CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA) – Ralph Sampson’s American Tap Room is going full-bore after a Friday afternoon ribbon-cutting tipped off a full opening weekend. Together with UVa basketball alumni and current players, head football coach Tony Elliott, area chamber of commerce and minority business leadership, and Mayor Lloyd Snook, the red ribbon was cut with golden scissors after countdown by UVa cheerleaders and community members. Part of the proceeds from this opening weekend sales will be donated to the Charlottesville Boys & Girls Club, the Ron Brown Scholar Program, and The Ridley Foundation.
Sampson said this “is not just a restaurant, it’s a destination, it’s entertainment, it’s fun”.
He wants it to be a place where UVa and the community gather, celebrating UVa athletics as a way to connect with the Charlottesville area. He bills it as an upscale sports bar experience with local eats and local brews. He says the fun continues throughout the weekend with a family-friendly brunch on Saturday and Sunday that includes face painting, live DJ and photo opportunities with former and current UVA athletes. The restaurant will also be open for dinner service both Saturday and Sunday beginning at 4:00 pm.
He opened it with northern Virginia restauranteur Warren Thompson of Thompson Hospitality — who went to UVa with Ralph — and contacted him a few months ago to see if he wanted to go in the restaurant business together in Charlottesville. Ralph had purchased The White Spot, which is his entry into the business. Thompson had opened The Ridley on West Main Street, named in homage to Dr. Walter N. Ridley, the first Black student to graduate from The University of Virginia and receive a graduate degree from any major historically white public university in the South.
Click here for all the information about Ralph Sampson’s American Tap Room.
