Ballad for Brookland's Finest

I’m Gordon Chaffin, a community volunteer and advocate who nerds out on infrastructure policy. This is my newsletter with local news and researched opinions.

Back to Basics on Neighborhood Businesses Closing

I’m on vacation this week, but I wanted to send a quick second to the folks on social media mourning the death of Brookland’s Finest, a family-friendly restaurant in the so-named D.C. neighborhood. They plan to be open another week or two to maximize money for their employees losing their jobs.

I’ve enjoyed all my visits to Brookland’s Finest. As a single adult, it’s been an excellent spot to get drinks with friends or have an accessible meal on a date. In my favorite (?) memory, my date put up with a neighborhood walk in which I wanted to share Brookland neighborhood gossip, point out the lots where NIMBYs were blocking common sense developments, and visit Allie Hart’s ghost bike. I have poor ideas for dates.

It’s a rite of passage for long-term residents to commiserate about their favorite bars, breweries, restaurants, and shops closing. I didn’t have enough of a social life in most of my 16 years in D.C. to have many of these favorites. But BF closing stings for sure. Food service is a tricky business to maintain in good economies, with a 30% closure rate. And the last few years in the District have included tumultuous market conditions — perhaps a bubble bursting — as well as regulatory changes. Some places seem to be resilient, but others not so much. I hope BF’s space is occupied again soon. New things aren’t necessarily worse than old, familiar things. But, unoccupied space is definitely bad.

DISCLAIMER: All opinions and analyses in this newsletter are those solely of Gordon Chaffin and do not represent his employer or community groups with which he’s affiliated.