A three-decade run is coming to an end for a D.C. bar popular among cash-strapped interns.
Regulars and longtime visitors of The Front Page bar and grill near D.C.’s Dupont Circle are celebrating the memories they鈥檝e made there 鈥� and the great meals. Sunday is the restaurant’s final day after 32 years in business.
“I just wish them well, and really hope they can find a new location. I hope that it will be in the neighborhood, and I hope it will have the same vibe,” said Ann Bryant, who told 草莓传媒 that she has been frequenting The Front Page for about two decades. “But it wasn鈥檛 my lunch spot until four or five years ago.”
But she started visiting regularly when she found out “they had fabulous Buffalo wings.”
“It鈥檚 that simple,” Bryant said, adding that she will really miss those wings.
Ann Favret worked at The Front Page while studying biology at Catholic University.
One of her memorable moments was her last night working there.
鈥淭he owners told the whole place I was heading off to medical school. And they tipped me well 鈥� I think I made $220 that night, which seemed like a lot of money at the time,鈥� she said.
The Front Page holds a trove of fond memories for one of the owners as well.
鈥淚 remember being a little kid coming in here for brunch as a family, growing up and working here, coming here for dinners when I was in high school. This has been a big part of my life growing up, and a big part of our family鈥檚 lives,鈥� said 34-year-old Eric Heidenberger, who was a toddler when The Front Page first opened its doors. His dad was the original owner.
Through the years, he learned it’s the staff that “made people want to come back.”
“There were those personal connections,鈥� Heidenberger said.
The Front Page’s promotions didn’t hurt foot traffic either, he said.
鈥淭he $1 Coronas and the free tacos [on Thursday nights] definitely helped put us on the map a little bit, and the cheap bottomless buffet brunch, all you can eat, was another promotion,” Heidenberger said. “Those things definitely drew people in here in the beginning. You can do promotions all the time, but unless you have a good product or a good staff, people won鈥檛 keep coming back.”
The Front Page wanted to remain in the current location, but the building owners plan to renovate the property. The restaurant wasn鈥檛 given the opportunity to stay, but Heidenberger said that as part of their contract with building, they were given sufficient notice to vacate the property.
Heidenberger told 草莓传媒 that a former employee is planning a road trip so he can be there for the final night.
鈥淚 just got off the phone with one of our bartenders that worked with us for the better part of a decade. He鈥檚 driving back from Michigan 鈥� to work tomorrow to help us do the closing.鈥�
Their closing event is open to the public. It鈥檒l he held Sunday evening from 6-9 p.m.
