Owners of Original Ronnie’s BBQ and JewFro team to buy Le Box Lunch in Chesterfield

Le Box Lunch operates on the ground floor of an office building in Chesterfield County. (Mike Platania photo)

Two restaurateurs – one whose experience is in the downtown dining scene, the other who hails from a Varina barbecue family – have teamed up for their latest project. 

Earlier this month Missy Mangrum and Trey Owens purchased Le Box Lunch, a restaurant in the Arboretum office park in Chesterfield,  for an undisclosed amount.

Mangrum co-owns longtime Varina barbecue spot The Original Ronnie’s BBQ, which she runs with her uncle and the restaurant’s namesake, Ronnie Logan. Owens, meanwhile, co-owns downtown restaurants JewFro and Soul Taco. 

Located on the ground floor of an office building at 300 Arboretum Place, Le Box has been open for over a decade, serving cafe staples like burgers, wraps and club sandwiches, along with a breakfast menu and catering options. 

Trey Owens

The deal came together quickly, and by chance.

In late June Ronnie’s won the “Six in the City Southern BBQ Experience” barbecue competition in Chicago, a contest in which the teams were made up of restaurants and their local tourism boards. Owens said Richmond Region Tourism had initially asked him if he was interested in competing, and while he passed, he recommended Ronnie’s for it.

Owens had been working on the Le Box deal with a different business partner who backed out, so in an effort to lift his spirits, he called up Mangrum to congratulate her on the win and hear about the Six in the City experience.  

“One thing led to another and I told her about what I was dealing with. She was like, ‘Well, wait a minute. I think we might have a deal,’” Owens said. “In two days we started to make it happen.”

“I told him I’d do the deal with him and that I’ll put the money up but it won’t just be a financial partnership. I’d been wanting to add another restaurant,” Mangrum said. “It was one of the quickest business turnarounds I’ve ever done.”

Missy Mangrum

Owens and Mangrum bought it with Ronnie’s son and Mangrum’s cousin Emmanuel Logan, who’s a chef at Ronnie’s. 

The previous owner of Le Box was Rob Grooms, who wasn’t available for comment. The sale closed July 8, with Sperity Real Estate Ventures’ Nathan Hughes brokering the deal. It included Le Box’s lease, equipment and intellectual property. The restaurant has been temporarily closed in the run-up to the deal. The new owners will reopen it in the coming days. 

The Le Box name will be retained, Owens said, as will many of the spot’s most popular items like its Southwest salad, patty melt and burgers. Mangrum said the plan is to serve Ronnie’s barbecue on certain days of the week.  

“We’re definitely looking to do some “powered-by Ronnie’s BBQ” days,” Mangrum said. “A lot of people have heard of Ronnie’s, but we’re in Chesterfield and many people here might not have been to Varina. I think it’s something that’ll help to drive business to The Original Ronnie’s BBQ.”

The duo said they’re also planning to look to grow the Le Box catering business. 

Another local restaurant that recently went under new ownership is The Stables at Belmont, which as of a few weeks ago is now owned by its executive chef. 

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