If Adams Morgan’s nightlife strip looks different this weekend, it should. D.C. is currently demoing 18th Street NW’s pandemic-born streateries in lieu of new boilerplate structures for 33 businesses. As part of a pilot program, District Department of Transportation hopes to make the outdoor dining structures safer, more accessible, and streamlined in appearance. DDOT is racing to to finish the streateries before the department loses the extra funding at the end of the month.
The responses from businesses have varied. Almost all business owners we spoke to were annoyed that they would have to pay for more streateries after installing their own in the past that AdMo BID assured them would be permanent. Madam’s Organ’s owner, Bill Duggan, claimed that the neighborhood partnership and DDOT were using “strong-arm tactics” to force businesses to sign on for one of the new streateries in a letter published by Popville. He also said the elevated decks of the new streateries could create “harborage for rats” and that DC Health’s Rodent and Vector Control Unit was concerned.
Permits allowing D.C. restaurants to build improvised patios on sidewalks and streets provided a crucial boost throughout the indoor-restricted COVID-19 crisis. Constantine Stavropoulos, the owner of the Diner and Tryst on 18th, told Eater he also wanted to discontinue the streateries once the pandemic had passed and that all the outdoors structures were covering up the massive “facelift” the street received over a decade ago.
While Stavropoulos understands the pushback, he says its too late in the process now to fight against the ongoing construction and he wants to give the minimalist pilot the chance to improve the aesthetic of the neighborhood.
One of the co-owners of Julia’s Empanadas, who identified himself as Frank, agreed that the new structures could add to the street and bring in more customers. He’s excited by a mock up of the minimalist, small seating area that will be in front of the South American spot and hopes that it will also deter loitering.
At Mixxed, a year-old bar and restaurant, manager Joshua Reaves says the reaction from customers has been mainly positive. The owner was excited for the business to expand into its first outside space, but Reeves says he’s afraid the new curb-hogging spots could add to the parking issues in the area. Currently the closest parking lot is charging $300 a month for reserved spots that service workers vie for, he explained.
“It’s impossible to find parking around here,” Reaves explains. “If it’s what the customer wants we’re all for it.”
The city is working through a third party, Vestre, to build the platforms, barriers, and overhead structures with retractable and tiltable shades for some businesses if there is enough leftover funds (businesses have to pay for their own furniture). Businesses were able to choose their own colors for the metal barricades. Electrical heaters are the only ones allowed (and there are a lot of qualifications and a permit needed to set these up).
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For businesses outside of that stretch between Columbia and Kalorama roads, they’re worried about what will happen if the pilot program is a success. Michael Peña, the general manager at the Green Zone, worries that the bar’s streatery will become obsolete if the new guidelines for the structures pass, forcing the establishment to demolish and pay the city to rebuild a streatery they’ve already spent almost $60,000 on. He said not rebuilding the streatery isn’t an option, with the outdoor space accounting for 30 to 35 percent of the tiny space’s business when the weather is nice.
“We feel the refreshed patios will bring a more polished, uniform look to the neighborhood and will also create a more organized system along the street, which we think will benefit everyone.
Others see the streateries as a game-changer. Prohibition-era cocktail den Code Red, which operates with just a narrow interior, can now expand seating by 25 percent.
“This helps to contribute much-needed additional revenue in an industry where margins are already so thin and in a time when many restaurants are struggling to just stay afloat,” says managing partner Natalia Alexander. For its new next-door sibling spot Roofers Union, the streateries offer flexibility to provide different seating and menu options indoors and out.
“Our outdoor patio has truly enhanced our connection with the local community, especially with dog owners,” she says.
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