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.
(From left) Michael and Mitch Trak of The Grapevine
Now in her 40s, Marianne Mize has been working at her family’s restaurant, The Grapevine, since she was 13 years old. “I’ve been with the restaurant my whole life,” she says.
Her parents, Michael and Mary Trak, have been feeding Richmonders for decades. The couple worked at several Richmond favorites, including the since-shuttered Greek Circus and Crazy Greek, before opening their first restaurant in 1982 — the fondly remembered namesake Trak’s. They eventually sold the business.
For their next venture, the Traks wanted to open a place where patrons would feel like they were family. In November 1994, they introduced The Grapevine, a homey Greek and Italian restaurant at Church Road and Lauderdale Drive.
“We have customers that have been visiting us for 20, 30 years,” Mize says.
The restaurant moved to its current location at 11055 Three Chopt Road in late 2001 and is now a four-way family cooperative with Mize; her brother, Mitch; and their parents.
The Traks take their mission to heart, offering simple gestures such as handwritten messages on takeout bags as well as donations to local charities and organizations.
“People remember you were there for them. The community has supported us and made us who we are,” Michael Trak says.
The food — from flaming Greek cheese to dolmades and hearty pasta plates — has also kept diners coming back for 30 years. Mize says her father, known to customers as “Chef Mike,” still comes in seven days a week and makes fresh bread.
“The bread, the soups, the sauces, the baklava, the spanakopita; it’s all made here,” Mize says.
