DISTRICT GRILL
DISTRICT GRILL
“I think we can make this work.”
A friend of mine worked with the owners of the Sheraton Four Points Hotel at 12th & K NW in Washington, DC. She mentioned that their restaurant operator, the well-known Chef Tom Power, was moving his critically acclaimed restaurant Corduroy from their hotel. Did I know anyone who might want to take over the lease?
For some reason that I can no longer remember, I thought this seemed like a good opportunity. my business partner Curt Large and I took over a very favorable lease and went to work trying to bring some life to this otherwise dull interior. We thought we could infuse a little color and character to make this average hotel dining room pop.
This was the first deal where we had a landlord who weighed in on every proposed change with a slow, cautious approach. We were used to making changes fast, pushing the limits and taking chances. The clash of cultures slowed our progress and we gradually lost our enthusiasm for the project. We stuck with it for 3 years and made small profit, but the opportunity costs were high. What other deals did we miss with this distraction?
Years later, the Eaton Hotel has transformed the space at 12th a K into a vibrant, comfortable venue that far surpasses anything we could have brought to that corner of DC.