American City Diner, a 30-year fixutre of Chevy Chase, has closed. The news, announced by the restaurant on social media yesterday, comes a little over a year after founder Jeffrey Gildenhorn died from a choking incident at the Palm.
But the retro building may not be empty for long. Local entrepreneur and restaurateur Steve Salis is taking over the space. He declined to share any additional information.
Salis was a co-founder of local chain &pizza, but he’s since turned his attention to acquiring some well-known DC brands and launching a prefab-housing business. In 2016, Salis opened barbecue joint Federalist Pig with one of the city’s best pit masters, then acquired Dupont Circle’s Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe, which will undergo a multimillion dollar overhaul. Last year, Salis also acquired Ted’s Bulletin from Matchbox Food Group and is in the process of retooling and expanding the diner. A spokesperson for Salis declined to say if he might turn American City Diner into another Ted’s location.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
