Personal touch

Many of the family-owned restaurants in the Woodmont Triangle have relationships with customers that span decades. Finding new customers, though, is a challenge and the key to their survival.

By Lisa Nevans Locke

At Tia Queta, a Mexican restaurant on Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda, you never know who your waiter will be.

“I used to joke I had the most expensive help of any restaurant,” says owner Roberto Montesinos, whose restaurant was one of about a half-dozen in town when he opened in 1980. “One of my dishwashers was my lawyer. My wife, a professor at American University, waited tables.”

When the restaurant got busy, friends who were dining there would get up from their tables and start waiting on customers—they still do. Montesinos likes to tell the story of a lawyer friend who helped out one night and was recognized by a potential juror in court two days later.

When the judge asked if anyone in the jury pool knew any of the parties to the case, “One lady says, ‘Your honor, I know that lawyer. He was my waiter in a Mexican restaurant,’” Montesinos says. “The judge says, ‘How was the food? Good?’ The lady says yes. ‘All right!’ says the judge.”

In a town that is increasingly attracting chain restaurants, many Woodmont Triangle eateries are still owned and run by local people who greet and treat their patrons more like friends and family than customers. 

Many of the restaurateurs built their businesses from scratch and have been around for years.

“Roberto treats everyone as if he’s known them for 30 years,” says Bernie Litchfield, who grew up in Bethesda and is still a regular at Tia Queta, even though he moved to Frederick 15 years ago. “It’s like going to an aunt’s house. You’re comfortable here.”

Customers have become like family, Montesinos says as he points out the colorful paintings, swords, Aztec figurines, papier-mâché parrots and bullfighting posters that patrons have brought him from their vacations over the years. “I have to put it up. They’re disappointed if they don’t see it,” Montesinos says as mariachi music plays in the background.

Woodmont Triangle has long been the hub of the Bethesda dining scene. More than 75 of Bethesda’s approximately 200 restaurants are within its borders, while 45 are in the Bethesda Row/Bethesda West area, according to the Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP). Restaurants like Tia Queta, Trattoria Sorrento, Le Vieux Logis, Sweet Basil, Tragara Ristorante and Positano Ristorante Italiano give Woodmont Triangle its small-town charm and create much of its appeal.

“I prefer the ‘one-of’ [a-kind] restaurants to chains,” Jim Martinko of Rockville says as he exits Sweet Basil on Fairmont Avenue after lunch on a Monday afternoon. “They have better quality, better service and better prices.” Martinko and his coworker, Henry Scott of Potomac, say they frequent unique restaurants such as Black’s Bar & Kitchen, David Craig and Grapeseed, all Woodmont Triangle establishments, when they dine out at night.

 But these are difficult times for many of the eateries. Of 12 sit-down restaurants that closed in Bethesda during the past year, 10 were in Woodmont Triangle. A combination of factors, including rising costs, a slowing economy and competition from well-financed chains, is putting the squeeze on many of the small restaurants and raising the question, “Can the little guys survive?”

“I once served 840 people in a day,” says Luigi Traettino, who has owned Positano on Fairmont Avenue for 31 years. “I’m not getting those numbers anymore.”

Fu Cheung, owner of Foong Lin on Norfolk Avenue, says his business declined 10 to 15 percent during the past eight years because of competition from Bethesda Row and the extension of metered parking until 10 p.m. In the past two years, business has been even slower, he says. “Last year was the worst year I ever had,” Cheung says.

Diana Dahan, owner of Le Vieux Logis on Old Georgetown Road, worries about chains, with their large advertising budgets and dining rooms that can seat hundreds; Le Vieux Logis seats 75. She’s competing, but “with great difficulty,” Dahan says. “The quality of food and service; you give the best you have to give, and hopefully people will have a special experience.”

The recent subprime mortgage crisis and the slowing economy have made Bethesda diners more cautious spenders, says Sonny Abraham, owner of Brasserie Monte Carlo on Norfolk Avenue. When he opened in 2000, his Saturday nights were booked two weeks in advance. Now, you can call the night before—sometimes even the night of—and get a table. “Bethesda will always have disposable income, but people are careful now,” he says. “It’s an ongoing struggle.”

The sour economy has inspired some of Woodmont Triangle’s small-restaurant owners to band together. Abraham says he can count on his competitors to loan him tables or napkins when he has a large party, or even to provide some foie gras when he runs out on a Saturday night.

