Matt Ashburn poses outside his diner soon after it was delivered to DC.
The Post writes about the trying process of opening the Capital City Diner. The diner, which is located at 1050 Bladensburg Road, opens to the public on Tuesday at 6am. Check out this old Brightest Young Things post for a peek at the menu. The Capital City Diner is Trinidad's only sit down eating option. Check out this old post for more photos of the diner arriving on Bladensburg Road.
In other exciting news, just across Mt. Olivet Road, the upscale soul food purveyor Sugar is expanding, and will now offer additional seating.
36 comments:
What's the Post link?
Oops. It's in there now.
Every time I do Google maps I see Moby Dick listed on W VA ave above Mt. Olivet...I need to see if it's really there, 'cause that would be awesome to have "Middle Eastern" take-out so close.
As for the Diner, lookin' fwd to you guys's opening. Congrats!
There is no Moby Dick there. I've looked.
google says there's a moby dick near L st and 2nd as well. obviously there's not one there.
inked: last time we were in sugar, the owner told us they were expanding, but it wasn't clear where to. are they moving into the space to the south (towards the corner of mt. olivet and west virginia)?
IMGoph,
I'm not sure. My info is second hand on that one. I heard next door.
My wife and I went today and had a very good experience. They definitely have some glitches in the kitchen, but that's to be expected during the first weekend, and everything we ordered was great -- pecan pancakes, eggs over easy, and turkey bacon. We'll definitely be regulars...
The Moby Dick near 2nd and L is on Congress Street. It's their commercial bakery. So unfortunately not an actual restaurant, but maybe in the future they could be on H or NoMA...
NEVER AGAIN!
When I saw that a diner was opening on Bladensburg Rd around the corner from where I live, I was ecstatic. I am from NJ where diners are a way of life... a religion...a culture. My cousin and I were on our way in after a night out on the town when we saw the "Open" for business sign and immediately busted a U-turn to check out the new after hours eatery. The place was pristine and the staff as really nice and accomodating. We ordered, and our meal (C+ tops) was delivered to our table relatively quickly. About 1/2 way through our meal, a man who clearly had a substance problem came in and asked patrons for money. One of the owners of the establishment grabbed him, roughed him up and literaly threw him out of the front door. He then went to the back area and pulled out handcuffs and issued some sort of verbal threat. I was appalled. I will never eat here again. EVER. Is panhandling bad for business? It probaby is - but for me,the total lack of compassion and human respect shown to someone who is clearly a drug addict, strung out, and not in their right mind was worse for business. I am a young Black profesional and I am going to tell EVERYONE that I know NOT to patronize this place. I was offended not only as a Black person, but also as a human being. If you don't want panhandlers in your place of business, ask them to leave or hire someone to monitor the door, or ask the police to patrol the area. Or open up your business in a different area around people that you find more desirable. I think that I have more of a sour taste in my mouth because this incident will undoubtedly be the first of many in a rapidly gentrifying, increasingly hyper-segregated (when it comes to businesses) area. A non-Black business owner in an area that is historically Black should go to great lengths to treat the area's inhabitants with human decency. You may think that we live in a post racial society, but I had a flash back to a clip of "Eyes on the Prize" when I saw this white (or non-Black) owner literally throw this man down the stairs at the diner. Would I have asked this man to leave if I were the owner - absolutely. Would I have treated him as sub-human and unworthy of respect? Absolutely not.
*please excuse any typos. it is 4 am and i am piping mad!
gimme a break. you have to set a precedent for the drug enabled filth that have inhabited the area for EONS. they do need a kick in the arse. perhaps it's not the greatest way to go about it, but word will go around, and the typical drug addicts will stay away. enabling them by "being OH SO NICE" is not the way to go. treating them with kid gloves is what keeps them ... doing their thing. forget the color thing, mr. black man. i lived in georgetown, and my neighbor was a white heroine addict. its drugs, not color.
get with the program, or get out. which it sounds like you are, thank god. go enable somewhere else...
one of the owners is a police officer, so there likely was a police presence there.
Are you kidding me? You're defending the right of someone to pandhandle you while you're trying to have a meal.
I'm glad the owners acted aggresively. It sets a precedent and gets the word out not to mess with people in the diner. Treating these guys with kid gloves just invites them and their buddies to make nightly visits.
It sounds like you need to get over your own insecurities.
It's barely worth typing this, but can you please tell me why people have to equate poor, drugged out panhandlers with being black?
And your attitude of "oh, he might be on drugs and a menace to the area...but he's black. be understanding" is sickening.
