VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — By year's end, the old site of longtime Italian restaurant Zia Marie could be transformed into a new restaurant venture that's coming together with the help of community input.
At the intersection of Lookout Road and Seaview Avenue near the Chesapeake beach section of Chic's Beach sits a banner for the "nameless" restaurant.
A blue terracotta pizza oven sits in a largely unfinished indoors, but few facts can be found on the outside of the nameless restaurant besides the "coming soon" sign and a QR code survey.
The survey features more than two dozen questions meant to be answered by beachgoers and neighbors in the Chic's Beach community, who can influence exactly what kind of restaurant they would want to see added to their community.
13News Now found out the restaurant will be a sit-down restaurant described as serving "mid-Atlantic" fare, led by Drew Monroe and Adam Howarth, who are nearby residents.
Todd Jurich, who owns downtown Norfolk Steakhouse, Todd Jurich's Bistro, is a partner in the venture as well.
“Instilled confidence in the actual neighborhood, showing we really care about what they think. People really appreciated that, reaching out to them and asking them, 'Hey, what do you want? What do you want to see at Chic’s Beach,'" Jurich said, crediting the survey idea to Monroe.
Some of the questions included:
- How often would you take advantage of coffee in the mornings?
- How often would you take advantage of sandwiches and baked goods in the morning?
- How often would you take advantage of late-night dinners and drinks past 10 p.m.?
- Importance of season menu changes
- Reservations as a requirement
"A decent restaurant with a small bar area, where locals can come and enjoy themselves," longtime resident Doug Fondren said when asked what kind of venture he'd like to see the space used for.
Jurich noted that the name of the restaurant will be called "Chic's Laundry" as a tribute to the building's former use as a laundromat.
Jurich added that the first phase of this project will be the sit-down restaurant occupying Zia Marie's old location but that the second phase of the project will be a separate coffee and breakfast establishment housed in the residential building behind the lot, which is owned by the same landlord.
Jurich expects the timeline for the business to get off the ground as early as December 2024 or the beginning of 2025.