Woodmont Triangle needs sidewalks wide enough to accommodate outdoor seating to bring back fair-weather customers who dine elsewhere in the summer, says Claude Amsellem, owner of Tragara Ristorante on Cordell Avenue. The restaurant business is so volatile, with eateries constantly changing hands, that every competitive edge makes a difference, Amsellem says. He believes his loyal clients, some of whom have been eating at Tragara since before he bought it 14 years ago, will see him through these rough times.

“Everyone thinks Bethesda is the best place in the world to open up a restaurant,” says Francis Namin, who has owned eating establishments in Bethesda for 15 years, including Centro Italian Grill on Bethesda Avenue (which he is in the process of selling) and Red Tomato Café on St. Elmo Avenue, which he owns with his sister, Fariba “Fay” Namin.

“I have news for them: If you don’t have tough skin, you’re not going to survive here.”

Smaller restaurants are feeling the pinch. Food costs have doubled during the past year, Namin says. Traettino, of Positano, says his real estate taxes have skyrocketed, while Dahan, of Le Vieux Logis, says she now pays a fuel surcharge on every delivery.

Part of the problem facing restaurants in Woodmont Triangle is that there are few consumer draws around them. Bethesda Row has Barnes & Noble, the Bethesda Row Cinema and countless shops. On a Friday or Saturday night, people pour out of the movie theater and into Bethesda Row restaurants. Some of the chain restaurants, such as Mon Ami Gabi, can serve 600 people on a Saturday night, Namin says. And with the opening of Bethesda Lane (see story page 197), Bethesda Row is likely to become even more attractive.

Woodmont Triangle has much less foot traffic at night and thus fewer potential diners.

“This is the old side of Bethesda,” says Cheung, of Foong Lin. “It’s so quiet at night.”

Civic and business leaders are hopeful that the coming redevelopment of Woodmont Triangle will help. That redevelopment, which has been delayed by the economic slowdown, likely will include several condominium buildings and many new spaces for high-end retail and restaurants—all of which could bring more people into the area. But the redevelopment also will displace some restaurants and drive up rents in general. Just when there will be more potential customers in Woodmont Triangle, it’s possible many of the small restaurants won’t be able to stay.

It’s true that rents might go up when landlords make major investments in their developments, but there is a flip side, says Dave Dabney, BUP’s executive director.

“It’s a difficult situation. But if you’ve got more people and you’ve got more traffic, you can pay higher rents—you can support that,” Dabney says.

Because the redevelopment will occur over a period of years, rather than in one fell swoop, as happened when Federal Realty Investment Trust leased the buildings that make up Bethesda Row, Dabney believes rents in Woodmont Triangle will not rise drastically. Right now, Woodmont Triangle restaurants pay $35 to $45 per square foot in rent; Bethesda Row space costs $60 to $75 per square foot. In return for higher rents, tenants will get brand new buildings full of potential customers, improved streetscapes and more foot traffic, Dabney says.

New customers needed
The news is not all bad. Many of Woodmont Triangle’s eateries are doing well. Black’s Bar & Kitchen and Woodmont Grill (formerly Houston’s) bustle during lunch and dinner. Newcomer BlackFinn is drawing a big lunch crowd and has become a favorite watering hole for 20-somethings. Remodeled Grapeseed is one of the best restaurants in Bethesda—and is usually packed. Mia’s Pizzas has become a favorite for families.

But many of the small, family-owned spots lack the marketing budgets to generate new customers, so they brainstorm inexpensive ways to get the word out. “Even with 20 years at the same location, people come in and say, ‘I didn’t know you were here’—and they live in Bethesda,” says Amsellem of Tragara. “You have to put your name everywhere.” Amsellem is thinking about using e-mail to inform regular customers about specials or upcoming events.

Traettino, owner of Positano, has purchased a 25-acre farm near Tappahannock, Va., where he grows 10 varieties of grapes. He hopes to open a winery and to sell the wine he’ll make at his Bethesda restaurant. That, he believes, will attract attention—and customers. Trattoria Sorrento has “opera night” the first Thursday of every month. Soprano Diane Abel invites the crowd to join in and sing with her while they enjoy a prix fixe, four-course meal.

