At his new restaurant and sports bar on the east end of Christiansburg, Johnson suggests starting with the Canis Comets. That’s the name of the hushpuppies that he says are served with butter and “space” blackberry jam.

“They are really fun,” he said.

But if they’re really in the mood for something out of the ordinary, Johnson recommends Earth’s Core Burger, which, among other toppings, comes with Pepper Jack cheese, jalapenos, and what he calls a “supernova” sauce.

“It’s something we’re proud of,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who has years of management experience in hospitality, restaurant and entertainment businesses, owns and recently opened one of the latest additions to the Christiansburg food scene: Lost In Taste.

The establishment, which opened last Tuesday, is located at 2675 Roanoke Street, in the building that housed a Denny’s restaurant.

A Denny’s had been at this location for a few years before closing in 2013. The restaurant chain returned in 2017 before finally closing again.

Johnson said he remembered the building because he spent several years working at the nearby Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

“I saw it,” he said. “And the [hotel] the guests who came there always asked: “Where can I find something to eat … and to drink?” “

Johnson said hotels in the area can easily get full, especially during Virginia Tech sporting events.

So when Johnson began to seriously pursue his goal of running his own restaurant establishment, he knew of a good location with already existing traffic.

“I saw an empty building in my community and I didn’t like it,” he said.

Johnson said he expects the restaurant and other nearby businesses, such as lawn and garden equipment retailer Power Zone, to complement each other and the area to receive heavy traffic from east of Montgomery County and Interstate 81.

Johnson said he was also supported by the experience and knowledge gained working at the hotel, as well as the local Bull & Bones brewery and grill and the Blacksburg cinema which is now owned by B&B Theaters.

Johnson said the name of his restaurant was a play on the title of the Netflix series “Lost in Space”. He said the theme of his restaurant was favored by the aesthetics of the building – which he said suited a space-themed atmosphere well – and by the fact that the subject of space has widespread appeal.

One of the logos for Lost in Taste shows a hamburger orbiting an astronaut’s head.

Johnson said many people have at least some interest in space, whether for science or entertainment. In addition to the long existence of galactic media franchises such as “Star Trek” and “Star Wars”, he said it is difficult these days to miss space-related shows or movies on TV and popular streaming apps.

“Everyone loves space,” Johnson said.

So when he started settling down to his restaurant theme, Johnson said he thought, “I think we can do something here. We have something here.

The Big Bang Shrimp, Total Eclipse Salad, Black Hole Burger, and Roswell Ribeye are other menu items.

And the drink menu includes Galactic Cowboy Imperial Stout, a renowned Milky Way White Russian, and Cryo Coke, which features a blend of frozen Jack Daniels and vanilla.

In addition to food and drink, Lost in Taste offers multiple TVs for watching sporting events, an interactive jukebox that can play music from phones, and arcade-style games.