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Small Businesses of the Pandemic: Washington D.C.
Written by Jaclyn Yost | April 16, 2021
In this piece, we’ll be featuring small & local eateries around Washington, D.C. By telling their stories, we aim to shed light on how small businesses were impacted during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and to spread awareness on how important it is to support small & local during this time.
📷 Tim Kubasik
#SmallBusinessesOfThePandemic [DC Edition: 1/6] – Immigrant Food
Immigrant Food is a cause-casual establishment based in Washington D.C. that has social justice baked into their business model. Peter Schechter (Co-Founder) & Téa Ivanovic (Director of Communications & Outreach) work alongside a passionate team who are all on the mission to celebrate, advocate & educate on behalf of immigrants.
Chef Enrique Limardo crafted their menu of flavorful bowls, sandwiches, drinks & desserts by taking inspiration from migration patterns that represent the immigrant diversity in this country. For example, the Mumbai Mariachi Bowl combines flavors custom to Mexico, India & Greece. But the experience doesn’t just stop at food, Immigrant Food also offers a weekly ‘Engagement Menu’ which teaches customers how they can be proactive on immigration issues & how to support their 5 local partner NGOs – who provide immigrant services (i.e. housing advice) & fight deportation, family separation, detention centers & human trafficking. To further educate, Immigrant Food publishes monthly ‘Think Tables’ that highlight & deep dive into various immigration-related topics.
After just months of being open, staff saw the once bustling downtown streets slowly turn into a ghost town in February 2020 due to COVID-19. By being casual, brand new & falling outside of most food app delivery radius’, Immigrant Food faced a triple hurdle. Yet, the staff banded together to fight for survival. In the two weeks they were closed, they donated all food & perishable goods to their NGO partners & strategized how they could make revenue. By switching to commission-based, becoming their own delivery drivers & hosting creative, interactive virtual events, the staff of immigrants “made it work” & have grown closer than ever.
In a time where our nation is so polarized, it is important to support the changes we want to see in the world. Immigrant Food is now open on Saturdays, offering a new menu & brunch. They are also opening 2 new spaces this year – at The Planet Word Museum & Union Market. 🖤
Visit their website here.
Follow Immigrant Food on social media: IG/FB/Twitter
#SmallBusinessesOfThePandemic [DC Edition: 2/6] – Mr. Braxton
Located in the Parkview neighborhood of Washington D.C., Mr. Braxton Bar & Kitchen is a community dining room that attracts new friends, old friends, and neighbors. Enticed by knowing that local businesses add representation to their neighborhoods and provide a unique urban vibe, Booker (Owner) decided to leave his corporate life behind to open Mr. Braxton in July 2019.
Named after the youngest of his 3 sons, Mr. Braxton is a vibrant American bistro with an international flair. Each room has its own unique charm – from the 30-seat back patio, equipped with a floor to ceiling ‘Alice in Wonderland’ vibe mural, to the unconventional dining room, decorated thoughtfully with eclectic pieces – like a 400-year old Palladian window and a 1940s changer stove turned coffee station. Their bar is stocked full of local spirits and beers, aiming to support DMV brands which are both great in value and flavor profile.
February 2020 saw Mr. Braxton’s biggest month yet, however, after the pandemic hit, by March, the business came to a standstill. Booker had to make some hard, yet necessary decisions to save the business; since reopening in May last year, they are now doing better than ever. Although they’ve had to reduce the dining experience (i.e. limiting to 2 hours, reservation oriented instead of walk-ins), the bustling restaurant, high energy tunes, and smiling faces showcased just how happy the staff & DC residents were to just be back at this happening spot.
Looking ahead, Mr. Braxton is excited to announce that they are expanding their seating space by opening up street dining, bringing live music back, and adding some new things to the menu – such as expanding their cocktail menu. In the words of Booker himself, “local businesses embody the true value that local restaurants bring to communities”, which has proven to be true at Mr. Braxton. 🖤
Visit their website here.
Follow Mr. Braxton Bar & Kitchen on social media: IG/FB/Twitter
📷 Tim Kubasik
📷 Tim Kubasik
#SmallBusinessesOfThePandemic [DC Edition: 3/6] – HoMade Sweets
Baked up during the pandemic, HoMade Sweets all started when Catherine was on furlough, home with her kids, and stuck in the house. With a culinary background & a passion for baking, she began to bake breads, muffins, and cookies during her spare time.
With all the excess treats from this new pastime hobby, Catherine decided that she wanted to help out in any way she could. After reaching out to her cousin, Elyse Ho, who owns the local non-profit Feed It Forward DC, she began to donate cookies to front line workers, Feed It Forward Volunteers, and events such as Juneteenth. Through pure word of mouth, people from all over the DMV area began to reach out, inquiring about where they could get their hands on more cookies!
As a strong believer in supporting small & local businesses, as they strengthen our neighbors, family & friends, Catherine has found that the pandemic has ironically made her feel closer to her community; it was even the push to start her own business. While she loved her 9-5, she is now able to spend full time with her kids and support her family; thanking her many customers, who are now friends, and her supportive family in encouraging this unexpected journey thus far.
