RICHMOND, Va. — At Get Tight Lounge on West Main Street, a new chef and menu items is drawing crowds near Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
The restaurant at 1104 W Main St. has transformed under newly-appointed Chef Dalisa Campbell, a Richmond native, who joined the team in January.
"I have the best cheesecake in the city," Campbell said during a recent interview on the "Eat It, Virginia!" podcast.
She said the dessert took her a year and a half to perfect.
"I can go toe to toe with Junior's," she added, referencing the famous New York cheesecake institution.
Campbell, 38, brings a diverse culinary background shaped by her mixed heritage — Cherokee and Nigerian — along with experience running high-volume operations including TopGolf Richmond, where she served up to 8,000 customers daily.
Owner Drew Schlegel, a Baltimore native, opened Get Tight Lounge with business partner Randy O'Dell after working his way through Richmond's restaurant scene, starting at the Lily Pad where he organized guest bartender nights that connected him with the local hospitality community.
The restaurant's signature dish remains Baltimore-style pit beef — thinly sliced top round cooked over hot coals and served on potato rolls with barbecue sauce and horseradish mayo.
It's a regional specialty Schlegel describes as "Arby's, if Arby's were good."
"There are more famous places that are now more well known, but even the most famous one was in the parking lot of a strip club," Schlegel said, describing authentic Baltimore pit beef joints.
Campbell has embraced the pit beef tradition while expanding the menu with dishes like her popular Green Goddess bowl featuring jerk chicken with coconut rice and bok choy with ramp pesto.
The restaurant operates as multiple venues under one roof — neighborhood bar, live music venue, and dining destination.
Schlegel books all entertainment in-house, recently hosting simultaneous events with guitarist,DJ Williams performing outside while DJ Rei spun salsa records inside.
"We strive to make sure that everyone's welcome, that everybody should be comfortable," Schlegel said. "You feel like you've been here before, even on your first visit."
Campbell's culinary journey began washing dishes at her grandmother's restaurant, Boot Scooters, a bar that operated in the 1990s where Jefferson Davis Highway's flea market now stands.
Her grandmother's establishment was "one of the busiest bars in the city" during its heyday, Campbell recalled.
Today, Campbell splits time between Richmond and Montego Bay, Jamaica, where she consults for Blue Oasis resort, writing menus and managing operations on monthly trips.
Get Tight opens at 11 a.m. seven days a week and serves as an unofficial gathering spot for Baltimore sports fans, particularly during Orioles and Ravens seasons. Schlegel organizes twice-yearly bus trips to Camden Yards and ensures Baltimore games are always on television.
"This year, for Opening Day, we had every single seat inside and outside and at the bar full of Orioles fans," Schlegel said. "That was easily double what it's been in the past."
Despite operating near VCU's campus, Schlegel said his clientele skews older.
"People assume because it's on campus that it's a college bar," Schlegel said. "Look around, and it's people in their upper 20s, early 30s, all the way through their 50s."
Campbell's approach emphasizes fresh ingredients. The restaurant operates without freezers, requiring daily preparation of all menu items.
Her goal is delivering "elevated food for a bar" that maintains the casual atmosphere while serving restaurant-quality dishes.
The combination appears to be working.
Campbell reports the dinner service has grown significantly busier since her arrival, creating new challenges for a venue that also accommodates pre-theater crowds from nearby Altria Theatre.
"We got 30 minutes to get people food in and out," Campbell said of the Broadway in Richmond rush. "When you see the whole ticket rail lined up, and we push that food out in 30 minutes, picture perfect, no issues — that pumps me up."
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