July 29, 2007
Taxing the City Bland
Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. He'll be on vacation for the next two weeks; this column will return on August 19th.
It’s been a hard summer for many loved and local businesses, some of which have been a part of the city’s life for decades. This week, long lines trailed down New York Avenue as customers waited to get a last meal at A.V. Ristorante. In June, downtown diners mourned as the storied Reeves Bakery closed, after failing to negotiate workable lease terms. Before that, Washingtonians seethed at the news that skyrocketing tax assessments would force the Warehouse Theater to close the doors of its music venue and cafe and start looking for a new location. And ten days ago, the Washington Post reported that a handful of other businesses, from Brookland’s Colonel Brooks’ Tavern to Georgetown’s Blues Alley, are under serious pressure from rising property tax bills.
The proximate cause of the heat on businesses is a scorching hot office market in the Washington area and especially inside the District. Strikingly low office vacancy rates have led to a boom in office construction. Even with millions of new square feet in office space expected to come online over the next two years, it’s expected that vacancy rates will tick up only minimally and temporarily, and to levels most other center cities would die for. The hot market radiates outward. Space everywhere in the city has grown more valuable, and commercial space, which could conceivably be turned into lucrative offices, has risen the most and the fastest.
It’s important to realize that rising assessments and property tax bills do play an important role in shaping land use patterns. Such increases force landowners to develop their properties more quickly and more densely. That means that less District land is sitting un- or underused, and it means that lots which are developed are done so in ways that boost transit use and the city’s revenue base, contributing to a more robust city budget. When values and tax bills are rising, surface parking lots and vacant buildings rapidly disappear, and that’s undeniably a good thing for the city.
That, however, is not the entire story. It would be wrong to declare that changes in the city are only due to the workings of the market, and that we should be glad to accept the office boom as it has occurred. Growth in the central business district has taken place within the institutional framework the city provides, and as it turns out, that framework has real and unfortunate effects on the kinds of businesses the city gets--and loses.
Photo by dl004d.
Take the central business district. There, strict height limits and the city’s tax policy interact to shape the look and feel of downtown neighborhoods in significant ways. Height limits constrain supply and push up rents, limiting the kinds of businesses that can afford to locate downtown. This problem will only become more acute as construction north and south of Capitol Hill leads to a build out of potential office space in the city. Meanwhile, rising tax assessments force building owners to construct and choose tenants in such a way as to maximize the revenue they receive. The result is an office core built to squeeze as much space as possible out of lots limited in three dimensions, and buildings which contain little ground floor retail. The hulking office blocks pay the bills, but they also deaden street life and the overall aesthetics of the central core.
The outcome is hardly an optimal one for the District. The city and office tenants would be better off with a mix of uses downtown. Residential units in the core would help to reduce congestion, and a better mix of local businesses would enliven office life, increasing the array of shops, restaurants, and entertainment options available to those working in the city. It’s likely that a better mix of retail would increase the value of office space downtown, but while that mix might be good for the city, individual land-owners are forced to consider only their own balance sheets. Each landowner makes building and tenant decisions to individually maximize revenue, and the result is disheartening blandness.
A mix of uses displays what economists call positive externalities. That is, it has benefits for a community that can’t be captured by those providing the mix. Opening a new shop or restaurant downtown might increase the value of surrounding office space without the owners of the office buildings having to contribute a thing. In such a situation, the positive-externality good is underprovided by the market, and economists therefore recommend that it be subsidized. The city should be making it easier and cheaper for varied businesses to operate in office cores. But is it?
In fact, the city does fairly near the opposite. As local urban revitalization consultant Richard Layman has meticulously documented, the city treats all commercial property in the city as if it could be converted into high-end office or retail space. Whatever the size and location of a piece of commercial square footage, it is treated as if it could be turned into the downtown headquarters of a multinational consulting firm or the primary District space for a national chain retailer. This is patently ridiculous. Older buildings, regardless of their size and density, cannot possibly expect to attract the tenants necessary to support tax bills computed in such a way. Smaller and quirkier spaces, in many ways the loveliest parts of commercial districts, are just not configured for use by offices or larger retailers. The city’s tax rules penalize such spaces for being older and odder, and they dictate the replacement of such buildings by new, large offices and retail spaces.
