Hatchet in Richmond Closes and Is for Sale, as Is Big Spruce

Hatchet in Richmond Credit: Courtesy of Shem Roose

Owner Gabriel Firman confirmed that, after close to 10 years in Richmond, Hatchet served its final meals on March 2. Firman, 51, said he is exiting the restaurant business and abandoning previously announced plans to launch a new concept in the space formerly occupied by his second restaurant, the shuttered Big Spruce, across the road at 39 Bridge Street.

“Every day takes a concerted effort in this industry to exist. What prompted me to close is not one thing,” Firman said. “This business is death by a thousand cuts.”

Firman opened Hatchet at 30 Bridge Street in July 2015. In late January 2020, he announced plans for a second restaurant across the street, this one “taco-focused, Mexican-influenced.” The Big Spruce launched in November 2020, initially for takeout only. Firman closed it in October 2024 to focus on Hatchet, while working with that restaurant’s culinary director, chef Christian Kruse, on a new concept for the Big Spruce space.

Firman now plans to sell both restaurants. “My time as a restaurant operator has run its course,” he said. “These establishments and this community would be best served by me passing the reins.”

Kruse, 40, who worked with Firman for a year at the Big Spruce and then Hatchet, said he is investigating the possibility of buying the 39 Bridge Street restaurant.

A 2022 James Beard Foundation semifinalist in the Best Chef: Northeast category, Kruse said he is not sure what kind of restaurant he would launch there. But if he does buy the former Big Spruce, he’ll aim to reopen its creemee window by May.

“That is a must,” he said.