In 1975, after retiring from Professional Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Charley Sands decided to open a chain of restaurants called Charley's in various cities of Virginia and North Carolina. The first opening occurred in Charlottesville, VA. The Lynchburg Charley's was the second to open on September 24, 1980 at the River Ridge Mall.

The Lynchburg Charley's is now an independent restaurant owned and operated by Rob and MJ Pearson.  Charley's moved to its new location on Graves Mill Road in 1996.

A new catering department was created in 2001 by Sarah Peters, our Catering Director and Head Chef, offering full service off -site catering for any events including business meetings, anniversaries, weddings and birthdays.  The catering menus consist of Charley's favorites as well as creative new entrées.

Charley's has received honors such as the Lynchburg Regional Chamber's Small Business of the Year in 2004.

Charleys Restaurant and Catering Company has consistently achieved Gold Star Ratings for our quality of product and service.  The Gold Star Business List is Central Virginia's only objective list of high quality businesses, and membership doesn't come easy.  First, they're each recommended by hundreds of people like you.  Then they have to pass screening by independent researchers who look into their track records as businesses.