A Life Concierge Rant...

I understand that bars and restaurants can make a significant amount of revenue by renting out and closing off space for groups and individuals for private functions. But I do wonder if they consider the longer-term affects of closing off unique portions of their business to normal customers. I'm not talking about if a restaurant has a private room set aside, that's obviously not an issue. Or even if they section off a particular part of the regular area (Clydes in Chevy Chase regularly does this without a problem). What I mean, is if there is a particular area or section of the place, that has a different concept or character than the rest, and it is regularly off-limits to walk in customers.

Case in point - last night, Cheesehead and I go to the Laughing Man Tavern in G St. for the first time. Upstairs is an extremely corporate, vanilla restaurant with a small bar off to one side. Rumor has it that downstairs is a more comfortable, large bar with darts (this is owned by the Buffalo Billiard/Rocket Bar people). However, we couldn't get downstairs since it was closed for a private function, and were sequestered in the drab upstairs. It was probably the first, and last, time that we will be in that place, and I would LOVE to find a viable alternative to Ebbitt in that neighborhood.

Or what about those weekend nights when Pizzeria Paradiso - already a SMALL and very busy establishment - closes off the entire downstairs area - which contains the bigger and better bar with a more comfortable design? I mean, they do this a lot on Saturday nights - it's not like they weren't going to fill the seats anway. I DO now consider whether I want to schlep all the way there to face an hour wait for a table because the downstairs is closed; this has happened to me several times.

And let's not forget Top of the Hill, which you can pretty much count on to be closed off the entire holiday season. The problem is, the three bars at this location have very distinct personalities - if I'm going to Top of the Hill, I don't want to sit in the basement area.

I hope these places realize that the walk in crowds are their regulars - and we're being alienated for a faster up-front return. It's probably telling that I haven't been to TOTH in ages after repeated closings, I won't go back to Laughing Man, and I only occasionally go to Paradiso because it's the only thing like it around. Grrrrrrrrr.