News and notes from Reston (tm).

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Firearm-Friendly Midscale Chain Eatery Closes: Only in Reston, Virginia Would This Headline Make Sense

Goo Gun.jpgLike all Restonians, gun enthusiasts love their midscale chain dining, too. So the news this morning of the abrupt closing of Plaza America chain eatery Chammps Americana, long-known as a sports bar where folks who pack heat and enjoy watching the Heat (see what we did there?) could enjoy both their passions, must have been especially disappointing.

You see, in its glory days (not those Glory Days), Chammps was known as a welcoming home for (legal) gun toters:

The patrons at Champps, an upscale restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when [a] customer stood up and made an announcement: He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons.

The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off holstered pistols and revolvers. [He] said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for their attention and sat down.

And the diners returned to their burgers and Budweisers.
Check please!

No word yet on whether the gun-toting patrons have since moved on to other midscale chain Reston watering holes. After all, they'd probably get less of a hassle at Reston Town Center with their sidearm than a camera, the end.

8 comments:

  1. Anyone know why Champps closed?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Because people like me were too afraid to patronize anyplace that caters to gun-toting crazies.

    It's simple, really. If you don't want to get shot, then don't be in the same room with Loons with Guns.

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  3. Because the food was greasy and unappealing?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I never ate at Champps for the reason cited by the Convict, but often heard I wasn't missing anything per the reason cited by scubadiver.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 2nd Amendment Fan But NOT One of Those GuysNovember 3, 2013 at 5:12 PM

    Champps has been there since the strip center was first opened, right? But the food was never better than mediocre, and the dining environment was nothing special, just your basic fern bar/sports bar/casual dining/burger joint/whatever. A tired formula that has outlived its usefulness as far as I am concerned. Perhaps the lease expired and there was no interest in a new lease it by either party. Perhaps the macho Second Amendment Open Carry Nut Cases drove away some business--yeah, that worked, huh? I just hope that we can get some better dining options around here! Reston deserves better that what we currently have for casual dining.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'd much rather be in a restaurant with 20 lawful gun owners and no criminals, than a restaurant with 1 gun wielding criminal and zero lawful gun owners.

    Champps closing has nothing to do with gun rights or easily frightened/offended people like those in this thread. It was old and their product couldn't compete amymore. Period.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How do you know who is the real criminal and who is the "protector"? I will not put my personal safety in the hands of unknown self-appointed vigilantes. Those guys may be just as dangerous as any other stranger with a firearm. And I do not want to be caught in the middle of someone else's gunfight, either, I don't care who started it first.

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  7. My original statement stands. Show me where people brazenly brandish arms and I will go out of my way to avoid it. Call me a "Coward" if you want, but I would rather be a "Live Coward" than a "Dead Hero".

    BTW, I am not anti-2D. However, the brazeness of some Open Carry Crazies and the fear and intimidation that they instill much/some of the non-Open Carry Crazy community undermines their cause. That much should be patently obvious.

    ReplyDelete

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