HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Clyde's Restaurant Group is a subsidiary of
Graham Holdings Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post Company) is a diversified American conglomerate holding company. Headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, and incorporated in Delaware, it was formerly the owner of ''The Washington Post ...
that owns and operates 11 restaurants in the
Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...
. Founded in 1963 to take advantage of a change in the district's liquor laws, it pioneered a number of changes in the way restaurants in the district operated. In 1970, it purchased the oldest restaurant in the district,
Old Ebbitt Grill Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic bar and restaurant located at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is Washington's oldest bar and restaurant, and is owned by Clyde's Restaurant Group. It first opened as an unnamed ...
. The company has since expanded its namesake "Clyde's" restaurant into a small chain, as well as opened and purchased other restaurants.


History

On August 12, 1963, investment banker Stuart C. Davidson opened Clyde's of Georgetown. For many decades, hard liquor could be served in the District of Columbia only to patrons seated at tables. President John F. Kennedy signed legislation in May 1962 allowing liquor to be sold to patrons standing up. When no other restaurant/bar opened in the district, Davidson decided to enter the restaurant business.Martin, Douglas. "Stuart C. Davidson, 78, Owner of Legendary Washington Bar." ''New York Times.'' August 8, 2001.
Accessed 2012-12-29.
Clyde's opened in a former
biker Biker or bikie may refer to: * A cyclist, a bicycle rider or participant in cycling sports * A motorcyclist, any motorcycle rider or passenger, or participant in motorcycle sports ** A motorcycle club member, defined more narrowly than all motor ...
bar known as the B&J Restaurant. When B&J lost its lease after one too many brawls occurred there, Davidson rented the two front rooms of the building and established Clyde's there. The oak bar was retained, and the decor changed to an assortment of oddities.Kelly, John. "At Clyde's, Treat Yourself to a Good Lunch and Cause." ''Washington Post.'' June 3, 2009.
Accessed 2012-12-29.
The first Clyde's restaurant was in Georgetown,
Accessed 2012-12-29.
the first bar/restaurant in Georgetown to open on a Sunday, the first restaurant in Georgetown to serve
brunch Brunch is a meal eaten between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks (typically champagne or a cocktail). The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word ''brunch'' is a portmanteau of ''breakfast'' a ...
, and the first restaurant in Georgetown to hire women as waiters.
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
student John Laytham began working at Clyde's as a busboy six months after it opened. Although he never graduated from the university, in 1968 Laytham became the restaurant's general manager. In 1970, Davidson asked Laytham to join him as a partner in Clyde's (giving him 20 percent of the ownership). The 1976 hit song "
Afternoon Delight "Afternoon Delight" is a hit song recorded by Starland Vocal Band, known for its close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. "Afternoon Delight" charted well in New Zealand, pea ...
" by
Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for " Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976. Career The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the s ...
was inspired by the spicy happy hour menu at Clyde's of Georgetown. Writer Bill Danoff ate at Clyde's one afternoon, then came home and told his wife that "afternoon delight" should really refer to sexual intercourse. (The song only vaguely hints at sex.) In 1970, Davidson and Laytham purchased the
Old Ebbitt Grill Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic bar and restaurant located at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is Washington's oldest bar and restaurant, and is owned by Clyde's Restaurant Group. It first opened as an unnamed ...
, which originally opened in 1856. In December 1985, Clyde's Restaurant Group purchased from founder Richard J. McCooey three notable D.C. drinking and dining establishments:
The Tombs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, 1789 Restaurant, and F. Scott's. These restaurants underwent a significant renovation from 2016-18, and F. Scott's was closed, becoming a new bar and lounge area for 1789. Clyde's Restaurant Group subsequently opened three more locations under the "Clyde's" name in
Columbia, Maryland Columbia is a census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland. It is one of the principal communities of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. Columbia began with ...
(1975);
Tysons Corner, Virginia Tysons, also known as Tysons Corner, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, developed from the corner of Chain Bridge Road ( SR 123) and the Leesburg Pike ( SR 7). Located in Northern Virginia between the c ...
(1980);
Reston Town Center Reston Town Center (also known as RTC and locally as simply, Town Center) is a mixed-use development featuring offices, apartments, retail stores, and restaurants in Reston, Virginia owned and managed primarily by Boston Properties. __NOTOC__ Des ...
in
Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movem ...
(1991);
Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in th ...
(1995);
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
(1998); and Gallery Place in Washington, D.C. (2005). Clyde's Restaurant Group also opened several restaurants which are not branded under the "Clyde's" name. These include The Tomato Palace (1993), which opened next door to the Clyde's location in Columbia; Tower Oaks Lodge in the
Tower Oaks Tower Oaks is a 192-acre planned community in Rockville, Maryland. History In 1987, the city council of Rockville approved plans for the development of the site into an office park. In 1998, Boston Properties, which purchased 84 acres of the site, ...
development of
Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
(2002); Clyde's Willow Creek Farm in
Broadlands, Virginia Broadlands is a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is a master-planned community started and developed by Van Metre Homes in the 1990s. It is built on wetlands and is certified as a Community Wildlife Hab ...
(2006); and The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. (2011). According to Laytham,
Boston Properties Boston Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in premier workplaces in Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. As of June 30, 2022, the company owned or had interest ...
, the developer of the
Tower Oaks Tower Oaks is a 192-acre planned community in Rockville, Maryland. History In 1987, the city council of Rockville approved plans for the development of the site into an office park. In 1998, Boston Properties, which purchased 84 acres of the site, ...
office park, allowed Clyde's restaurant use of the land rent-free, and built the infrastructure of the restaurant at no cost as well. The Van Metre Companies, developer of the
Broadlands Broadlands is an English country house, located in the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of Romsey Extra, near the town of Romsey in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The formal gardens and historic landscape of Broadlands ...
mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
planned community, provided the same package of rent-free land and no-cost infrastructure to allow the construction of Clyde's Willow Creek Farm. Clyde's Restaurant Group also received a major financial incentive to open The Hamilton. The company secured a 40-year lease from the landlord (Germany-based Deka Immobilien Investment) at $20.00 per square foot, which rises to just $29 per square foot after 40 years. Although the multi-level restaurant and music venue cost $24 million to construct, the District of Columbia gave Clyde's $5 million in
tax increment financing Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects in many countries, including the United States. The original intent of a TIF program is ...
. Within a year of its opening, Laytham said it employed 355 people. According to Laytham in 2012, the company was opening a new location "Every few years". The Tysons Corner location closed on February 5, 2017, to make way for development of the Tysons Central residential and commercial building project. On July 4, 2017, Clyde's Restaurant Group closed The Tomato Palace, and repurposed the space into a music venue called The Soundry, which opened on June 1, 2018. Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the Columbia location and The Soundry permanently closed on July 19, 2020. The Reston location closed on May 21, 2022. Clyde's founder Stuart Davidson died on August 1, 2001. Clyde's co-owner and CEO John Laytham died on January 3, 2019. In July 2019, Clyde's Restaurant Group was acquired by
Graham Holdings Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post Company) is a diversified American conglomerate holding company. Headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, and incorporated in Delaware, it was formerly the owner of ''The Washington Post ...
.


References


External links

*
Why Is It Named Clyde's of Georgetown?
- Ghosts of DC {{Graham 1963 establishments in Washington, D.C. 2019 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 1963 Restaurant groups in the United States Restaurants established in 1963 Restaurants in Maryland Restaurants in Virginia Restaurants in Washington, D.C.