Each week, HoMade Sweets offers a new menu of delicious cookie flavors – like Lemon Blueberry, Captain Crunch Berries, Chocolate Truffle, and Caramel Macchiato. While all small-batch and made to order for those who reside in the DMV area as of now, Catherine is currently working on her commercial license so that HoMade Sweets can ship, provide e-commerce services, and partner with restaurants. Spreading the love one cookie at a time. 🍪
Visit their website here.
Follow HoMade Sweets on social media: IG/FB
#SmallBusinessesOfThePandemic [DC Edition: 4/6] – Bub & Pop’s
Bub and Pop’s is a local sandwich shop located in Downtown DC that was named and inspired by Jonathan’s – pictured above – grandparent’s grocery store & hoagie shop in West Philadelphia. Almost 70 years later, Jonathan has reinvented some of their old school classics, such as the Italian Hoagie & Braised Beef Brisket Sandwich, which have even been approved by Guy Fieri himself.
The cozy hoagie shop has found the COVID-19 pandemic to be really hard and “a struggle” as a small and local business; and to make matters worse, during this down time, the City has decided to put in a bike lane out front of their shop, getting rid of parking, and consequently hurting their to-go business even more. Yet, even in the midst of a global pandemic, Bub and Pop’s still hosts a loyal customer base of DC locals, who claim that the establishment grills up the most delicious sandwiches in town.
Although a crowd favorite in DC, Jonathan is a firm believer in supporting whoever you want to support – “if you like our food, come support us, and if you don’t, go somewhere else”. But what the entire kitchen is looking forward to the most, moving into a post-pandemic world, “is just getting to take our masks off, it gets really hot back in the kitchen”. 🥖
Visit their website here.
Follow Bub and Pop’s on social media: IG/FB
📷 Jaclyn Yost
📷 Anna Meyer Photography
📷 Anna Meyer Photography
#SmallBusinessesOfThePandemic [DC Edition: 5/6] – Lucky Danger
Lucky Danger is a Chinese American takeout eatery located just a few blocks away from Chinatown in Washington D.C. Co-founded by Chef Tim Ma – pictured above – & Chef Andrew Chiou, the two were inspired by their upbringing as Chinese Americans to bring this authentic cuisine style to the Capitol city.
The planning process for Lucky Danger was already in the works before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Fortunately, due to already being a takeout model, the spot was able to successfully launch in November 2020. In the beginning, the eatery wanted to use their position of being “made for this time” to pay-it-forward & teamed up to cook meals for those in need through local nonprofits, such as World Centric Kitchen & Real Food for Kids. Since then, the biggest learning curve has been putting together the entire restaurant experience in a takeaway bag – as the Chefs want customers to feel like they are eating in a restaurant, even from home. Their genuine & authentic approach on classic Chinese American dishes – like spring rolls, sweet & sour chicken, and veggie lo mein – has made Lucky Danger an immediate success amongst DC locals & travelers alike.
In light of recent attacks against the AAPI community in the United States, Chef Tim Ma expressed that he no longer wanted to use his platform just for profit, but for good as well. This motivated him & 45 other local-DC chefs to found the nonprofit ‘Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate’, whose mission is to raise awareness & funds to give to organizations that empower change & support the AAPI community. Since the launch, the nonprofit has gained national attention, spanning into various other cities & seeing many more Chefs come on board.
Small & local businesses are the fabric of a city, without them we would be a homogenous society. With an abundance of different cultures here in the US, there is no easier way to explore them than through food. From starting a non-profit to the upcoming expansion into a second location, the Chefs at Lucky Danger are continuing to share the food of their culture for us all to enjoy.
Visit their website here.
Follow Lucky Danger on social media: IG/FB
📷 Tim Kubasik
📷 @nomtasticdc
#SmallBusinessesOfThePandemic [DC Edition: 6/6] – Roaming Rooster
Founded in 2015, Roaming Rooster is a family-owned business run in Washington D.C. For years, the founders had owned and operated a shawarma, falafel, and hummus food truck, before having an epiphany that there was not enough good fried chicken in the DMV area. After a year of experimenting in the kitchen, watching YouTube videos and The Food Network, and taste testing with family and friends, the family perfected a chicken sandwich recipe that sold out on their very first day – leading Roaming Rooster to be in the position that they are today.
By using free-range, grain-fed, antibiotic free, and halal chicken, the idea behind the food truck is to provide a fried-chicken option that people could feel good about eating. As word spread and demand grew high, their entire fleet of 4 food trucks switched over to the Roaming Rooster brand. Around the same time, the family invested in a restaurant with a large kitchen for more prep space; and after 1.5 years, this storefront was opened to the public.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Roaming Rooster was “one of the lucky ones”. Although they had to take their fleet of (now) 5 food trucks off the road due to the absence of lunch-time crowds in the city, the brick-and-mortar spaces flourished and received an abundance of online orders. This fast growth has inspired the family and the Roaming Rooster brand to evolve even more – expanding into 3+ locations, starting breakfast soon, and making in-house custard from scratch. With a passion for making cleaner options more accessible, and a strong family ethos, Roaming Rooster has triumphed through the pandemic.
Visit their website here.
Follow Roaming Rooster on social media: IG/FB/Twitter
meet the author
Jaclyn Yost
Jaclyn is the founder of ecomadic and editor of The Sustainable Seed. She is conscious creative passionate about shedding light on environmental and social sustainability issues through travel.
ecomadic 