw these giant empty walls and went, ‘Yes, please,’ ” recalls Cathcart.
Catchart and fluid artist Shaylen Broughton collaborated on a 170-foot-long mural, the longest project they’ve painted. Through their art, the duo tried to capture the essence of T&B as a communication hub and social setting where people can talk and get to know one another. Outstretched hands from Michelangelo’s "The Creation of Adam," a painting Cathcart loved and grew up drawing, appear on multiple walls and celebrate the human connection. On each side of the bar are two silhouettes that appear to be talking to each other.
"[Tang & Biscuit] is the perfect connection, interaction and communication activity," says Chadwick. "We're trying to get away from staring at the phone and TV, and every aspect is based around that — more focus on spending time with each other."
Tang & Biscuit opens Aug. 26 and will operate Monday through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. They have applied for a special license to allow them to extend hours for special events. A grand-opening-weekend celebration is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 31.
