Some of our favorite news on The Wire is also the simplest: somewhere in America, somebody is building another buffet.
That is happening now in Christiansburg, Virginia, where Grand Feast Buffet is preparing to open at Uptown Christiansburg. The restaurant is being introduced as a sister concept to Spicity, the established Sichuan restaurant in neighboring Blacksburg, with the operators promising an all-you-can-eat selection of Asian cuisine.
And this is more than a “coming soon” sign taped to a window. Town records show a 5,107-square-foot restaurant renovation underway at 782 New River Road NW, with a permitted occupancy of 146 people. Construction includes work on the kitchen, bathrooms and dining space, along with electrical, plumbing and fire-suppression upgrades.
Grand Feast has been targeting a Fall 2026 opening, although an exact date has not yet been announced.
For travelers familiar with the seemingly endless I-81 run through western Virginia and onward toward the Shenandoah Valley, Christiansburg is already a natural place to break up the drive. Soon it may offer a considerably more compelling detour: an oasis of abundance just off the corridor.
What exactly will fill Grand Feast’s buffet lines remains the next question. Detailed menus, pricing, hours and individual stations have not yet been released publicly, so we will resist prematurely populating the steam tables with imaginary crab legs and sushi rolls.
The more interesting piece for now is what Grand Feast represents. An established local restaurant operator is branching into a different format and investing in a sizeable new all-you-can-eat dining experience.
We are always delighted to see another AYCE dining room joining the national landscape.
And for anyone making that long haul on I-81, there may soon be a new exit worth remembering.
