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Richmond’s highest rooftop restaurant and lounge opens for business

Posted at 3:41 PM, Jun 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-02 15:41:41-04

RICHMOND, Va. — Three years in the making, Richmond’s highest rooftop restaurant and lounge is open for business.

Kabana, which sits atop the new Hampton Inn and Suites and Homewood Suites at 700 E. Main St., opened for business Wednesday. The 9,000-square-foot restaurant on the hotel’s 20th floor offers scenic views of Richmond’s cityscape from its outdoor patio.

Newly hired bartenders in black polos prepared their workstations and contractors from North South Construction Inc. continued to make modifications leading up to the 5 p.m. opening and to prepare for reservations on the books for more than 300 people.

Sean Rapoza is Kabana’s general manager. He started bartending in 2000 at The Tobacco Company and has worked throughout the Richmond dining and nightlife scene, recently a manager at Balliceaux.

“The publicity company said they wanted to emulate Balliceaux,” Rapoza said of LX Group, the company charged with promoting Kabana. “That had the local dining crowd in the early evening with entertainment and dancing at night, and that’s what we’re going for with Kabana.”

Rapoza also serves as a sommelier at Belle & James, a French-American restaurant that opened last year at the base of the hotel and is managed by Bobby Kruger.

The building was formerly an office tower and was converted into a dual hotel by Shamin, the largest hotel operator in Richmond. The company paid $7 million for the building in 2013.

Cocktails at Kabana are “tiki-inspired,” with dual frozen drink machines at both of its bars. Rapoza is also emphasizing light, easy-to-drink beers.

Continue reading on RichmondBizSense.com.

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