Colleen Grablick
As some local businesses shutter their doors, struggling to predict what the future holds amid a pandemic, Call Your Mother, the self-described “Jew-ish” deli that’s risen to bagelry-stardom, will open its second location in Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The deli, which quickly became a local phenomenon when it opened its Park View flagship in 2018, announced the news on Instagram on Monday night. Co-owner Andrew Dana initially announced that the Barracks Row location would be its third to open, following a controversial Georgetown bagel shop. As D.C. remains under a stay-at-home order and non-essential businesses are closed, this new location will offer a limited menu for pick-up only.
According to Dana, the Barracks Row location at 701 8th St. SE was expected to open in mid-March, but plans were temporarily put on pause when he and his co-founder Daniela Moreira decided, amid coronavirus concerns, initially to close their Park View shop and their three other eateries (Timber, Turu’s Pizza, and Ballston Service Station). When Call Your Mother reopened a few weeks later for carryout with increased safety precautions and a smaller staff, the still-high demand for the deli’s wood-fired bagels and schmears made Dana’s mission clear: Bring the people what they want.
“We said ‘f it, let’s go for it,'” Dana says. “Let’s bring the people the bagels they need over in Capitol Hill.”
The pair is not scheduling employees who need to use public transportation to get to work (Metro has been steadily reducing service over the past several weeks), but several staff members live within walking distance of the Capitol Hill location—another factor that pushed Dana to forge on with the opening.
“We started thinking, ‘We have the staff, we have the bandwidth to bake more bagels, and this is such an anxious, dark time, that we should do something uplifting for our staff and for the community,'” Dana says.
Since the dine-in closure of the Park View Call Your Mother, Timber, Turu’s, and Ballston Service Station (the last of which remains fully closed), Dana and Moreira have continued to pay all of the restaurant group’s 144 staff members. The pair set up an online fundraiser, offering big-ticket experiences for a post-coronavirus world, like a one-year “cut the line” pass at the Park View shop (which was known for its snaking lines) for $2,000, and the prestige of naming your own bagel for $1,500. So far, Dana says they’ve raised around $75,000, all of which goes directly to payroll.
“It’s not just a job, we’re a family, so to say ‘Hey, go fend for yourself during this time’ didn’t sit right with us,” Dana says. “It takes a village to start a restaurant, and it’s gonna take a village to get through this together, so we’re ready to take these accounts to zero before we lay anyone off.”
Now, a group of between four and five employees—a drastic cut from the Park View shop’s typical daily staff of 15 to 16—will be feeding the carb-hungry masses in Southeast. The shop will open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and customers must place their orders a day ahead of time, giving the small team enough time to bake the bagels and manage safe, contactless pick-ups.
“We’re trying to be super thoughtful and super safe, so everything just takes more time,” Dana says. “But I think it’s awesome to have something to look forward to during this time.”
And as for that controversial Georgetown Call Your Mother location, whose opening was delayed with former Councilmember Jack Evan’s disapproval, Dana says they’re still waiting on a report from the Attorney General’s office after winning their case with the Board of Zoning Adjustment in January.
Previously:
On National Bagel Day, Call Your Mother Wins Big At Zoning Board
Councilmember Versus Bagels: Jack Evans Objects To Georgetown Location Of Call Your Mother
Call Your Mother Is Opening A Second Location In Georgetown
Yet Another National Outlet Is Obsessed With Call Your Mother
First Look: New Park View Deli Call Your Mother Draws Inspiration From Montreal, Argentina, And Drake
