Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Halftime Sports Bar Headed to 1427 H Street

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A new sports bar is coming to the space formerly occupied by Daavi's West African Restaurant, which closed in 2006, and has remained vacant ever since.

After years of no official sports bar on H Street, we actually have two in the works.  Sin Bin (a nickname for the penalty box in hockey) is coming to 1336 H Street. Sin Bin, with its total occupancy load of 400, is much larger than Halftime, but I bet we can accommodate two sports bars as long as they offer different experiences. Did you know we were originally slated to have a sports bar called the Olympic as one of the original Joe Englert associated bars?

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UPDATE
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According to an email sent out on the listserv overnight, there are actually three new sports bars headed to the 1300 & 1400 blocks. The third, which doesn't yet have a name, is supposed to go into the long vacant Micky's space at 1362 H Street. Three sports bars within a block of each other does seem like a lot. Thoughts?

Also of note: Karl Graham, who is listed as the contact on the ABRA notice, is the owner of the Elroy (1423 H Street).

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE REGULATION ADMINISTRATION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Posting Date:    ​         January 31, 2014
Petition Date:    ​         March 17, 2014
Hearing Date:   ​March 31, 2014
Protest Hearing Date: ​May 21, 2014

License No.:   ​ABRA-094107
Licensee:      ​ ​New York Avenue Beach Bar LLC
Trade Name:   ​ ​Halftime Sports Bar
License Class:​Retailer’s Class “C” Tavern
Address:          ​1427 H Street NE Washington, DC 20002
Contact:           ​Karl Graham 240-832-8526

​WARD   6 ​ANC 6A ​     ​               SMD 6A06

Notice is hereby given that this applicant has applied for a license under the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Act and that the objectors are entitled to be heard before the granting of such license on the hearing date at 10:00 am, 2000 14th Street, N.W., 400 South, Washington, DC 20009.  Petitions and/or requests to appear before the Board must be filed on or before the petition date. The Protest Hearing Date is scheduled for May 21, 2014 at 1:30pm.

NATURE OF OPERATION

This is a new “C” Tavern. Sports Bar with sports shows on TV’s throughout the bar. Food to be served will be french fries, hamburgers and chicken wings.

HOURS OF OPERATION/ HOURS OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SALES/SERVICE/CONSUMPTION/LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Sunday from 10am - 2am, Monday through Thursday 12pm – 2am, Friday from 12pm – 3am and Saturday from 10am to 3am

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Too many for one block, but hopefully the area can support it. Can someone actually do a study of what the neighborhood wants/needs before opening a repeat business? That is a pretty basic principal before investing. How about a Thai Restaurant? A diner?

What's the story on the Organic Market sign next to Old City Crossfit? Have I just never noticed it?

Anonymous said...

^ Agreed! I'd love to see a good thai restaurant or a diner similar to the Cap City concept. I miss those days!

I've been wondering about the organic market at 8th and H too. Seems like it's been far too long without any progress.

Alan Page said...

They would definitely have to specialize. Sin Bin will probably have all the Caps games. Halftime sounds like it will have all the ___skins and Wizards games.

Maybe the third bar can focus on college sports?

ps: Has any bar gone out of business due to lack of customers on H? Toyland, perhaps?

Anonymous said...

@ 9:11...just because they didn't show up at your doorstep and ask what you wanted doesn't mean they didn't do a "study". Maybe their "study" indicated our neighborhood can support various sports bars.

Also, proper usage is a basic "principal" of writing. lol

Annoyingmous said...

Re: bars going out of business, places I can think of: Toyland, Pap & Petey's, H Street Martini Lounge, Fruit Bat, Tru Orleans. But I don't know how many (or even if any) of them went out of business from lack of customers.

As for a study of what the neighborhood wants/needs, I think it's pretty clear that the *neighborhood's* wants/needs are not what's driving development on H. After all, the majority of the H Street bar crowd is not coming from the neighborhood.

Annoyingmous said...

Addendum: to add to that list, the Palace of Wonders/the Red & the Black/Red Palace. Again, can't speak to how much the customer demand drove those moves.

Anonymous said...

last week, each of these places thought they'd be filling the sportsbar vacancy on H st. now they are all like, "fuuuuuuudge"

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 9:11 - Do you have actual knowledge that someone didn't do a market analysis, or are you just ranting about nonsense for the sake of ranting?

Ronnie said...

Can't wait, brah!

Anonymous said...

