Long-running BBQ joint Buz and Ned’s is up sale

The Buz and Ned’s building near the corner of Parham and Broad in western Henrico is for sale, as is the business that has operated there for more than a decade. (Jack Jacobs photos)

A seasoned local pitmaster is planning to hang up his tongs.

Buz Grossberg, owner of the long-running Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, is seeking a buyer for both the restaurant’s building at 8205 W. Broad St. and the business itself.

“Both are on the table, and I hope to sell both to someone who wants to expand the concept or bring it back to its former glory, profit-wise,” said Grossberg, adding that the business he started more than three decades ago hasn’t fully regained its footing following the pandemic years.

Buz Grossberg

“We’re making money but we’re not making enough money without a pretty serious re-investment in the business,” Grossberg said. “We were doing pickup, carryout only for 28 months. That hurt a lot. That was depleting cash reserves.”

The nearly 8,000-square-foot building restaurant property has been listed for nearly $4 million. Grossberg said the asking price includes the real estate and the restaurant’s furniture and equipment. The Buz and Ned’s brand would be an additional expense, or possibly a separate deal.

Grossberg said he’s ready to pass the baton to a new operator who would be better able to capitalize on the restaurant’s strengths, and also provide the investment needed to meet challenges facing the business. He said the building needs substantial work, such as replacement of its HVAC system and a roof resurfacing. He added that Buz and Ned’s also needs a marketing boost, because he thinks the restaurant has been forgotten by customers after its period of limited operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With those issues looming, the 72-year-old Grossberg said a sale was appealing as a means to secure the restaurant’s future and allow him to travel, fish and potentially be a mentor to up-and-coming restaurateurs.

“Do I want to do it at this point in my life? I’m not so sure. I don’t think so,” he said of running the restaurant day-to-day. “The food is better than it’s ever been, the service is better than it’s ever been. Everything is there.”

Buz and Ned’s operates out of a nearly 8,000-square-foot building at 8205 W. Broad St., which had previously been a Fuddruckers.

The restaurant near the intersection of Broad and Parham in western Henrico opened in 2012 as a second location to the original Buz and Ned’s on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, which later closed in 2022 to make way for new development. Grossberg launched the business as a food cart in 1992, and opened on the Boulevard three years later.

The West Broad Street building has a main dining room that features a bar and retail area, as well as a private event space. The restaurant’s kitchen is outfitted with three wood smokers. Grossberg said the restaurant has an occupancy capacity of 350 people.

Chris Corrada and Tom Rosman of One South Commercial are handling the sale of the property. The listing describes it as a “landmark” that could be operated “as a restaurant or redeveloped to another use.”

The 1.8-acre property is zoned B-2C. The land’s assessed value is $2.2 million. An LLC tied to Grossberg acquired the site, which was formerly a Fuddruckers, in 2010 for $1.2 million, per online county records.

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