I respect this place even more after your story. Too many business consider the customer (a.k.a. someone not buying anything, asking actual patrons for money, creating a general atmosphere that is unenjoyable) always right. It is about time someone was kicked out like they should have been kicked out.
Maybe I needed to see this incident in person to be more enraged, but the way you describe it sounds completely acceptable.
Wow. It takes a special kind of jerk to show up before the official opening, walk in expecting to get served (which it sounds like the Diner guys did out of the kindness of their hearts even though they weren't open yet), and then anonymously BASH the place online (again, before they open) for trying to protect their customers while they eat.
Jesus, if this guy was as "strung out" as you say he was I'm glad they kicked him out forcefully before he possibly freaked out and hurt someone.
Anon. 3:51 you are a coward and a d-bag. Regardless of color, its jerks like you who who keep businesses from opening and crackheads on every corner b/c their a victim of the "man".
Truly, if you never set foot in the Diner again and move out of the area I'll consider the rest of us better off -- both black and white.
It is true. These guys cry like new born babies and now the post is going to wipe their tears. It took these guys a year plus to construct a pre-constructed diner! It that isn't funny I am not sure what is. And to top it off with whip cream?!?...they complained like toddlers who missed their afternoon milk. If they manage the diner anywhere close to how them managed their construction project or lack of construction project I project they will be closed filing bankruptcy in T-180 days
hey mickie:
you are officially an idiot. please change your handle so i won't bash you to hell in your next idiotic posting.
thank yourself in advance...
What ever kind of name "poo" or "poo poo is an idiot" or what ever loser name you post under I am ready for you to drop the hammer. I didn't state one thing that isn't true so would love for you to bash me because my "handle" won't be changing anytime soon
Anon 3:51,
Go jump in the lake. For real. I happen to be a young black woman, own a condo unit less than 5 minutes walk away from the diner and I would have done the same thing. In fact, I have almost went to that great length with some of the damn overgrown thugged out kids on my block who had a very bad habit of sitting on the front steps of my building and eating that greasy mess from the various fast food joints in the area and throwing their trash in my front yard. These hoodlums even had the nerve to challenge me about what belongs to ME, but thank God I was unafraid. When the drunk squatter who used to live across the street from my unit used to harass me because I am different (not one of the bums or welfare cases on the block) and chase my vacation renters away (yes, I had a VERY successful VACATION rental right on the border of Carver operating for over 3 years and I have made upwards of 60k a year just from these rentals right in the hood!), I almost knocked his block off one day, but I worked hard enough with DCRA (they finally got something right) to get him removed from the property before I or someone else hurt him. I feel like if I put my hard earned money into something, no matter where it is located, I am not going to let ANYONE stop me from living my dream of making a profit. Drug dealer, drug user, drunk, bad ass kids, NOBODY. Legitimate business people don't have to stand for riff raff making their establishment look bad. The owner at the diner had a right to put the trash outside where it belonged. It had to be trash, since you described it was drug addicted and asking people in a business for money. By any means necessary is what I say. Race is not an issue.
If panhandlers are being thrown out, my likelihood of eating there just went up 500%.
Anon 3:51 -
I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm delighted to hear you won't be eating there again. You sound like a total douche bag. Get help.
We went today and had a great breakfast. All the people working there, from the staff to the owners to the friend of the owners that was just helping out, were very friendly. There were almost no problems with the food/service which was amazing considering they aren't even officially open yet and were clearly surprised by how many people were already coming out. I think these guys are going to do great.
I like to think Anon 3:15 was a secret post from someone trying to gin up business for the place. I will be spreading this story to everyone I know who will be EXTREMELY eager to patronize an establishment that is willing to think of its customers instead of the strung-out denizens that have haunted upstanding people of every race in the neighborhood for the last couple of decades.
Thank you Anon. 3:51 a.m. I had concerns about my safety going to this location and you've just increased the likelihood that I will be going there.
I was outside there when the panhandler was escorted out--- he wasnt "thrown down the stairs" and one of the workers said he was banned from the property the previous night so he was right to get been made to leave. kudos to the diner guys for standing up for the patrons and not tolerating bs. there was a few off-duty cops there which added to my good feelings of this place.
panhandling isnt a crime but aggressive panhandling (not taking no for an answer) and trespassing are.
p.s.: this is from a black man who doesnt mind one bit
I love when inked gets comedians to post on frozen tropics. Anon, you rock! I like the way you bring up eyes on the prize. Great documentary, great analogy. Whenever i see some white dummy getting chucked for bad behavior it really steams me. You and mickie should open a business on h since you both seem to have so much real life experience. Mickie, maybe you can help me with the city when i open my next bar. Come by pug, we'll invite in some crackheads and go over city regulations.
tonyt
Anon 3:51,
You seem like a moderately intelligent individual who probably knows how to get things done. Given your outrage and your effort to compare this incident to the civil rights movement, why don't you round up a bunch of local crackheads and bring them to your pad to organize a diner "pan in?" Afterall, it's well established that the right to enter private property to panhandle is self evident. Come on, you can show all these guys how much respect you have for their humanity by letting them raid your fridge, clean out your tinfoil supply and drop a deuce on your couch. Who knows, maybe you can even track down the H Street pantsless hobo. FYI, I hear he roams around the 400 block.
