The Sidewalk Cafe That You’ll Never Know (720 I St NW)

I hope that PS 7s opens up some sidewalk space in TechWorld Plaza. That would be a great location as well!

there is no demand for these places to be open or they would be

The problem is that the sidewalks are mostly property of office buildings with no ground floor retail along 8th St. 8th is where they stuffed all of the loading dock and parking garage entrances.

I don’t agree that there is no demand or those places would be open, period. I agree that many of the places that cater to the lunch crowd would make for crappy dinner cafes (outdoor or not). However, I bet people, including myself, wouldn’t hesitate to hit a spot like Breadline in the evening. And if they were open on the weekend I’d bet they’d get business then as well. They already sell their bread at stores throughout the city on the weekend and in the evenings. It’s kind of like saying the reason Matchbox wasn’t open on Sundays was because nobody would eat there on Sunday. But finally they decided to open on Sundays, and there are always people there now. From my experience, a number of small business owners don’t want to be open when they or someone they trust is not there to oversee the operation, and they need time off, so they select times or days to be closed to get some relaxation.

I would venture to guess that Teaism might be a good barometer for this debate. I assume that Teaism does a brisk lunch business, and I know from experience that they do very well for weekend brunches by Penn quarter residents. The few times I’ve been there in the evening, however, it hasn’t been all that busy. Anyone who frequents Teaism more regularly care to comment? And would this pattern mirror lunch crowd / resident crowd attendance for other potential establishments that stayed open beyond the business lunch crowd?

I’ve been to Teaism exclusively on weekend nights and, while it’s not packed, there are definitely enough patrons to justify it being open. But, that’s Teaism, not just some ham & cheese, mom & pop deli.

But, my opinion on sidewalk bars (especially in the 8th & G area) is that they would attract more than just residents because they’re bars and a place to gather socially after work.

love it or hate it, I’d love to have a Tony & Joe’s like place at street level. no water view, though.

I work at 701 Eighth Street (8th between G & H) and the deli store downstairs (I can’t remember the exact name – I think it’s “1769 Cafe”) actually had a sign/permit in the window for sidewalk seating. It would probably just be tables to sit at after you grab a bite to eat inside, but its a start…

Anthony: Thanks for the info – we’ll have to check that out!

Hey, Anthony. The name is 1791. Why? I have no idea!