Efforts to expand Bunnyman Brewing‘s footprint at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton are officially on the move.
DrinkLocal LLC, which operates Bunnyman Brewing, has received approval for a lease to control a second storefront across from its existing bar, bringing another dining option to the campus.
Speaking at a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors public hearing last month, co-owner Sam Gray said that the company would continue to emphasize cohesiveness at the Workhouse Arts Center, ultimately highlighting what he believes led to the success of Bunnyman’s first project at the property.
“The public doesn’t know that this is a separation at all,” Gray said. “We want them to know that this is the Workhouse Arts campus, and everybody works together at the same time.”
According to a county staff report, patronage to the arts center has grown dramatically since the mid-2024 opening of the first Bunnyman Brewing location at the property. Attendance grew 56% from 2023 to 2024, but jumped even higher — 85% — from June 2024 to June 2025.
“We know amenities matter,” Gray said. “The addition of food and beverage options over the past year has been a massive contributor to our record-setting attendance, and it’s helped us attract a new audience and encourage guests to stay longer and enjoy more of what the Workhouse has to offer.”
DrinkLocal’s newest project, located at 9517 Workhouse Way, will feature a family-friendly dining environment on the first floor, Gray said. A so-called “date night opportunity” will be on the second floor, featuring a full liquor license, menu and more.
Old Dominion Pizza Company, which has locations in Fairfax City and Arlington, has signed onto the project, partnering with Bunnyman to bring its slices to the campus.
DrinkLocal is targeting next spring to open the new venture, following recent additions to Workhouse Arts Center that include an art-inspired mini golf course that opened this spring and an outdoor “Kiln Yard” listed as “coming soon.”
“This is really our huge opportunity to continue that trend, to continue to make those movements to transform the Workhouse into the vision that, frankly, was part of a 25-year ago vision for the Lorton area,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said.
At last month’s meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve DrinkLocal’s use of the second former prison building, executing an initial 10-year lease with two, five-year addendums.
“I know the engagement you’ve had with most of us about how we can do things even better this time around, I think, gives us even more optimism and belief that this will now take what are already some amazing visitation numbers to an even higher level,” Storck said.