Even if the city’s policies treated different kinds of buildings in different locations differently, its inattention to use would hamstring businesses with smaller margins, pushing all commercial spaces everywhere toward the most profitable types of activity. The question is, do we believe the city is better off with a mix of activities in commercial areas? Do we feel that the city is a better place to live—and perhaps even a more desirable business location—if commercial strips are home not just to bars and drug stores, but also to theaters and galleries, specialty retailers and independent restaurants?
If we do, then it is important that our tax code reflect this. The city should arrive at general classifications for the kinds of uses any given street ought to have, and it should tax those classifications based on what they are able to pay, and not on what a K Street lobbying firm could afford to pay. Do note: this doesn’t prevent market mechanisms from acting; rents across the city can and should vary based on neighborhood demand. But there is a difference in allowing demand to shape uses and in allowing shoddy tax policy to strip every last bit of variety out of an area.
It is a terrible shame that growth in the District has led to the loss of some of the great and distinctive small businesses in the city. It’s still worse to see that anger about such losses has led to bitterness in the city over the economic resurgence. Some residents wonder aloud whether it was worth the growth to sacrifice such key facets of the city’s character. But it’s important to note that the market didn’t make those losses happen; growth didn’t doom these places that we love. Poor public policy doomed those businesses, and unless the city’s government acts to fix the way that businesses are valued and taxed, it will doom others still.
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There's a lot of truth in what you say about high taxes changing the face of business in DC.
But residential investment property is seeing an enormous rise in taxes also, and if we address the problems with commercial and retail tax increases then we need to address residential investment property increases as well. Part of the reason property owners all jumped to create condos out of their apartment buildings in the last couple of years is because many are seeing property taxes triple and quadruple but they are either artificially under rent control or the market doesn't allow them to raise rents much.
It's also worth noting that some businesses in DC simply aren't ready for prime time. Yes, rising taxes are driving some out of business. And we need to address that. But some are going out of business because they just weren't very good businesses, or they offered substandard products that a more demanding populace simply don't want.
AV didn't close because of a crushing tax burden, as you kind of suggest in your lede. There's the little matter of a sweet payday from Douglas Jemal. The owner is quoted in the Post as saying Jemal "made us an offer we couldn't refuse," to the tune of $18 million to $20 million! So it's probably not a great idea to lump in AV with the other places you list. It's a sign of sloppy research and kind of kills your argument right at the beginning.
Amen, Hillman. And regardless, why should public policy be skewed toward the preservation of arbitrary businesses simply because of longevity? If there was really a demand for these places, they would find a new location and pursue further business opportunities there. The central busines district of DC has only so much space, and it's by far in the city's best interests to foster smart revenue growth and development than to handhold a medicore restaurant. So maybe I just answered your implicit question, and it wasn't a failure on the city's part at all, but rather an intentional policy decision. At the end of the day, it's the business owner's responsibility to adapt or be left behind, not the District's public policy office. I can think of at least 20 other neighborhoods where Restaurant AV could go and maintain consistent or expanded business from before. If DC turns its back on the current demand for development, in particular in the business core, it will be lost opportunities for economic expansion and more of the sprawl that Ryan so vehemontly opposes each week.
Ryan
I am surprised by your post -- you seem to have been taken in by Monkey. The bottom line is that the city is changing quickly but at this stage it is absurd to suggest that rising assessments (or the city's height limit) are making DC more bland (right now). The fact is that plenty of indy stores/restaurants are opening or moving into the city -- the thing is that in many cases they are better funded (and by extension usually better run) and locate in established commercial areas like G'town, Dupont, etc. (look at how upper Wisconsin has revived itself in the past 5 years) or they are start-ups but in emerging commercial areas (Barracks Row, H Street, Georgia Ave, 11th Street NW, 14th Street, etc.). I do agree that the city should help existing businesses grow and prosper BUT it is important to note that as long as DC has areas which need improvement and investment (areas like Georgia Ave, Kennedy Street, Upshur Street, H Street, etc.) it may not be wise public policy to artificially restrict property assessments -- though I grant exceptions should be made (the tax shouldn't neccessarily reflect the maximum FAR value at every site).
