The Farmhouse At Manakin Road Serves Last Meal

A once popular Manakin-Sabot restaurant, just a couple miles west of Short Pump and well-known among Far West Enders, has cooked its last meal. The Farmhouse at 1840 Manakin-Sabot Road has closed its doors. The 150-year-old farmhouse has operated as a restaurant for many years and was formerly known as the Foxhead Inn. After a number […]

November 11, 2009; 5:28 PM • by Al Harris

A once popular Manakin-Sabot restaurant, just a couple miles west of Short Pump and well-known among Far West Enders, has cooked its last meal. The Farmhouse at 1840 Manakin-Sabot Road has closed its doors. The 150-year-old farmhouse has operated as a restaurant for many years and was formerly known as the Foxhead Inn.

After a number of ownership changes, it was purchased in 2007 by New Jersey transplant Ronnie Lower, who moved here with her husband to be closer to their daughter and her family.

Lower moved into the upstairs of the house and operated a high-end steak and seafood restaurant on the first floor. At the time, conditions were ideal. Business was booming, and nearby Kinloch and Hermitage country clubs kept big-spending customers coming through its doors.

But then the bottom dropped out.

“We were expecting to double our business during the second year, and it just didn’t seem to grow,” Lower said. “We booked fewer weddings and fewer business parties.”

Even though the average household income in the area exceeds $100,000, fewer customers were coming through the door. Entrees cost around $30.
In July, Lower made the tough decision to shut down rather than continue to pour her own money into it or to find a partner.

The 1.77-acre property is for sale for $650,000 and is listed with Pete Waldbauer and Millard Jones of Thalhimer.
“It had a good clientele with wealthier people out that way going to the country club ordering high dollar tickets,” said Waldbauer. “But then the world came to an end like it did for everyone.”

Waldbauer said he now trying to market the property to established restaurateurs with some local name recognition but so far hasn’t had any takers.
“It needs someone with a local Richmond name who would come in and basically be the draw,” Waldbauer said. “A lot of the characters have their own groupies that will follow them anywhere.”

He also said the next buyer may not want to run a restaurant at all, but could buy it just to live in.

November 11, 2009 5:28 PM 0