mnebergall

You don't answer the question why you need to double the retail price in order to put it on your list. You buy for the same price the retailer pays. How much of a markup does the retailer enjoy?

Indeed, what does Mr. Sommerlier mean when he says certain costs are "fixed." Are they fixed in terms of number of $ per bottle, or fixed in terms of number of dollars it takes to buy, store and serve the wine. The cost of the wine itself is certainly fixed. I would guess that it takes a fixed amount of labor to serve a bottle of wine. However, the cost of storing wine is an investment in storage space and the $/bottle will change based in the number of bottles sold and is therefore a variable cost (as the cost accountants will tell you). Are there other costs as well? See what happens when you involve the accountants.

Loeb's Perfect New York Deli is 45 years old. In fact, it used to be in the location now occupied by the Old Ebbitt Grill. Which raises a question, was the Old Ebbitt Grill always "old." I seem to recall that it was around the corner from where it is now. spelling edit

How is "oldest restaurant in town" defined. The Occidental opened in 1906 but closed in 1972. It reopened in 1986 after the Willard Hotel was rennovated. I doubt that the current Occidental is the same "business" as the one opened in 1906. Does the term mean "oldest continually operated restaurant business" or simply name used the longest? Gadbsy's Tavern was operated by John Gadsby from 1796 to 1808. See what happens when you involve the lawyers.

According to the Washington Post, Royal Restaurant in Alexandria is celebrating its 100th anniversery this year.

How about 219 on King Street in Old Town. Opened in 1979.

Welcome to eGullet Olive. Glad to have you aboard.

I think L'Auberge Chez Francois has been around for more than 25 years, not at the same location though. How long has the Tune Inn been around? edited to add: Tune Inn opened in 1955.

What design are you getting? You'll see, it's something my wife wanted to do, I'm pretty sure the inspiration was Martha Stewart. It'll be a surprise. What, is the cake going to have a jail-cell motif with bars?

I look forward to visiting your restaurant and sampling more than just your Champagne. Thank for giving us your valuable time.

Well, at least I was half right. I know some of the folks on the "team of investors."

Sam & Harry's at Tyson is closed? Yes "Sam" and "Harry" are divorced. Caucus Room remains -- not sure who got custody. Don't know about the store on 19th. Another Harry's Tap Room soon to open on Rt. 7. I thought the Caucus Room was owned by a bunch of lobbyists but managed by Sam & Harry's. So far as I know, 19th Street is still there. I ran into one of the their bartenders a few weeks ago and he did not mention that there was any issue. Their website still says that there is a DC location (but the picture is of the Tyson's location which not longer show up). They must have just closed the Tyson's location.

I've been to group dinners at Zola, Poste, Sam and Harry's, Oceanaire, Ortanique, and a bunch of others that I can't think of right now. The best of those that I list was Ortanique. But get some ideas of what you think your parties might enjoy and your eGullet friends can help guide you.

Perhaps Don Rocks could work his magic and diffuse this whole situation by doing a Q/A on another thread. After all the name calling on the da sto thread, things kind of settled down in a respectable conversation on the Clark Q & A.

I like large stacks of small bills.

Sam & Harry's at Tyson is closed?

O dear. I'm being taken back to Eve for my birthday Monday. I think I'll have to make one of those a present to myself. Awesome. Oh no. News flash. Todd has been thinking overtime. Ask for the Restaurant Eve Special Magic drink. It changes flavors half way through (no layers). No kidding, it changes from sour to sweet. Amazing. PS: The new braised lamb shank is unbelievable, as is the mushroom risotto side dish.

I think the guy is on one perpetual vacation. He just got back from a vacation in AZ and he's already bummed out.

Sunday blue laws were not confied to Texas. We had them in Missouri where I grew up. However, when I turned 18, I could sneak across the state line into Kansas and buy 3.2% beer and go to the 3.2 bars where all they served was 3.2% beer. Kansas had even weirder ABC laws. No mixed drinks except in a private club, but the definition of private club wa subject to very liberal interpretation. Another weird Kansas ABC story involved the Kansas attorney general trying to stop airplanes flying across the state from serving drinks to passengers.

Hee! You've never been to Pennsylvania, have you? ABC policies can be inconsistent even within a state. I recall passing through PA one time and wanted to take a case of Rolling Rock back home with me. I had to go out of my way to find a place that would sell me a case.

Nah, its just those fuddy duddies down state. We in "Northern" Virginia (not an oxymoron) are a pretty fun bunch.

There are other ways of handling the "marketing and customer relationis" issues without resorting to complimentary alcohol. A complimentary appetizer or desert comes to mind. The point is, the free bottle of wine advocated by the Post columnist would seem to violate Virginia ABC laws and my hunch a number of other states' laws as well.

This is from the VA ABC Website: Happy Hour and Related Promotions: [3 VAC 5-50-160.B] (1) Happy Hour is not allowed between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. of the following day. (2) You cannot advertise Happy Hour in the media or on the exterior of the premises. (3) You cannot increase the amount of alcoholic beverage in a drink without charging a higher price. (4) You cannot sell two or more drinks for one price (no 2-for-1 specials.) (5) You cannot sell pitchers of mixed beverages. (6) You cannot give away drinks. (7) You cannot sell unlimited drinks for one price, such as “all you can drink for $10.” Do not give away alcoholic beverages to customers or other persons in connection with the operation of your business. This does not apply to gifts to personal friends, wine and beer tastings, hospitality rooms, or some types of conventions. [3 VAC 5-70-100] Q. One of your regular customers comes into your restaurant with a group of his friends. As a friendly gesture, you tell your waitress to take a round of drinks over to their table and tell them that the drinks are “on the house.” Is this allowed under ABC law? A. No. You are not allowed to give away drinks for free to customers in connection with your business. This example clearly does not fall under the “personal friend” category, and therefore is a violation. [3 VAC 5-70-100]

I don't think you can have a happy hour in Virginia that includes discounted drinks. Most happy hours have some free food available, but that is about it. My hunch is that the state laws are all over the map on this issue with the Bible belt having more restrictive rules and the liberal northerners having less restrictive rules. The point of my post is that, depending on state law, the scheme advocated by the Post columnist could be illegal in some states and is likely illegal in a state where a lot of people read his newspaper. edited to add: Take a look at Todd Thrasher's post under the "Discounts for Restaurant Insiders" thread. His restaurant's discount policy does not apply to alcoholic beverages because he thinks it is against the law.

You know, I just realized how misguided the Post article is. In many states, Virginia is one of them, it is against the law to give away alcoholic beverages and in some cases, to even discount-price it. A hefty portion of the Post circulation is by subscribers in Northern Virginia. So the "make them pay" scheme suggested by the article could subject many restaurants to the loss of their liquor license. If a customer tries to cash on on such an expectation, a simple "sorry, that would be against the law" should shut them up.