State's Only Worker-Owned Restaurant Turns Ten

Harrisonburg's oldest restaurant, The Little Grill, has been running since the 1940s as a "greasy spoon" and then as a neo-hippie cafe with a lively live music scene. The old diner fare was gradually replaced with farm-to-table sorts of offerings. For the past decade, the music performances and open-mic nights have carried on as the Grill has continued its quirky life --as a worker-owned "collective" restaurant.  Berkeley's Cheese Board Collective  inspired Grill principal Ron Copeland to try a worker-owned model, and observing Ohio's Casa Nueva  restaurant provided some practical know-how. A detailed article about The Little Grill's 10th year as a worker-owned enterprise is on the OldSouthHigh blog.