The Shrimp Boat in May of 2022.

Dee Dwyer / DCist/WAMU

The Shrimp Boat, a well-known Ward 7 building that originally housed a popular seafood restaurant and has become a hub of other businesses over the years, is adding a Ledo Pizza, says owner Woundim Demissie. Now visitors can get chitlins, shrimp, and, soon, a slice from the Maryland-based pizzeria at the boat-shaped building at the intersection of Benning Road and East Capitol Street NE.  Demissie expects Ledo Pizza to open before the end of the year.

The news of Ledo’s pending opening caused some consternation in the neighborhood over the weekend. People were confused after seeing signs that read “COMING SOON Ledo Pizza” on the Shrimp Boat building’s awning and wall last week. “If this closes Shrimp Boat that will be a huge hit to this community,” one observer said in a submission to local blog PoPville.

Others thought the pizza franchise was taking over the existing carryout in the space, or viewed its arrival as yet another sign of gentrification.

Ledo Pizza is actually replacing MetroPCS, which was next door to the existing restaurant until the phone store closed roughly two months ago. But why a pizzeria? Demissie says there is only one pizza option in the area — Papa John’s a mile away — after Domino’s on Minnesota Ave NE closed.

“I have a good relationship with Ledo as a franchise owner. I also franchise 7-Eleven,” Demissie tells DCist/WAMU in an interview. “Ledo is a local franchise company which works good with the community and also traditionally African-American neighbors. So that’s the reason I chose Ledo.”

Demissie says the move aligns with his vision for the Shrimp Boat. He signaled a new era for the once bustling fresh seafood market when he bought the Shrimp Boat building in 2016 and added the word “Plaza,” installing a restaurant that served donuts and lo mein alongside the seafood and soul food. Demissie says that business is “consistent” and that he never had to close during the pandemic or lay off workers.

“We have our own elderly people customers. They love the food,” Demissie says. “Every soul food we used to sell, we still have it. We are adding Ledo Pizza.” The pizza chain did not respond to a request for comment, its website does say a store is “coming soon” to Shrimp Boat.

The Shrimp Boat.

Demissie, an Ethiopian immigrant, described great plans for the Shrimp Boat Plaza in an interview with the Washington Post in 2017: indoor and outdoor seating, healthier food options, and even a grocery store along the 5,754 square feet property. Ward 7 has fewer grocery stores and sit-down restaurant options compared to most other wards, something the city is trying to change.

It has been slow going. The donuts and lo mein are no longer on the existing restaurant’s menu. Demissie says he’s in the process of getting a permit to offer indoor dining upstairs. He also says opening a grocery store is “still on the table” but the problem is identifying a partner or getting the funds to open one on his own. As for offering healthy options, Demissie contends Ledo Pizza has a healthy menu because the pizzeria also sells salads.

Demissie says he had asked other franchisors to join the Shrimp Boat before deciding on Ledo Pizza, but those businesses did not want to open in Ward 7 because households there earned less on average than most other wards. He declined to name the franchisors.

“I mean as long as you treat them right and you do the right thing, people spend money for a good thing, especially food. Everybody has to eat,” Demissie says. “But they don’t understand that because they’re sitting in the office and Googling how much yearly income [is] around Ward 7.”

In its heyday in the 1950s, Shrimp Boat was known for fresh seafood like hot steamed crabs, raking in an average of $500,000 to $600,000 annually, is previous owner told the Washington Post. Sales declined the following decade, which the owner attributed to increased crime in the surrounding area. It eventually became a carryout and also became a hub for vendors selling other items like clothing, music and videos.

Shrimp Boat is still used as a prime landmark for giving directions, according to Ward 7 and 8 residents who spoke to DCist/WAMU earlier this year. While it doesn’t appear to be as popular as before, people seem to appreciate the unique building’s continued presence, particularly in a fast-changing D.C. “I’m glad to see the Shrimp Boat is still hanging in there and they have kept up with the times, they have diversified to the point where they can still be there,” native Washingtonian Joyce Johnson told DCist/WAMU.

Demissie says he feels the weight of its history. He also would never change the name because that would be bad for business, he adds. “I’m also a young Black guy from Ethiopia,” he says. “My always aim is to try to listen to my neighbors.”  

Filed Under: pizza, shrimp boat, shrimp boat plaza, ward 7,