If there are any silver linings in the loss of Charlottesville’s most prolific restaurateur, one may be that Wilson Richey’s modus operandi when he was alive eases his restaurants’ transitions now that he’s gone. Richey’s passion to create new experiences drove him so much that once one of his creations was running well, he felt free to start the next. So long as he had team members to whom he could safely divest ownership, he would turn his focus to his new idea. Four of his creations – The Wine Guild, The Alley Light, The Bebedero, and Cafe Frank – Richey no longer owned at the time of his December 2023 death. The rest, thanks to his planning, had leaders in place ready to take the reins.