The second point is that the retail environment in the CBD/Downtown is and will continue to improve because of this prosperity. Now major international investors are buying DC buildings -- because DC is so valuable -- and are making huge upgrades and, in effect, subsidizing better retail by often tearing down outdated bldgs and replacing them with newer, better designed bldgs often w/ much higher retail ceiling heights. Buildings that haven't had retail in years (like the old FDIC bldg at 17th and H or the soon to be redeveloped Riggs bldg across the street) will soon have new high end shops, restaurants. What's more, the height limit is helping to spur a huge building boom in former blighted neighborhoods that are truly mixed-use like Near SE and NoMa. In time the height limit will have to change but right now it is serving the city quite well.
One final point, the Warehouse is worth saving and will likely move to another up and coming part of town -- a very good development in my view. AV and Reeves, on the other hand, had both long outlived their useful life -- Reeves may return but sad to say AV will not be missed by me -- I do hope Jemal saves the sigh, though.
Krisa -- Are you for real? You are really going to be just happy that the "system worked" when the whole city is one starbucks after tacky theme restaurant after big box store? That there is absolutely no invested interest in the city keeping its uniqueness? You think that tourists go to San Francisco or New York or Chicago to go to Ruby Tuesdays and Target? Or that the innovative business culture that is driving the pace of change in design and technology is attracted to these places because they like having easy access to Best Buy? You're completely delusional if you don't think that a city has a vested interest in encouraging local economic and business diversity and supporting its homegrown neighborhoods and small business owners. Small businesses absolutely drive the economy and they set the pace for the diversity and salability of the community. I am glad that you'll be just peachy keen when DC has all the charm of Chantilly. By that point, I hope that I won't live here to bump into you at the grand opening for the Wal-Mart.
DC1974
So glad you are still here... fwiw, people still flock to Manhattan and as of late last week the chains HAVE officially taken over the island. Viva Starbucks!
DC1974:
I'll take a Target over a lot of the crappy retail outlets we currently have. Say I need to buy an ironing board and an alarm clock and a bedspread. What are my choices in DC currently?
And say what you want about chain restaurants. At least they have a minimal training program for their employees. That's a lot more than most DC restaurants have. And it shows.
I too would love to see really great independent shops and such. But we're kidding ourselves if we think all local shops and restaurants are a good thing. So many in DC have surly employees, substandard or mediocre goods, and sky high prices.
Wow, Ryan. I gues you really did drink the Monkey Kool-Aid. I guess I owe you a Coke.
The tax rate apologist crowd doesn't seem to have a problem with old, worn-out, outlived-their-useful-life, shoulda-moved-to-Herndon businesses going belly up because of confiscatory taxes. Bring on the new, self-sustaining small businesses! So long as they don't go after my hip, trendy, overpriced, gogo slopshop. Problem is, at current rates, the only businesses that can afford to be downtown will be the national franchises and chains. Which is fine if that's what you want downtown to look like, just like every other downtown: sterile streetscapes full of chain food and generic franchise shopping. I thought you people moved downtown to get away from the suburbs?
I'd have to agree that A.V. is a poor example, though. They've been in the biz for half a century, weathered riots and crack epidemics and drivebys, and people want to spend $30 on a plate of freerange, cruelty-free charcuterie, not boiled pasta and chicken livers. $20 mil is a nice payoff for having to put up with all that bulls**t. Better example would be Scholls Cafeteria or Waffle Shop or even Rhode's Tavern; places with a sense of history that addressed a bluecollar dining need, places that fastfood killed. The taxes were just the nail in the coffin.
