DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. -- Business is steady at Flat Rock Grill and Grocery. Josh Stout brought the Dinwiddie County business back in 2016 after leaving his job with the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office.
"I told my wife if something happened and the store ever came up for sale that I would buy it, just because the community, it's been here so long. I didn't want it to go away," Stout said.
For Josh, the business was to be his business plan.
"Good local place to stop by and eat good food," Billie Howerton, one loyal customer, said.
"It's pretty important as far as, like we said, us farmers are getting lunch if we don't go home," Harold Griffin, another loyal customer, said.
After Flat Rock Grill and Grocery was featured on Wayne's World in September 2021, Stout noticed a change.
"I had people coming from Richmond, a lot of people coming from the Richmond area, some even from Carolina. It really did help. I got a call from, at that time, candidate Governor Youngkin's campaign called and wanted to come by the store because they saw your video of the store on Wayne's World," Stout said.
A short time later, the future governor of Virginia would come by the store while he was on the road campaigning.
Recently, the store got a phone call from a film company with ties to Netflix.
"They had found and saw the video as well, the Wayne's World episode, and wanted to come down and shoot a short film here at the store so they did. They were here for two days, shot some stuff inside and outside the store that's supposed to come out sometime in May," Stout said.
Even after all the fanfare, the store now has a for sale sign out front as the economy has taken a toll on business.
"Things are not as good as they were in 2016 when I bought the place. Prices are up, menu prices have to go up to compete with the prices were buying. We're trying to sell everything," Stout said.
Stout also has a 10-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son at home to keep in mind.
"My kids are getting older and everything and the time there. My wife has a full-time job as well and this is something, you got to be here, you got to be on top of it six days a week," Stout explained.
And the business and his family aren't the only things keeping Stout busy nowadays.
"I'm still currently the assistant fire chief for McKenney Volunteer Fire and EMS. I coach little league baseball for McKenney Dixie youth," Stout said.
With the new for sale sign comes the waiting. While several people have already shown interest, Stout said he has a specific buyer in mind.
"My hope is that somebody will come along and buy the store and do the same thing I'm doing here and it will be a great business for them as it has been for me," Stout said.
Flat Rock Grill and Grocery is a commodity in the community, but then again, so is Stout, a man who spends a lot of time giving back to the community where he and his family live.
