Richard McCooey at his surprise 50th anniversary party. Photograph by Jim Weaver.
To hear him tell the story, 64 years ago, when he was a Georgetown University freshman,
Richard McCooey had the idea to open a particular type of restaurant adjacent to the campus. It took
14 more years for him to make the dream come true, but when he did the result was 1789 Restaurant
and its basement sibling, the Tombs. Last night in Georgetown, friends and former
staff—some of whom flew in from New York and Los Angeles—gave McCooey a surprise 50th-anniversary
party, which included a serenade from veteran members of the Chimes, the university’s
male a cappella singing group.
“I am so appreciative,” he said to the guests packed into the private F. Scott’s club
next door to 1789. “I did all I wanted to do. As a freshman, walking along this street,
I had that dream. I kept the dream.” He recalled that when they started work on 1789,
“there was no Tombs. There wasn’t a basement. So we had to take the whole inside of
the building out to be able to do it.”
In the years since, both restaurants have become community fixtures. McCooey said
he wanted both “to reflect the university.” The Tombs, decked out in college sports
paraphernalia, appeals to students and families seeking a pub atmosphere; 1789, more
formal with fireplaces and “Old Georgetown” decor, is a serene, white-tablecloth setting
for fine dining. Last year President Obama took German chancellor Angela Merkel there for dinner.
McCooey no longer owns 1789 or the Tombs. “I had given it 25 years, a quarter of a
century, and that was all I had to do, all I could do,” he said about his decision
to sell the businesses in the mid-1980s. But when he sold to John Laytham, president and CEO of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, the deal went down in record
time.
McCooey said it was September of 1985 and he and Laytham were at F. Scott’s, coming
up the stairs from the lower-level disco. McCooey said, “John, I’m thinking of selling
1789.” Laytham replied, “You just sold it!”
Richard McCooey, Founder of 1789 and the Tombs, Celebrates His 50th Anniversary
Friends and former staff hosted a surprise party for McCooey last night at F. Scott’s.
To hear him tell the story, 64 years ago, when he was a Georgetown University freshman,
Richard McCooey had the idea to open a particular type of restaurant adjacent to the campus. It took
14 more years for him to make the dream come true, but when he did the result was
1789 Restaurant
and its basement sibling, the Tombs. Last night in Georgetown, friends and former
staff—some of whom flew in from New York and Los Angeles—gave McCooey a surprise 50th-anniversary
party, which included a serenade from veteran members of the Chimes, the university’s
male a cappella singing group.
“I am so appreciative,” he said to the guests packed into the private F. Scott’s club
next door to 1789. “I did all I wanted to do. As a freshman, walking along this street,
I had that dream. I kept the dream.” He recalled that when they started work on 1789,
“there was no Tombs. There wasn’t a basement. So we had to take the whole inside of
the building out to be able to do it.”
In the years since, both restaurants have become community fixtures. McCooey said
he wanted both “to reflect the university.” The Tombs, decked out in college sports
paraphernalia, appeals to students and families seeking a pub atmosphere; 1789, more
formal with fireplaces and “Old Georgetown” decor, is a serene, white-tablecloth setting
for fine dining. Last year
President Obama took German chancellor
Angela Merkel there for dinner.
McCooey no longer owns 1789 or the Tombs. “I had given it 25 years, a quarter of a
century, and that was all I had to do, all I could do,” he said about his decision
to sell the businesses in the mid-1980s. But when he sold to
John Laytham, president and CEO of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, the deal went down in record
time.
McCooey said it was September of 1985 and he and Laytham were at F. Scott’s, coming
up the stairs from the lower-level disco. McCooey said, “John, I’m thinking of selling
1789.” Laytham replied, “You just sold it!”
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work
This DC-Area Lawyer Wants More Americans Betting on Elections
Trump Threatens DC Takeover, Says He’d Run the City “So Good”; Supreme Court OKs Mass Federal Worker Layoffs; and You Should Go Pick Some Sunflowers
Trump Pledges Support for RFK Stadium Plan, Ben’s Chili Bowl Will Strand Us Half-Smokeless for Months, and Pediatricians Are Suing RFK Jr.
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor