Busboys and Poets

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Busboys and Poets is a popular restaurant, bookstore, lounge and theater in Washington, DC, founded in 2005 by Andy Shallal. A second location opened in Shirlington in 2007. It has been described as a haven for writers, thinkers and performers from America's progressive social and political movements.[1]

Contents

[edit] Establishment

Busboys and Poets lies two blocks from U Street, a commercial corridor in Northwest Washington, known as "Black Broadway" in its heyday. Concerned that his creation of a trendy artistic space would clash with U Street's traditional identity, Shallal reached out to community leaders, neighborhood groups, church organizations, schools and radio stations. Shallal obtained a loan from black-owned Industrial Bank, located at 11th and U streets. Shallal also decided not to charge rent to Teaching for Change, which runs the bookstore area, until it turned a profit. Regarding Shallal's meticulous planning process, original Busboys special events manager Toni Boyette told Washingtonian magazine, "it was the closest thing I've ever seen to watching a man give birth."[2]

The name refers to American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1930s, prior to gaining recognition as a poet. Rejected ideas for the restaurant's name include Writers Block Cafe, Broken Bread Cafe and White Rabbit Cafe, the latter inspired by The Matrix.

Shallal painted the giant civil rights movement-themed mural covering one wall of the restauarant, titled Peace in Struggle Wall. He refuses to sign the mural, saying this would be a "final gesture" that would preclude him from making revisions later. The collage depicts civil rights icons including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. It features the words of Langston Hughes, "Let America be America again / Let it be the dream it used to be."[3]

Busboys also occupies the same building as the Langston Lofts, built by PN Hoffmann in 2005, and the theater hall is called Langston Room. Plays performed at Busboys include "Fear Up, about Guantanamo Bay, "Operation: Dreamland" about the occupation of Fallujah from the perspective of an American soldier. It has also hosted a screening of the Guerilla Film Festival.

[edit] Reception

Shallal had said he would keep Busboys running even if just broke even, but it proved a success from the beginning, even though it had no advertising budget. C-SPAN, NBC News and ABC's "Good Morning America" all filmed segments inside the restaurant within the restaurant's first few months. Kevin Zeese, manager of Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential campaign and director of Democracy Rising, related to The Hill, "Boom! It just became an incredibly important landmark for the community. It definitely has a progressive feel to it; it's in the 'hood, not disjointed from the community like the National Press Club and Capitol Hill are."[4] Shallal said of the restaurant's popularity, "I've opened many restaurants, [but] this is the first time that people came in and got it right away."[5]

The Busboys clientele has included Nader, Cindy Sheehan, Tom Hayden, Harry Belafonte, Amiri Baraka, Rep. Maxine Waters, Anthony Shadid and David Meggyesy, a former St. Louis Cardinals linebacker who quit the NFL in protest of the Vietnam War. Additionally, Washington Wizards center Etan Thomas has performed his poetry at Busboys.

[edit] Menu

The menu offers both American and international dishes, and the fare is low-priced. Among the American foods are burgers and pizza, including an Oceanic pizza featuring mussels, shrimp and leeks. Ethnic offerings include falafel, panini, meatloaf, lasagna and falafel wrap. The menu offers numerous options for vegetarians and the fare is low-priced.

Shallal initially hired a chef, but changed his mind a week before opening, believing the food called too much attention to itself. He brought the chef over from Mimi's to train the kitchen staff, and Shallal contributed his own recipes. The recipe for the cumin-spiced lentil-and-bean soup is from his grandmother. [2]

[edit] Future Expansion

Shallal has signed letters of intent to create two new, 7,500 square foot restaurants in the Washington area, one of which will be a Busboys and another which will be an entirely new concept. Shallal has said, "I'd like to incorporate Zora Neale Hurston into the name. I like taking literary [authors] and using them as springboards." One location is scheduled to open in summer 2008 in the CityVista project at 5th and K streets; the other is planned for summer 2009 in the Arts District Hyattsville.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ D.C. Restaurant Becomes Hub of Anti-War Activity, Voice of America, September 23, 2005.
  2. ^ a b Rainbow Room: The Busboys and Poets Controversy, Todd Kliman, Washingtonian, December 1, 2005.
  3. ^ The Muralist, David Montgomery, Washington Post, May 1, 2006.
  4. ^ Busboys and Poets oozes blue-state cool, Elana Schor, The Hill, February 2, 2006.
  5. ^ Arab Americans Give Back to Their Country, Jamie Kim, Washington Report, December 2005.
  6. ^ Shallal to launch third Busboys, a new concept, Erin Killian, Washington Business Journal, July 13, 2007.

[edit] External links