Maybe there was too much stigma attached to the location. Maybe the steak and French bistro classics weren’t as strong as owner David Winer thought, he says. Either way, six-month-old Shaw restaurant Frenchy’s Naturel will close after brunch on July 28. During its final week, beginning tomorrow, Frenchy’s will offer its entire food and drink menu for 25-percent off.
Before Frenchy’s Naturel, Winer’s restaurant group Eatwell DC operated poultry-themed eatery The Bird in the space for two years. Winer decided to change concepts after cycling through five chefs over two years.
“I think we had a very uneven run with The Bird. That put us in a complicated place,” Winer says. “I honestly thought Frenchy’s was a good reset, and I thought a reset was a better place to be than climb a mountain or climb a hill from a place where you’re not doing that well… Quite simply stated, it didn’t work.”
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that staff won’t be left in the lurch. All employees have been offered positions at Eatwell DC’s other restaurants, which include Commissary, Logan Tavern, The Pig, Grillfish, and The Charles in La Plata, MD. Chef Eric McKamey, who’d previously worked at Momofuku and Mintwood Place, has left the company amid the closure.
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.