Residential neighborhoods are constantly in flux, their racial and social demographics evolving decade after decade. Why should we expect any different for businesses? Problem is when a signature place like Black Cat or 9:30 Club can't afford to be downtown anymore, and you wake up one day and they've been replaced by House of Blues, Inc. And it IS going to happen, people. And you WILL pay through the ass for the privelege of seeing whatever godawful shite they're peddling. Everybody talks about affordable housing, what about affordable dining? Or affordable entertaining? You can still find it outside the core, but if you want a mix of people spending money, you need to have a mix of options. Unless your primary concern is to just generate maximum tax revenue; in that case, just open nothing but steakhouses and boutique food troughs. Residents have every right to demand that businesses in their neighborhoods cater to their needs and tastes. But don't complain when you have to take a dump and nobody will let you use their crapper because you're not wearing a silk ascot, a top hat, and a goddamned monocle.
And I'm SO glad that one asshole waiter at A.V. is out of a job. We all know who I'm talking about, the one who's always too busy to do anything for you, even though the place is freaking empty. And even then, he fcuks up your order and acts like its a big goddamn hassle to get it straight. I wouldn't piss in his face if his head was on fire. May his calcinating bones rot in hell, in that circle of hell reserved for asshole waiters, right there between unbaptized foetuses and simonists.
Hillman - The Popeyes on 8th Street has the surliest goddamned staff this side of a backalley abortion clinic. Ditto for the McD's on Penn. Being a chain is no guarantee of quality. Try any Five Guys and you'll see how ridiculously wide the quality varies.
[shrieks, throws feces at monitor]
I've lived about 6 blocks from AV R. for 10 years. I can safely say that not many people ever frequented that businesses and that AV R. was run to the ground by the owners and staff.
As for property taxes being high- remember that good governance and citizens who actively monitor their government are the solution (think of all the fiscal improprieties that go on). Not a property inspector or a couple of people who bemoan all the Starbucks' in town and probably haven't been active in government.
In full disclosure, I drink Starbucks all the time- crappy coffee but I love the buzz. Muah hahah.
"The fact is that plenty of indy stores/restaurants are opening or moving into the city -- the thing is that in many cases they are better funded (and by extension usually better run) and locate in established commercial areas like G'town, Dupont, etc. (look at how upper Wisconsin has revived itself in the past 5 years) or they are start-ups but in emerging commercial areas (Barracks Row, H Street, Georgia Ave, 11th Street NW, 14th Street, etc.)."
Yes, I agree. As a matter of fact, a new indie restaurant just opened up in Penn Quarter a few weeks ago. Right in a downtown neighorhood. It is called Proof. It is also "proof" that (well-run) indie retailers in our city can thrive right alongside the national/international retailers. And, indie retailers ARE moving into downtown as well as emerging neighborhoods. Come to think, there are dozens of indie restaurants and other retailers located within a few blocks radius of the Gallery Place complex. I've compiled a list just to put it into written perspective for myself. And, most of them have opened up after year 2002. Prove me wrong.
Independent retail is but one of many reasons that makes the city attractive. There is also an abundance of entertainment, theatre, museums, et cetera.
Last time I checked, DC is an underserved retail market. In fact, it was an underserved retail market 20 years ago. Indie retail alone won't get us to where we need to be. Sorry to disappoint you. And, for the city's economic survival, we can no longer relegate the suburbs as DC's retail backyard as where we go to buy our cheap ironing boards and white tube socks. We need more options in the City.
I'll gladly take a Target and a Best Buy, and I still won't feel like I'm in the suburbs. It's a lot deeper than that!
Monkey:
You have a point about chains in DC not necessarily being better than the indies.
The best example I can think of was the TGIF on Pennsylvania, a block or so from the White House. Stunningly bad service, surly arrogant employees, and food that was stone cold.
But at least the Popeyes on 8th will serve me reasonably priced food.
