Sandston Smokehouse closing

The Sandston Smokehouse, a popular restaurant in Eastern Henrico, announced on its Facebook page today that it is closing because of the impact of COVID-19.

“This virus has done more than cause personal harm,” restaurant officials wrote. “This virus has wreaked havoc on our nation. It has destroyed lives, broken homes, and killed our economy. We thank everyone for the 3 years we were able to provide for our community, our staffs and friends families, and our own family.”

It was restaurant owner Bobby Haller whose desire to help provide food for county employees during the outset of the pandemic led county officials to create the Nourish Henrico program, which in turn helped keep a number of Henrico restaurants in business when they otherwise would have had little or no revenue.

The program permitted frontline county employees to purchase one meal per shift from participating restaurants, with the county covering as much as $15 per meal. In April, Haller was honored by U.S. Congressman Donald McEachin for his efforts.

Sandston Smokehouse regularly took its food trailer to neighborhoods and other community events during the past few months as another way to reach customers, but it wasn’t enough to sustain the business.

Haller and his team will evaluate conditions in the coming months with the hope of reviving the business.

“We worked tirelessly to try to withstand this storm, but the time has come to close down at no choice of our own,” the restaurant’s Facebook post read.