CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — The Charlottesville food and hospitality community suffered an immense loss this week with the untimely passing of beloved local restaurateur Will Richey at just 47 years old. Richey was tragically killed in a single-vehicle car accident in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

According to police reports, Richey was driving northbound on Owensville Rd West of Charlottesville when his vehicle veered off the road shortly after 1 a.m. After overcorrecting, the car traversed lanes before crashing into an embankment approximately 400 feet from the original skid marks on the rural wooded road. Richey was sadly pronounced dead on scene having not been wearing a seatbelt.

The shocking accident has rattled the entire Charlottesville area where Richey was a renowned fixture, owning a number popular downtown eateries and bars. As owner of Ten Course Hospitality Group, Richey founded Charlottesville favorite food and drink spots such as Whiskey Jar, The Bebedero, Revolutionary Soup, The Pie Chest, and his crown jewel restaurant The Duner’s near Rivanna Reservoir.

Close friend and business partner Jasper Atlee said Richey’s influence permeated the entire local restaurant scene. “Will was that rare visionary possessing both endless creativity and business savvy,” Atlee remarked solemnly. “He was always concocting innovative dining concepts while generously guiding other restaurants with his expertise.”

The outpouring of grief over Richey’s shocking death has been immense across Virginia. On Tuesday, all Ten Course Hospitality restaurants remained closed to honor their founder.

Richey’s passing comes just over a year after the untimely loss of his close business partner Josh Zanoff, compounding the tragedy for Charlottesville’s tight-knit restaurant community.

A celebration of Will Richey’s extraordinary life and culinary legacy will be held next Tuesday on the downtown pedestrian Downtown Mall which embodied so much of the vibrant hospitality scene he helped shape over decades through boundless passion.

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