As long as they are not "sports bars" in the Nellies sense. I have no problem with the Nellies scene whatsoever, just think it's disingenuous identifying it as a sports bar.

MJ said...

Adding to the shut down list, SOVA, Taylor Charles Steak & Ice, and (although not on H) the diner on Bladensburg.

Keep in mind that just because a place fills a niche doesn't mean that it's any good; people had high hopes for Tru Orleans (don't laugh) with talks of beignets at Sunday brunch until reality kicked in. I still think that H Street could use a good arcade bar. The flipside of this is just because that niche has already been filled by another business doesn't mean that you won't do well or do things differently enough to stand apart. Considering all the college flags hanging from houses on Capitol Hill I could see enough of a Saturday football crowd to keep multiple sports bars alive. But the devil's in the details.

Anonymous said...

Hi All. I don't understand why everyone there wants H street to turn into Adams Morgan.

Doesn't anyone want a few brnad new (not thrift)clothes stores? A gardening center? a futon place? A card/gift store? Maybe a place that sells jewelry/watches? A choclatier? A fabric store? A tobacconist? Maybe a place like the Nature store? Maybe an adult education store where you could learn sign language, how to write plays/novels and throw some pottery?

Think of it, if folks only go for the restaurants because there aren't other viable retail options, they are spending limited dollars in the community and making those purchases outside the neighborhood. Also, by having other retail options, maybe folks would be drawn to those and stay behind to eat and drink.

Rant over. Just my thoughts

Anonymous said...

I think three sports bars can exist next to each other as long as the food is different. Maybe one will have diner food? Hopefully, the have real menus, not just bar food.

Anonymous said...

@12:33 Please forgive me for mistyping a homophone. You are my intellectual superior!

@2:29 - If Thai food and diners are nonsense, I choose nonsense. An alternative suggestion does not = ranting.

It is great to see that my "ranting" incited your anger today. In case you had not read the article, it asked for our thoughts. I gave mine. I have a fondness for Thai food and miss Cap City. If I need to watch sports, I already have 2 solid locations on H St to do so.

Do I know if they performed a market analysis? No. That said, I would be blown away if a study of our neighborhood would find that 3 sports bars within one block at the tail end of H St is advisable or even profitable. Perhaps you care to share one? Maybe I should bark at you for proof positive that one was done!

Guess I hit a nerve with someone. Good luck with your business.

Alan Page said...

I was specifically looking for bars on H that closed due to lack of customers. H Street Martini Lounge closed because there was a stabbing there, so that one (for example) wouldn't count. Tru Orleans also closed for a number of reasons other than demand.

Toyland, I seem to remember closing due to lack of demand.

Phish Tea was a restaurant that closed due to lack of demand in the early 2000s (their space is now occupied by H Street Country Club). But both of those examples are earlier in the corridor's history. I can't imagine a reasonably well-run bar failing now, on the east side of the strip especially (Toyland was pretty isolated when they went under).

Did Pap & Petey's go under due to lack of demand? Always seemed full of plenty of people whenever I passed it...

As for this quote: " If I need to watch sports, I already have 2 solid locations on H St to do so.", I can't think of a single proper sports bar on the strip. One TV in Little Miss Whiskeys doesn't quite pass the sports bar test, even though I love hanging out with my fellow Saints fans there. Ha.

JoshNE said...

Big Board has a few TVs, and isn't a bad place to watch a game.

Anonymous said...

North Dupont could support a 2nd Ann Taylor Loft and 3rd Comfort One Shoes. It does not mean that neighborhood should.

Anonymous said...

I forgot about all those sports bars with great non-bar food, like...

Anonymous said...

As for this quote: "I can't think of a single proper sports bar on the strip. One TV in Little Miss Whiskeys doesn't quite pass the sports bar test, even though I love hanging out with my fellow Saints fans there. Ha."

If LMW is your first thought for a sports bar and/or can't think of bars that went out of business, you may not be qualified to comment on this thread/blog.

Chris in Eckington said...

I think Pap and Petey's went out of business for a couple of reasons. I went there quite a few times, but with the exception of a few nights when they had party promoters filling the space, it was never very crowded. Additionally, although Duke was a nice guy, from what I understand, he was not a very astute businessman.

RPW said...

There are a ton of places to watch a game already. Argonaut, The Pug, Star and Shamrock, Beergarten, Queen Vic even if none of these places are "traditional" sports bars. I don't see how all three of these places can be viable.

