VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Back in 2006, Lance and Cheri Shores turned a boat storage and repair shop into a small business in Virginia Beach.
Eventually, they transformed it into "Citrus," a gem in Virginia Beach, according to longtime customers like Margaret Inge
"It was running into two-hour waits to get in and people still waited all that time," says Inge.
Servers say with a name like "Citrus" everything needed to be fresh. The Shores worked with local farmers to bring in fresh ingredients, and they kept a close watch at what came out of the kitchen.
"She was absolutely on top of everything. She would work the window making sure everything came out OK and was placed correctly getting it to the right server getting it out right away," Inge. She was back and forth in the kitchen she was making biscuits herself she was baking desserts."
Some people, like server Whitney Cornett, believe that it wasn't just the food that would bring customers back.
"When she came in she just lit up the room, everybody got so happy," Cornett said.
Locals say true love fueled their success, and eventually, the Shores decided to build a second location on North Great Neck Road.
"They were just a great team, and you could tell that they just really really cared about each other deeply," said Inge.
Last year, when Cheri developed pancreatic cancer, the couple decided to retire and passed the torch to their employees.
Cheri passed away on May 14th.
According to the Harvard Business Review, only 12% of the U.S. workforce works at worker-owned enterprises, which makes this opportunity for the employees to own the business all the more special, according to Cornett.
"Lance and Cheri could have gone a completely different route and they could have sold us to another person who could have ran the restaurant and not given us the opportunity," Cornett said. "It's really amazing how they planned to take care of us all even after retirement."
While Cheri no longer waits at the door to greet customers, her staff and loved ones say she still embodies both restaurants.
"Everything says Cheri in the restaurant she put it all together all the decor and everything," adds Cornett.
Because of the trust she had in her employees, it will stay that way for a long time.
