Cheri Shores Death, Obituary – Cheri Shores, Former co-owner of Citrus Restaurant has sadly passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. The first time that Lance and Cheri Shores went out together was over 30 years ago. Love was the driving force behind the now-married couple who opened the famous restaurant Citrus in Virginia Beach. It appeared to spread to their staff as well as the community of patrons who dined there over a period of 16 years and at both of their locations.
But once Cheri was told she had pancreatic cancer more over a year ago, the Shoreses made the decision to retire earlier than planned and begin looking into different ways that they may give back to their employees, particularly those who have been with them since the beginning, as well as this community. A couple of months ago, the Shoreses decided to pass the company on to the employees in order to ensure that the Citrus name would go on. Now, despite the fact that Cheri has to rest frequently, she is assisting Lance in beginning another legacy by assisting him in building an outdoor kitchen for their property in Virginia Beach.
The outdoor kitchen that Cheri Shores designed for her and her husband, Lance, is currently in the process of being constructed. The pair formerly owned Citrus in Virginia Beach when it was located there.
The outdoor kitchen that Cheri Shores designed for her and her husband, Lance, is currently in the process of being constructed. The pair formerly owned Citrus in Virginia Beach when it was located there. (Taken from The Virginian-Pilot by Stephen M. Katz)
Born at Camp Lejeune, which is part of the United States Marine Corps, Lance was a child of the military. Cheri was called after the Stevie Wonder song “My Cherie Amour,” and she is originally from Northern Virginia. When both were in their twenties, she was working as a jewelry designer at Christian Bernard at Lynnhaven Mall, and he was tending bar at the Oceanfront. This is where they first crossed paths. Around the year 1994, he extended the friendship and asked her out on a date. She gave him her yes, but then he didn’t follow through on it.
He inquired once more, and this time he did not withdraw his request. In 2002, they tied the knot. At that point, Lance was already a well-known bartender, and a friend of his father’s had the idea to buy him a bar in Norfolk. The bar’s number is 5150, and it’s located on Shore Drive. It quickly became a popular gathering place. During her time spent working in the jewelry industry, Cheri assisted with it.
“I still had that drive,” stated Lance. “I’m not giving up.” “I had the idea to start a restaurant that served breakfast.” In what had been a boat repair shop located on West Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, he noticed a lot of possibilities. Citrus was first introduced to the public in 2006, and its name was chosen to connote something new and distinct. Additionally, it brought to mind the fruit trees that the Shoreses had observed on their trips around the Caribbean, Europe, and Rome.
As a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland with a degree in business, Cheri decided to leave her previous position in order to assist in the management of the restaurant. His specialties included working behind the bar and managing nightclubs. “We didn’t know the cooking side,” was what he remarked. ” They employed a kitchen manager, who was also responsible for developing all of the recipes. Cheri devised new lunch and dinner dishes on a daily basis, such as potato pancakes and fried chicken served with scrambled eggs and covered in gravy.
They procured the ingredients for the jumbo lump crab omelet and the other dishes on the menu from local farmers and watermen and worked with the watermen to create the dishes. According to Lance, the bartenders, servers, and chefs came to the conclusion that they could make just as much money running a morning and lunch cafe as they did running a midnight company. There was not a high rate of employee turnover at Citrus, which is something that typically occurs in the restaurant industry.
Because of this, the pair spent an even greater amount of time together. In addition to preparing the desserts and recipes, Cheri was in charge of cleaning the dishes that were used in the kitchen. In addition to that, she was in charge of the books and was also occasionally responsible for bussing tables and washing dishes.
“She never once took a day off,” Lance remarked about her. She established individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) plans for the employees of the company. She served as a role model for a few of the female staff. When an employee required transportation, the pair even contributed to the purchase of a truck to help out the worker.
In 2011, the Food Network paid Citrus a visit, and the restaurant was highlighted on an episode of Guy Fieri’s show titled “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” After that, citrus’s popularity continued to rise. On certain days, the amount of time spent waiting increased to two hours. After another three years, the pair launched their second restaurant on North Great Neck Road, which had previously been occupied by a Ruby Tuesday. The number of clients continued to rise, to the point that on the weekends the establishment was completely full.
In the space that was last occupied by a Ruby Tuesday on North Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, popular breakfast and lunch eatery Citrus will soon be expanding to a second location under the ownership of Lance and Cheri Shores. In the space that was last occupied by a Ruby Tuesday on North Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, popular breakfast and lunch eatery Citrus will soon be expanding to a second location under the ownership of Lance and Cheri Shores. (Stephen M. Katz)
Citrus continues to pay its employees even after the pandemic that struck in the year 2020 caused restaurants to close. Cooking and preparing the takeout orders was Lance’s responsibility. The Shoreses dispatched workers to the Eastern Shore on a biweekly basis in order to provide assistance to local farmers who lacked sufficient manpower.
“As other businesses fell apart, we bonded harder because we gave back,” said Lance. “When other businesses failed, we gave back.”
