Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

M Street Businesses Take Inauguration to the Bank

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From restaurants to retailers, the influx of visitors in the nation’s capital for Tuesday’s historic presidential inauguration resulted in booming sales for businesses on M Street and throughout Georgetown.

Clyde’s on M Street had more than 1,000 guests over the course of lunch and dinner the day before the inauguration, according to Clyde’s general manager Dave Del Bene (COL ’93).

“We were prepared for larger crowds and we had them,” Del Bene said.

Del Bene, who has worked for Clyde’s for many years, found the increase in business during this inauguration unprecedented.

“Although a change in office and party of the president tends to bump inaugural numbers, we were definitely busier than the past five inaugurations that I’ve been at Clyde’s for,” Del Bene said.

The guests at Clyde’s came from all around the country and to accommodate for the increased patronage, the restaurant obtained a special license to open earlier and close later. From the Friday until the Monday before the inauguration, Clyde’s opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 4 a.m., as opposed to the normal closing time of 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12 a.m. during the rest of the week.

Both Eric Green, store manager of the Chipotle on M Street, and Melvin Leon, assistant manager of the Qdoba on M Street, said that lines in their stores were out the door on Monday. Green did not find much of an increase in sales the other days of the weekend, however.

The Philadelphia Cheese-steak factory experienced about a 75 percent increase in business over the inaugural weekend, according to owner Peter Mossaidis.

“This was our busiest inauguration yet,” Massaidis said. “There was a lot of traffic, a lot of people, but it wasn’t unmanageable.”

The popular salad and frozen yogurt shop SweetGreen, owned by Nicolas Jammet (MSB ’07), also benefited from the inauguration crowds and ceremonies. SweetGreen was one of 15 vendors that catered for the inauguration itself and also provided food for the Manifest Hope Party, held at D.C. Gallery next door to SweetGreen, the night before Barack Obama’s inauguration, according to Jammet.

The party, which featured Moby, Santogold and De La Soul, brought many inauguration revelers to SweetGreen throughout Monday night, granting many with their first taste of its vegan wraps and salads, which were available at the party in honor of vegan musician Moby, according to the Washington Business Journal.

SweetGreen also received a late phone call asking employees to set up a wrap station near the National Mall for the inauguration, the Washington Business Journal said. The restaurant had until 2 a.m. Tuesday morning to pull everything together. That night, according to SweetGreen’s blog, the restaurant assembled 1,000 wraps on Pennsylvania Avenue near the parade route the next day.

“It was fun to be a part of and we were very excited to be thought of for the events. It was also a great way for us to get our name out there,” Jammet explained.

Restaurants were not the only businesses reaping the benefits of the crowds. Local Georgetown hotels were filled to capacity.

All 222 rooms of the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown were filled during the inaugural weekend, despite increased prices and minimum stay requirements, according to Liliana Baldassari, director of public relations for the hotel.

“We were sold out every night with a minimum five-night stay, and we had all our employees working around the clock to accommodate [the increased number of guests],” she said.

Prices for rooms ranged from $895 to $15,000 a night, the latter being the price tag for the recently-renovated Royal Suite, which, including the minimum five night stay, cost a lofty minimum sum of $75,000 for the inaugural weekend.

“Of the eight inaugurations the Four Seasons has been around for, this was the busiest. We had a record number of guests,” Baldassari said.

The inauguration brought many prominent figures to D.C., some of which the Four Seasons had the pleasure of hosting.

“We had VIP guests from the entertainment, business and political world, and it was the first time we received inquires from heads of state for an inauguration,” Baldassari noted.

The hotel also played host to the “Dreams of Our Fathers” unofficial inaugural ball last Sunday night, which featured performances by Macy Gray, LL Cool J and Alicia Keys.

any businesses understandably chose a patriotic theme for the weekend’s festivities. Ben & Jerry’s on M Street titled their pecan-flavored ice cream “Yes Pecan!” featuring “amber waves of buttery ice cream with roasted non-partisan pecans,” according to its Web site. Ben & Jerry’s stores nationwide donated money to the D.C.-based Common Cause Education Fund for every purchase of the inaugural-themed flavor.

The recently opened Tommy Hilfiger store on M Street exhibited a patriotic touch as well by decorating its store windows for the occasion. According to an assistant manager of the store, who preferred to remain anonymous, the store experienced a 22 percent increase in sales over the inaugural weekend, with the exception of Tuesday when business was very slow.

The Running Company greatly benefited from inaugural visitors who stocked up on warm clothing to help them brave the freezing temperatures on the Mall.

“We sold out of basically all inexpensive items that can keep you warm, such as gloves, hats and hand warmers,” said Store Manager Max Lockwood.

Although numerous stores remained open and even increased their hours to accommodate the increased flow of people in Georgetown, stores such as Dean & Deluca, Janus et Cie, L’Eclat de Verre and Waterworks opted to close for Inauguration Day.

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