Collegiate Times

Preston’s Restaurant is offering diners a chance to enjoy the notoriously gourmet food with a twist Friday.

The Inn at Virginia Tech has teamed up with the New River Stage to host a mouth-watering four-course meal served with a side of murder mystery.

“We wanted to incorporate new fun events into Preston,” said Teresa Hughes, director of sales and marketing, of the first interactive dining experience the restaurant will host.

The New River Stage was founded in 2004 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing community-based theater productions in southwest Virginia.

The murder mysteries are designed to be very interactive, as the patrons are written into the show. 

Not only are the actors walking around the tables, but they also address the patrons directly from time to time. 

There will be a scene or two, then a break, during which food is served and the floor is open for questions.

While enjoying their meals, diners are encouraged to ask the actors questions to help discover the murderer and the motive.

“(The actors) will get the audience involved with clues, however it will be minimal. There will be no standing or acting” Hughes said of what patrons should expect from the show.

The evening will last about two hours, as newlywed bed and breakfast owners Herbert and Audrey Fox attempt to unravel the mystery of their dead guest in suite nine. 

The couple is desperate to find the killer quickly and quietly, so they employ the help of the staff and guests to discover who is guilty.

At the end of the evening, the whodunit forms are taken up and tallied. A gift is given to the person who answers the question correctly, getting the motive right as well.

Food will be served throughout the evening as the mystery plays out.

“A handful of actors act out the script as (patrons are) being served. It all happens simultaneously as they make entrances and exits and mystery reveals itself,” Hughes said.

While the acting promises to be both entertaining and engaging, the mouth-watering menu also boasts a selection of some of the restaurant’s finest food. 

The meal will consist of a Baked Brie En’ Croute hot appetizer, a poached pear and pistachio-encrusted goat cheese salad, a choice of rare seared tuna loin or roast tenderloin beef for an entree, and trio chocolate mousse tower for dessert.

Murder with a view may be the first interactive dining event the restaurant has hosted, but according to Jennifer Morgan, Preston Restaurant’s manager, it will host more similar events in the future.

“We are developing similar theatrical performance for the holidays, such as a Charles Dickens Christmas dinner.”

Additionally, the restaurant will host a Grand Thanksgiving Buffet and a Champaign brunch each Sunday in December.

About 100 guests are currently expected for Friday’s dinner and performance, but Hughes said a limited number of seating remains. 

For more information or to make reservations contact Morgan at 540-231-0120.

A version of this article appeared in the Nov 4 issue of the Collegiate Times.