GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — I went out to Gloucester because I wanted to highlight one very special couple.
Kim and Doug Hibbs are the owners of the Courthouse Restaurant, and News 3 heard they’re a mainstay on main street.
This mom-and-pop diner has been here for over a decade.
“The smiles, the love, just the friendliness, it feels like family when you walk in here,” Laura Trantham, a Courthouse Restaurant customer, told me about the Hibbs.
“The food's good and reasonable, you know, and so that's kind of the combination that us older folks enjoy,” Bill Weaver, who told me he’s been coming here for years, said.
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But what keeps customers coming back isn’t just the food - it’s the owners, Kim and Doug Hibbs.
“They’re just beautiful people,” William Jones, a Courthouse Restaurant employee, said.
“People that come on a regular basis, we get to be a part of their lives," Kim, Courthouse Restaurant co-owner, said. "They're a part of our lives. We are growing old together. You know, we're watching families have babies and seeing their kids growing up or attending funerals.”
“They're wonderful, that every time you come in, they act like your best friends,” Dawn Wilt, who went out of her way to come eat at the restaurant, said.
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What makes Kim and Doug extra special to their tight-knit community is how they’ve supported them over the years.
“Oh, they are excellent,” Weaver said. “You know, community servants really, because they provide a lot of meals for different functions.”
“We do free Thanksgiving dinner to the community on Thanksgiving Day," Kim said. "And so this will be our 13th year, except for the year we couldn’t do it in 2020 because of the COVID restrictions."
The Hibbs never thought they’d own a restaurant, but it’s become so much more.
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From hosting spaghetti dinner fundraisers, to helping local schools, feeding the homeless through local ministries, donations for Shop With A Cop, and more - all proceeds go directly to the organizations.
“They just, they open up their hearts and you can see it in everything that they do,” Trantham said.
“Our community takes care of us and we take care of them,” Doug Hibbs, Kim’s other half and co-owner of Courthouse restaurant, said.
And that kindness hasn’t gone overlooked; they’ve been recognized in the past for their big hearts and hard work in the community.
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Even though they tell me they like to stay out of the limelight, I wanted to make sure I shined it right on them, so I presented them with an Everyday Heroes Award.
“This is for you guys," I told them. "You mean so much to this community, and we just wanted to show you that the community love you guys so much, and they're so grateful."
“Wow, this is such an honor," Kim said. "Thank you so much. I'm, I usually don't have anything not to say. Speechless… just was very humbled. Thank you."
“Oh, what a great honor. Thank you so much. And thank you to our staff and the community that support us on a regular basis. And we can't do it without them. Thank you. God is good.”
If you haven’t already, you can check out their website here.
