Guess it's time to throw some new experiences in here. The wifester and I have been OCing as usual with no issues at any of the regular joints reported recently or in previous years. A couple months back or so I was out to Roanoke for a VCDL lunch in Salem and decided to take a little motorcycle ride back home a different route than usual. I took Rt 220 south down to Rocky Mount and then Rt 122 back toward Bedford with the intent to stop at Homestead Creamery in Burnt Chimney for some ice cream. I didn't OC on that occasion, but the wife and I went back a couple weeks later and had lunch, shopped around some, then got ice cream as we loafed around the property watching the goats and cows out back. We wrapped up by buying a few things and we headed home. No one seemed the least bit bothered by our OCed sidearms and we were happy to have lunch at the creamery whose milk we've been using for years. We went down to Wally World in Rocky Mount on that same trip and had no issues OCing there either, but we didn't expect any.
We've since been back with Jero1987 and his wife and pretty much repeated the same visit with lunch, shopping, playing with the critters and getting ice cream and again none of the staff seemed the least bit bothered by the sidearms, but we did overhear a couple customers comment to each other about them. Once again it was a pleasant visit and I'll be looking forward to our next trip out some time soon.
Some time between now and the first visit to Homestead Creamery we decided to check out Arosto Pizza on Wards Rd to see if the management was as hostile to gun owners as the management at Waterstone Pizza downtown (apparently they either share the same owner or at least the same concept guy). We've been in about a half dozen or so times in the past couple months and have never had the first issue with OCed sidearms and the staff, though a bit more reserved than I'd expect, seem friendly enough and provide some tasty pizza at a price I'm comfortable with. Arosto only does individual size pizzas (probably 10+ inches), salads, and a couple desserts, and I don't think they have an ABC license (yet?), but it seems to cater well to the Liberty U students and others in the area and stay moderately busy.
The only other semi-unusual spot for us was dining at Longhorn Steakhouse in Roanoke a couple times, but we've had no issue there either. I've seen a few other OCers and have had some nice comments regarding my sidearms since I last posted, but otherwise we've experienced nothing noteworthy and that's fine by me. This summer has flown by so far, but I need to get an OC lunch or dinner together soon. I think I'll post it for lunch or dinner at Monte Carlo Italian Restaurant on Old Forest Road. Once I run this by some of the regulars to see when they're free I'll add a new topic. Hope some of you Lynchburgers who haven't made it out before can make time to come visit. If you're in the surrounding areas, come join us as well!