What really chaps my ass is when I'm paying through the nose and the DC-style service and product is still shitty. And that's what we get in DC indie stores, much more so than in other American cities.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's a DC thing - this appallingly bad service and crappy items we're constantly being offered. And it happens in both indie stores and the chains.
Maybe that's changing. I don't know. But the idea that DC would totally be just freaking OMG wonderful if only we had a few more 'oldstyle DC' businesses is fairly unsupportable, given the level of quality in many (but admittedly not all) DC indie businesses.
Small retailers can thrive downtown IF they charge high margins ($9 glasses of wine at Proof) or deal in volume (like the new boutique Mcdonalds in Gallery Place). This is the only way they can meet expenses and is why you'll never have a Wegman's in DC. The parent company would never be able to recoup their costs in property taxes, let alone the millions that would go running out the door with shoplifters. But if you don't charge an arm-and-a-leg or turn tables over constantly, you ain't gonna be thrivin. I'm not making the case to preserve the corner mom-n-pop bodega because for the most part, they suck, unless you want to subsist off moldy bread, soda, cigarettes, Rap Snacks, and Night Train.
Come to think of it, that ain't a half bad idea.
This city needs more office space.
Most of the dcist readership is probably transplants.
Why did you come here?
My guess it wasn't to be near some tapas place or some crappy store.
It was for your job.
Downtown.
In an office building.
Oh, you're so right, Hillman, I get the BEST SERVICE EVAH at Ruby Tuesday's! And all because their staff watched three hours of informative, highly directive TRAINING VIDEOS!
You make me laugh out loud at my computer. Ella's, Belga, Aatish on the Hill, Logan Tavern, or Tonic are better any day of the week than the shit you get at a chain restaurant.
Bad service is a problem throughout DC, and it isn't native to independent stores OR chain stores--it's symptomatic of this entire area.
D.C. is struggling right now to strike a balance between a public policy that fosters economic growth, and one which allows independent businesses to thrive. It's great when a surface parking lot is turned into a revenue-generating office building. It's even better when the ground floor of that building features a mix of national and local retail. It is a bad thing, however, when popular, locally-owned businesses in areas like Shaw and U St. are forced to close due to nonsensical skyrocketing tax assessments.
This isn't an either/or proposition--those of us who support independent retail and are angered by the tax assessment insanity don't wish to see a D.C. devoid of national retailers or revenue garnering office buildings. Likewise, those that support economi growth and development in the city don't want to do so at the expense of worthwhile, locally based establishments. The D.C. government needs to come up with a way to achieve fair and reasonable tax revenue on properties throughout the central core without a policy that is hostile to local businesses. Currently, they're in danger of falling into a situation resembling the latter--and they need to work towards the former.
On a last note, Guest 13, I moved to D.C. several years ago both for the job I obtained AND the many unique aspects of the city. I could have easily landed a job in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Louisville, Detroit or Atlanta--and yet I elected to move to D.C. D.C. might have a growing economy and job market at the moment, but that alone won't bring people here. If the District sells it's soul to the God of Tax Revenue, the repercussions will be felt for an enormous period of time.
The city should arrive at general classifications for the kinds of uses any given street ought to have, and it should tax those classifications based on what they are able to pay, and not on what a K Street lobbying firm could afford to pay.
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Isn't this the same as redlining? How wouldn't this plan ghettoize neighborhoods in 5-10 years?
I love Rap Snacks!! I'm definitely Bar B Quing with my Honey.
Bad service is a problem throughout DC, and it isn't native to independent stores OR chain stores--it's symptomatic of this entire area.
I attempted to respond to this earlier and my comment was eaten, first one in quite a while.
Where are you guys going that you're always getting such crappy service? Sure I have gotten bad service in DC, but I don't think it's any way reflective of the area. Saturday I went to Fairy Godmother's (toy store by Eastern Market) the guy working checked stock for a specific product, apologized for not having what we wanted, suggested an alternative, and wrapped our package for us all in about ten minutes. Frager's and District Lock & Key are both top notch hardware stores that are locally owned and operated. It's been my experience that the kids that work in the sneaker stores down on H St. are unfailingly polite and helpful models of customer service professionalism. Tunnicliff's food is below par and expensive, but the servers are at least pleasant even if they are a bit slow.