Now that brother Marion seems to be on his last leg at the Council, it looks like the crackheads of this city will need a new champion. Are you ready to step up and accept the challenge?
after a nite's rest, i still find myself curious. mickie, since you are brave enough to post with a name, any way you could enlighten us with your business experiences in dc. i'm sure you'ld find the 11 and a half months of delays i had in opening the pug whiney as well. i'm managing the pug the same way i managed the buildout, and if i go out of business, it will be because i had too much trouble paying down debt i incurred sitting on an empty building for a year. with the shrinking number of independent businesses in dc maybe your experiences can help other folks get businesses started.
tonyt
the pug
I wish you were right Dolemite, but I doubt our brother Marion is ever going anywhere. He is an albatross for DC.
Tony - the best info I could give you in regards to your 11.5 months in delays through out your construstion project would be.
1 - send all your plans through third party review. This will save you tons of time. The third party review will approve all drawings outside of health and fire. It costs a few more dollars but will ensure that you will not be stuck in sh*t show DCRA can be.
2 - hire a great expiditor to assist in pushing through the last two steps of the process that DCRA is responsible for.
3 - Hire a great GC who knows what whey are doing. Who can deliver on a timeline with almost no delays.
4 - Hire a company to conduct third party inspections. Typically these third party inspections are alittle more laxed than DC. If they see an issue they usually will allow you to fix it while they are on site or pass you and tell you to fix it.
These are all things that I have done to elivate long and costly delays.
Hope that answers your questions
mickey, i still don't know what bars and or restaurants you opened. the third party/expediters are fraught with peril and corruption. even though i was involved with them, there was nothing they could do about a 9 month permit freeze while the cluck u case was decided. then there was lost paper work at dcra and at abra. the system shouldn't be so byzantine that handlers need to be hired. it's a fact of life in dc and one should know that going in but it doesn't make it acceptable. i'm sure all your projects have finished on time, and been wildly successful and i congratulate you. but to me the only thing as frustrating as dealing with the city was listening to the blowhards who had all the answers about dealing with the city. starting a business is hard enough and expensive enough, and there should be no need for the added expense, and possible corruption expeditors bring to the table, and we should not accept city agencies that are less than helpful.
tonyt
the pug
mickie, your ideas for expeditors are true. However, many people, especially those trying desperately to open a small business dont have the luxury of that option considering the several thousands of dollars required for such services. The government should be functioning in a manner that allows for regular business owners to open in a timely fashion. If you had the advantadge of a large excess pool of money from which to draw while you were opening your business, then you are extremely fortunate. But to villify someone for "whining" about no having such luxuries is assinine. That's why dc is a large city with very few independent businesses save for corner and liquor stores. We were forced to open bare bones, ie, no ice machine and canned sodas in order to start generating income to not only start putting a dent in our build out loans, but also to help the cost of a mortgage and utilities on a property that was sitting waiting for permits and licensing. DC should be not only be efficently functioning, but supporting small businesses. Especially in an area full of abandoned buildings and empty used car lots. I dont begrudge you your monetary advantadges that you had with your business, if in fact you have one. But I do suggest not insulting people not as fortunate as you. Please consider being more sensitive to issues that you might never have had to deal with. Dawn. Jimmy Valentines
Joe Englert said:
Sorry Mickey, you might be thinking you are in San Diego or Indianapolis. The system here is almost impossible to navigate and almost never works right. You have no idea.........if you think your project will take 4 months, recalibrate. It will happen in a year or more.
Does anyone have any doubt that "expeditors" are making payoffs to city bureaucrats?
Mickie,
the council and ddot told us they were going to barrier 3 blocks at a time for the street scape work. Right now almost 11 blocks are closed. Can one of your expeditors or third party reviewrs get that squared away, or am i whining.
tonyt
the pug
(1) Any government permitting system in a city of some 380,000 that requires an "expediter" or "third party" is broken. Anyone who doesn't understand that is part of the graft.
(2) Anyone who believes that its simple to deal with DCRA has never dealt with DCRA, or they are part of the graft.
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