Hot and new can steal the spotlight, but what about longstanding local favorites? Each month, we’ll visit a Richmond-area restaurant that has been in business 15 years or longer.
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(From left) Melito’s team members Alma Barajas, Richard Melito, Rich Melito and Agusto Gonzalez
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Melito’s hot dog and summer salad
At Melito’s, tucked into the Westbury Shopping Center on Three Chopt Road, friendly service and a fast kitchen serving affordable American cafe classics have kept customers coming back since 1981. Owner Richard “Rich” Melito remains at the helm of the checkerboard-tiled restaurant after all this time. His nephew serves as executive chef, his sister makes the desserts, and, if he has his way, the restaurant will reach another milestone.
“I’d like to get to 50 years,” he says.
Melito came to Richmond to attend Virginia Commonwealth University and found his calling while working part time at a bar on Grace Street. He switched his major to business and, at 27, opened his namesake restaurant.
For lunch, it doesn’t get faster or more affordable than Melito’s world-famous hot dogs topped with housemade chili. “We’ve always been known for our service and the quality of food we serve,” says Melito, a Suffolk native. “It’s the simple things that people look for.”
Other menu standouts include a proper Reuben with corned beef brisket; the club sandwich; and the Pearly Gates, a hand-carved ham and cheese on rye with house slaw. Dinnertime crowd pleasers include crab cakes; meatloaf with savory mushroom gravy; and herb-roasted chicken or grilled steak, served with mashed potatoes or rich mac and cheese. Save room for a slice of Boston cream or tart Key lime pie.
Melito recognizes his many years in business reflect the efforts of his entire team. “It’s my name on the window, but I think it’s a combination of the people that have worked here, my staff,” he says.
Employees span decades, including Kristi Neely, who got hired as a teenager and will take over the restaurant along with Melito’s nephew when the time comes.
“She deserves so much credit in keeping the place together. She’s a dedicated person that takes Melito’s to heart,” Melito says.
He also credits the guests. “It really is the people that come there and appreciate what I do, what the restaurant does, or what the chefs do, and continue to come back,” Melito says. “Forty-five years only comes around once; the customers have been so loyal, I can’t ever thank them enough.”
