Written by Vince Wadhwani
When Vegetate and Queen of Sheba applied for liquor licenses in September 2005, Shiloh Baptist Church unexpectedly protested, causing both restaurants a lengthy delay which, in the case of Queen of Sheba, is still ongoing almost two years later. For Vegetate, however, the news is brighter, with legislation being passed earlier this year allowing them to serve wine, beer, and cocktails. Many restaurants may have folded up under the pressure of running a restaurant without the margins that come from serving alcohol, but personal sacrifice and prudent business decisions coupled with support from the community kept Vegetate going.
“There was a lot of lobbying, people wrote letters on our behalf, sent emails, made calls, the news media covered it, and the bloggers kept the issue in the face of a lot of people. So we had a lot of support,” said Dominic Redd, who owns Vegetate along with his wife Jennifer Redd.
In March the license came through and, now that they are allowed to serve drinks, Dominic and Jennifer can finally start concentrating on implementing the original plan of serving great vegetarian fare alongside tasty cocktails and good music. “Initially we planned late night dining, music, and art openings, but you really can’t get that kind of crowd if they can’t have a glass of wine or a cocktail,” he said.
Until recently, the restaurant kept what seemed like unpredictable operating hours and it often seemed rather empty. But lately, it’s seen a brisk, regular business come through its doors, especially during their Wednesday night happy hour specials upstairs. Starting this week, Vegetate’s hours will be expanded to 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and midnight on weekends. A new chef has also taken over in the kitchen, producing some new combinations sure to please even the most frequent visitors. To supplement the Wednesday and Thursday specials, Dominic tells us that something is also in the works for the end of the week too. “On Fridays we’re hoping to put together a wine special of some kind and we’re working on a new bar menu with fun finger foods.”
Vegetate is located at 1414 9th Street NW between O and P Street. The full interview with Dominic Redd can be heard on the Buyindie Podcast.