I dunno, maybe I've just been living here long enough that I generally avoid places with lame service.
If there was really a demand for these places, they would find a new location and pursue further business opportunities there.
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Krisa, this isn't true. The Roma restaurant in Cleveland Park was beloved and everyone I knew loved eating there, but the owner retired and moved to Florida. The demand was there, but he didn't want to run the restaurant in absentia and closed for his own reasons, selling massive real estate that was split into three restaurants. That's how I remember the story anyway. Owners are sadly not forced to continue being restaurateurs if they don't want to be.
At least they have a minimal training program for their employees. That's a lot more than most DC restaurants have. And it shows.
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Bull. I ate at 5 restaurants last month and had only one bum experience. Have you ever been to 1789?
In fact, it was an underserved retail market 20 years ago.
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umm, it's been underserved since April 1968.
Hillrat-
That was my post you responded to. I am referring more to restaurants regarding the poor service epidemic. There are a few staples in our neighborhood we return to quite frequently because the service *is* above par (Lalibela on P St., Stoney's (same owners as Tunnicliff's), Bar Pilar) but it seems more often than not our foray out to a D.C. dining establishment is met with service that ranges from mediocre to exceptionally poor. Frequently, the service is merely slow...sometimes it is surly...sometimes indifferent. If I could narrow it down to only a couple of establishments I would merely avoid them, but I'm not exagerrating when I say that the descriptor of below-average service could be applied to a majority of the establishments we have dined in.
Hillrat -
Where this monkey got crap service:
A.V.: Mentioned above. Loved the pizza, hated the service. The place was like a gorgeous, bombshell blond and you get her back to your place and find she has a HUGE penis and she's intent on beating you unconscious with it. Then you wake up in a bathtub full of ice and your kidney's missing.
Clyde's: Take your pick. Just about any one, particularly the Gallery Place one. The coin of their realm is wait half an hour for a table, wait another 45 mintues for your food, eat what we gave you even though we screwed up your order, then get the hell out. To top it off, your "sliders" have a colonic half-life of 20 minutes before you go running to the handicapped stall so you can hold on to the rails while they "slide" out of you, and by "slide" I mean "initiate warp core jettison."
Meyhane: Couldn't get past the door. "We no open" they yelled, half an hour after they were supposed to be open. This happened twice. Then they folded. Good riddance.
Afterwords: Waiter was on his cellphone most of the time. When he wasn't, he was casually paring his fingernails and ignoring us.
Logan Tavern: Amazingly bitchy service. No utensils, despite asking for them twice; no water refills, despite asking for them twice. And then THEY get huffy when they screw up my burger.
Ugly Mug: You'd figure that consistently getting crowds for lunch that cause half-hour waits for food would indicate that you need to hire more waitstaff instead of forcing the barkeep to wait ALL the tables. Dumb.
I wish I could play the race card and just say they hated monkeys, but I had on a suit and a honkey mask.
As for regular retail, Home Depot is well-known for their disappearing staff. At the Rhode Island Avenue store, not only do they disappear but they disappear with the store's merchandise. I'll stick with Fragers, as long as they're still in business, that is.
I'm not exagerrating when I say that the descriptor of below-average service could be applied to a majority of the establishments we have dined in.
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Since I'm out and about plenty and don't have similar experiences, do you think it might be you? Have you eaten in NYC or Boston or LA and had it different or are you trying to compare us with the Hometown Cafe in Ruralville, GA where everyone remembers your grandmother?
What worries me is the taxes are outracing the development in places like H St. The place, except a handful of bars, is still a ghost town at night. Yet the property taxes for businesses there far surpass the reality of the place.
So what independent business is going to want to move there into small retail? Joe Engler has been griping about the taxes on Frozen Tropics. What if he packs his H St bags and goes home?
