Last week, after the news that Ruby Tuesday was closing and TGI Friday’s might leave before they opened, we posted a poll (mostly) for fun: which crappy chain restaurant will be the next to come to Columbia Heights then close? And most readers seem to think it will be Buffalo Wild Wings, followed by the Cheesecake Factory, then Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Shenanigans from Office Space. There were 72 respondents and 32% said BWW.
It’s kind of funny to think about, but then again, one of those chains, or another similar one, could one day be a reality. Big retailers seem to like the area around DCUSA, probably due to lots of other retail activity and foot traffic. That said, Ruby Tuesday didn’t do very well, but it was also kind of far from everything else. The IHOP and Panera are crowded frequently and the Chipotle always has a line back to the door. (I’ve heard a rumor that it’s the busiest Chipotle in the world, but I haven’t been able to verify that.)
I actually stopped into a Buffalo Wild Wings the other day to watch GW basketball lose a tough one to Seton Hall, and it was… an experience. The place was packed with people and TVs, and was pretty noisy — like Lou’s City Bar on steroids. I didn’t have any food, though.
So thanks for taking the time to vote! I’ll let you know what I hear about those two retail spaces.
