The Virginia Black Lifestyle Magazine (VBLM) will be featuring some of Virginia's Finest Black Owned Restaurants in our latest series, Supporting Black Restaurants through COVID-19.
Ernestine's Table
VBLM: Tell our readers a little about yourself, and what inspired you to open a restaurant
Mr. Titoni Crenshaw is a native of Petersburg and a graduate of Virginia State
University. Opening a restaurant is something that I have always wanted to do. It has been a long time dream of mine. I chose to open a restaurant in this location, because I wanted to bring a taste of soul to this part of the city. Having a meal at Ernestine’s Table is like having a meal at your grandmother’s house. In fact, Ernestine’s Table is named in honor of my late grandmother, Ernestine Crenshaw, who had a genuine love and passion for cooking and I am hoping to continue that legacy in our food.
VBLM: Tell our readers a little more about Ernestine's Table
Ernestine’s Table is a fairly new restaurant that opened in July 2019. This restaurant is a family run business and we make everyone feel like they are a part of the family when they visit us.
Ernestine’s Table offers a variety of menu options each day but we are best known for our fried chicken, chitterlings, smothered pork chops, oxtails, and jumbo crab cakes. Not only do we sell food, but we give back to our community by participating in local toy drives at Christmas, community feeding events, and more recently in March, we provided food to the homeless. We also sponsored two local high school graduating seniors.
VBLM: How has COVID-19 impacted your business?
In December, our restaurant was destroyed due to a fire. We started working to restore the building in January and planning a grand reopening in March. Our customers were patiently waiting for us to reopen and then COVID19 forced us to cancel our big grand opening event. However, we have seen a decline in food sales since opening back up, but we are grateful for the support that we have received and are looking forward to opening back up so that our customers can dine in and enjoy the atmosphere.
VBLM: What changes have you made to the way you conduct business in response to the latest Executive Orders?
We have reduced our hours and days of operation where we are open Wednesday-Saturday 11:30am-8pm. In order to ensure the health & safety of our staff and customers and to maintain social distancing, our dine-in area remains closed and we are servicing our customers for take-out orders. We have posted a sign that requires our customers to wear masks upon entry. Our staff is constantly cleaning and sanitizing after customers are serviced.
VBLM: How can the VBLM Village support your business during this time?
You (VBLM) are already supporting our business by publishing this article and I certainly thank you for this opportunity. However, you can simply let your readers and followers know that Ernestine’s Table Restaurant is located at 509 Halifax Street, Petersburg, VA 23803. We can be reached at (804) 722-5877. We are also on Instagram and Facebook @ErnestinesTable where our menu options are posted daily. Please visit our website at www.ernestinestable.com.