Dogtown Roadhouse is well known for its delicious food and drink menu, but specifically for its hand crafted, wood-fired pizza.  It is also known for its friendly atmosphere, welcoming newcomers and loyal regulars alike.  Even the dogs of Dogtown know this is the place to be!
On any given night, Dogtown’s unofficial mascot Ty, may wander over from his nearby home to greet customers while waiting patiently for a treat from the dog treat bin.  Visitors may also run into Molly, a friendly, white labradoodle belonging to owners Anga Miller and Ed Erwin, as well at the booking manager’s happy little Una pup.
Friendly dogs are always welcome on Dogtown’s outside deck, but everyone who knows Dogtown knows that all this puppy love is just icing on the cake of what has become a world-class music venue!
Before Dogtown there was The Sun Music Hall.  Once Anga Miller bought the old sewing factory in downtown Floyd in 1999, she immediately began renovating it.  Primarily, she wanted to house her clothing business, WinterSun.  However, she reserved more than half of the main floor to fulfill her longtime dream of owning a music venue. The venue, known as The Sun Music Hall, opened in 2002.  Over the following years, the location presented top names such as Leon Russell and Richie Havens, as well as many up-and-coming artists like Grace Potter and Harry Manx.
In the two decades that followed, the Hall went through many changes, including adding a full kitchen and bar.  It also became a permanent home for the itinerant Dogtown Pizza, which had spent its first years operating out of an oven mounted on the back of an old, flatbed truck!  Eventually, what is now known as Dogtown Roadhouse established itself as not only a terrific place for food and drink, but also a worthy venue for a wide variety of local and regional talent, as well as prominent acts from outside the area.
Of course, the friendly and accommodating restaurant managers, booking manager, and sound techs, along with the bar, food, and service staff, also help to make any night at Dogtown a memorable one for audiences and musicians alike.
With the arrival of Covid-19 in 2020, the music hall played an especially important role in Floyd.  The pandemic devastated the town’s well-known music scene, even causing the cancellation of the area’s biggest musical attraction, FloydFest.  With a strong focus on keeping the music alive, the leadership team at Dogtown worked hard to find creative ways to protect its staff, customers, and musicians throughout the pandemic challenges.
It was difficult to keep the kitchen operating with online ordering and curbside pickup for Dogtown’s scrumptious wood-fired pizza and other menu items.  The real challenge, however, was convincing musicians to perform in an empty room.
With Virginia’s statewide Covid restrictions, Dogtown’s regular capacity of 328 was reduced by over 80% to allow for the required social distancing.  Even so, the venue continued the live music program, broadcasting to audiences in their homes via a free livestream.
To help develop the live stream strategy, Jake Retting, a treasured local singer-songwriter, took to the stage weekly; playing only for virtual tips and offering much needed entertainment for fans stuck at home.
As time passed, the Livestream helped to provide exposure and fair pay for more local and regional acts.  Dogtown music fans had the opportunity to enjoy such diverse artists as the funky and soulful Solacoustix, award-winning singer-songwriter, Dori Freeman, and the world groove sound of Floyd’s own Music Road Co.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dogtown’s new livestream program has been a big success, receiving thousands of views, but the management team didn’t stop there.  To delight their audiences and gratify their talented performers, Dogtown recently worked with Stage Sound of Roanoke to completely upgrade the venue’s sound and light systems!
The restaurant and bar have also made big changes to remain viable in the age of Covid.  They continue to offer online ordering with a choice of takeout or curbside pickup.  For those who wish to dine in, Dogtown has a “mask when on feet” policy, and limits server interactions to delivering orders to tables.  To protect both staff and customers, Dogtown has opted to have customers place their orders at a shielded and sanitary counter.
For slightly larger parties, Dogtown now offers their beautiful upstairs dining room, with its own private deck overlooking Floyd’s outdoor stage and park.  This room is available to rent with or without catering services.
As always, and since the very beginning, Dogtown still offers full catering service.  Dogtown will bring their mobile, wood-fired oven to your location where your party can enjoy hand-tossed, gourmet pizzas, baked and served hot right out of the oven!
While the leadership and staff at Dogtown have gone above and beyond in continuing to offer the best food, drinks, and entertainment around, they know that none of this would be possible without the cooperation, love, and support of the customers and the musicians.
In an effort to give back to the community that has supported them, Dogtown has created a “Pay it Forward” program, which accepts contributions through the online ordering page.  This program provides free, discrete meals to those in need.  They also continue to host a community Thanksgiving Pot-Luck event, as well as a clothing and food drive to benefit PLENTY!  They have also recently added the CHIP (Children’s Health Improvement Partnership) fundraiser during the month leading up to Christmas.  And finally, local police, firefighters, and EMTs, as well as all veterans and military, receive a 10% discount in gratitude for their service.
The challenges of the pandemic have been hard on everyone, but Dogtown Roadhouse is awed by the dedication and willingness of their customers to come out and have fun under such trying conditions.  The entire team at Dogtown is eternally grateful to their artists and customers and is looking forward to all the good times to come!

Dogtown Roadhouse • Anga Miller and Ed Erwin
540-745-6836 • www.dogtownroadhouse.com
302 S Locust St, Floyd, VA • dogtownroadhouse@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/DogtownRoadhouse/