Alan Page said...

"If LMW is your first thought for a sports bar and/or can't think of bars that went out of business, you may not be qualified to comment on this thread/blog."

You need to read more closely. I clearly said *twice* that I was looking for bars that went out of business *due to lack of customer demand*. I did mention one, Toyland, so saying that I couldn't think of any is also false. I also notice that you couldn't list one. You also didn't offer an alternative sports bar suggestion. In other words, you're a troll, with nothing to offer in this discussion. Have a seat.

Alan Page said...

"Doesn't anyone want a few brnad new (not thrift)clothes stores? A gardening center? a futon place? A card/gift store? Maybe a place that sells jewelry/watches? A choclatier? A fabric store? A tobacconist? Maybe a place like the Nature store?"

Let me address those in order.

New clothes: Fashion One and Men's Fashion Warehouse went out of business. Maybe not your kind of clothes, but there were new clothing retail options on the strip

A gardening center: Florist at 5th & H had a great shop. Also went out of business

A futon place: Lots of new furniture (perhaps not specifically futons) available at 8th & H Furniture

A card/gift store - Plenty of cards at Rite-Aid, not so sure a standalone shop like this would make it (maybe someone knows of one?)

A place that sells jewelry/watches - there is one, in the H Street Connection strip mall

A chocolatier - Dunno.

A fabric store - Draw up a business plan for that one.

A tobacconist - I believe there was a tobacco shop near Florida and West Virginia (Capitol Hill Premium Cigars & Tobacco). Out of business now and replaced by a small music venue, I believe

No idea what the Nature Store is, but I doubt it.



troll said...

It seems that excessive use of the word "troll" is part of the new moderator training program.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the poster about lack of retail options that don't involve sit-down food or booze. I wonder what the hood will look like when the hipsters get tired and the restaurants close.

Carver Hillbilly said...

I am just hoping that one of the three will be good. I don't love the idea of three sports bars, but does increase the odds of one being a decent spot.

Anonymous said...

Alan, current places to watch games: Argonaut, Pug, Star and Shamrock, Biergarten Haus, Queen Vic, Big Board, even Smith Commons. There are probably more that I do not frequent. Happy?

I'm not clear why a moderator attacks someone who says they already have places to watch games. Since you live here, I'm sure you have noticed things called TVs, with sports on them, in a variety of locations. I did not realize I had to spell out everywhere I can watch them to a local without being labeled a troll. You critiqued my post, remember? You don't add anything as a moderator or contributor if you sling sh*it and then can't handle someone critiquing your post in the exact same manner.

Sports bars are great. I'm all for a new one. If you think 3 sports bars are necessary, I disagree. That's it.

inked said...

11:56,
Alan is a contributor, but he is not a moderator.

Alan Page said...

Anon @ 11:56 (and 11:19)

1) I did not attack you. Asking you to read what I write closely, in a text-based exchange, is not an "attack". Labeling you a troll for suggesting I shouldn't be in the discussion, without you adding anything to the discussion (in terms of sports bars or bars that closed due to customer demand) is likewise not an attack. Asking you to "take a seat" is a metaphor for "stop being non-constructive" and also was not an attack.

2) I specifically used the qualifier "proper" (proper sports bar) to differentiate from just a bar that happened to have a TV. By your loose definition, every bar with a TV that ever shows sports at any time is a "sports bar". This is not a common definition of that term.

3) I'm not a moderator, I'm a contributor.

4) Why don't some of you start using handles if you're going to post repeatedly in the same thread, so I can tell whether you're the same anonymous person or multiple, separate anonymous people.

fatty said...

Oh what a coincidence the stupid ToT blog goes away when imgof leaves for California

Anonymous said...

@ 110pm...lol...whether the same person or different entities, without a doubt two of the most annoying personas ever.

schmoolz said...

cant we all just get along? maybe have a drink together at one of the 3 new sports bars?

IamNotGoff said...

Hug it out, you guys. No need for all this brahh hating.

inked said...

1:16,
@Imgoph may be a curgudgeon, but he's actually a really nice guy.

Anonymous said...

@ 5:56 --

Geez, chill out. If anyone had a nerve struck, it looks it was you. You probably could use a drink more than anyone else on this blog -- luckily for you there are three sports bars coming to H Street soon. Just be patient, it will be alright.

Anonymous said...

Any update on the opening date for this? Best of luck to them!