Guest 15/22 - This isn't the first time I've heard this complaint, so maybe it's my experience that's atypical but I don't think I've ever had a "surly" waiter in DC. In fact, the only time I can ever really recall getting absolutely terrible service at a restaurant was the one time I went to the now defunct Phish Tea Cafe; it was comically bad, but even then the service improved over the course of the meal.
With a two year old in the house, the wife and I don't go out nearly as often as we used to and that may contribute to our relative lack of bad experiences. I guess because we go out to eat so infrequently, we do tend to go to "better" places with better trained staffs. You're going to get better service at Ceiba or Sonoma than you are at Tunni's or Ellis Island.
The Council is slitting their own throat with these tax increases. Small-to-medium size buisnesses generate most of the tax revenues in DC, not the K Street law firms. They're the ones with the lawyers who can find the loopholes to get them out of paying their fare share. And you all realize that those tax increases end up raising the cost of the products and services DC residents pay for, right? They don't just disappear.
This is the same mistake they made when the population declined with the white flight of the 50s and 60s followed by the black flight of the 70s: raise taxes higher on a shrinking population to pay for their bloated bureaucracy. Now, the population is increasing, so they think they can get away with jacking the taxes up exponentially because the new population is more affluent. Except they're only providing small businesses one more reason to move out of DC.
Word to your mother. Yung Joc Sweet & Hot Cheese Curls make your booty hurt.
Monkey - Hilarious as always, the one time I went Meyhane service was a bit slow but extremely personable and nice. I never made it to AV, having lived in Jersey for so many years I know it could have never lived up to the hype; besides everyone knows that Michael makes the best chicken parm in Metro DC. As for Clyde's, you got what you deserved for patronizing the place. I've never been to a Clyde's and have no desire to darken their doorstep. I guess I've been lucky at Afterwords and gotten good waiters.
While we're on the topic of bad service though, last weekend the wife and I tried to go to Tomate for dessert after eating elsewhere and were told we could not be seated just for dessert. It was more straight up bizarre than anything else IMHO, but I guess that's some of what folks are talking about around here.
"Small-to-medium size buisnesses generate most of the tax revenues in DC, not the K Street law firms. "
- I understood that most law firms pass through corporate income to their partners, most of whom do not live in DC, and so are not taxed at all because they show no "profit".
Yes?
Monkey--you get bad service because the wait staff see you and say, oh hell, it's that Monkey asshole. don't give him any utensils and maybe he'll leave. ;)
I always get the evil host at Cafe Asia, but I just give it back to him in equal measure, and it's fine. I think at this point he expects the customers to seethe back at him. Mind you, I'd only do this at Cafe Asia because I only order sushi there, and I can see them making it so I know nobody spit in my food. I did tell the host once to get another job if food service was so distasteful to him. I believe I mentioned an opening at Metro in the pigeon-poisioning department. Okay, I didn't, but I may next time.
Thanks. And here I was thinking it was antisemitism. When will waiters learn the difference between a yamulke and a propeller beanie?
"Since I'm out and about plenty and don't have similar experiences, do you think it might be you? Have you eaten in NYC or Boston or LA and had it different or are you trying to compare us with the Hometown Cafe in Ruralville, GA where everyone remembers your grandmother?"
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I don't need to defend my "eating out" credentials to you, thank you very much. I've spent my entire life living in and travelling through major cities here and abroad--I know what good service is, and I know what poor service is. And--hard as this may be for your mind to comprehend--more often than not my experience in D.C. restaurants has tended towards the latter.
As to what I expect at a restaurant: attentive service, non-surliness, and a general effort to ensure that my experience is a pleasant one all spring to mind. Having to ask repeatedly for things like water, napkins and utensils; waiting 30-40 minutes after we have finished eating for our check to arrive; having our entrees arrive under/overcooked, with the wrong food, or over an hour after we have ordered does not--in my mind--meet those minimum qualifications.
Now, perhaps my wife and I simply have higher standards than you. Perhaps you've been lucky. Perhaps we are cursed. But whatever it is, it's been our experienc