Greg Hourigan, the owner of Hard Times Cafe, says he sponsored more than 45 fundraisers in 2007, gave away scores of gift certificates for school and church auctions, and he reels off a list of the local schools he regularly supports. “On weekends, I have a wait for high chairs and boosters. It’s like a kindergarten in here,” Hourigan says. “We’ve found our niche and become a neighborhood place.”

Once the small restaurants get new customers, they say they keep them with a combination of good food and a warm, inviting atmosphere. “You don’t just come for the food,” Dahan says. “It’s the service—the experience of coming to Le Vieux Logis. People become friends, not just customers.”

Says Namin, of Red Tomato Café: “Customers look for a place they can put on their weekly route. It’s up to you to keep your customers on a weekly basis. We recognize our regular customers, we’re familiar with their special needs;  that’s how we can separate ourselves and can survive with chains.”

‘We’re Like Their Family’
It’s 9:45 p.m. on a Friday, and the dinner scene at Sorrento is winding down. Dominic Sergi, the owner’s son-in-law, has pulled up a chair at the end of the table where Mary and Mario Bruno of Olney have finished their dinner in the now-nearly-empty restaurant. Dominic’s wife, Melinda, is still waiting on customers as the Brunos describe the fresh food and warm welcome they’ve enjoyed consistently since they started coming to the restaurant about 15 years ago. Sofia Sergi, 5, wants to know how old she was then. “That was before you were even born,” her father says. That gets her attention.

As Dominic starts to recount his father-in-law Carlo Di Simone’s story of coming to the U.S. from Italy and eventually opening a succession of Italian restaurants—including Sorrento—Sofia goes to get “the book.”

The leather-bound album contains photos of Di Simone and his ice sculptures, wedding cakes and other creations when he worked for Braun’s Fine Catering in Hyattsville from 1968 to 1971. Sofia picks up the narration as the Brunos nod knowingly. Says Mary Bruno: “It’s not like a business. We’re like their family.”

At Tia Queta on a Monday night, the Ireland family of Bethesda has stopped in for a bite. When Ann Ireland delivered daughter Evelyn 12 years ago, her husband, Patrick, brought Tia Queta carryout to her at Georgetown University Hospital. “We used to bring her in the baby carrier and put her on the table,” Ann says, gesturing at Evelyn.

Melissa Ballinger, a Bethesda resident, wanted to open a restaurant in her own community, and was drawn to Woodmont Triangle’s eclectic feel when she established Mia’s Pizzas in 2006.

Her lively restaurant is filled with families munching on her creative pizzas and

cupcakes. “People come in and see their neighbors and friends. It’s an atmosphere of, ‘Hey, how are you?’” Ballinger says. She has met many of her neighbors by chatting with her customers. “I’ll tell them where I live, and they say, ‘That’s where I live!’ They say, ‘Oh, you have the dogs! ”

Tolling away, night and day
Owning a restaurant is hard work. Many owners work seven days a week. Some simply laugh when asked about vacations.

The first time Montesinos and his wife, Mary Ellen Lee, tried to get away after opening Tia Queta, they got as far as the airport in Longboat Key, Fla. They arrived to find a message that their chef was in the hospital with appendicitis. Montesinos flew home.

“That set the course,” Lee says. “After that, we knew we could expect anything.”

Because of the demands of the job, many small-restaurant owners say their kids aren’t interested in taking over the family business. After Montesinos spent two decades of paying for private school and then college tuition for his two sons, his burden is about to ease. His oldest, Roberto, 25, will graduate from law school at Boston College in late May. Son Andrew, 21, is a junior studying political science at Vanderbilt University. The boys are not interested in going into the restaurant business, and that’s fine with Montesinos and Lee.

After years of working from dawn to late in the night, “it’s time for us to enjoy a little bit,” Montesinos says. “One of my goals was to see my kids graduate; then things will be easier [financially]. I don’t want to sell my building, but if some guy wants to rent my restaurant, that would be fine. Let us see what happens.”

Le Vieux Logis (Opened in 1980)
It’s hard to imagine the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Auburn Avenue without the geraniums, marigolds, petunias and mandevilla—real and painted—that adorn the walls of Le Vieux Logis, spilling out from log planters on the sidewalk and climbing trellises along the restaurant walls.

In a mural facing Auburn Avenue, diners enjoy a meal at an outdoor café in the Swiss Alps and children play in a meadow filled with purple, orange, blue, red and yellow flowers. Owner Diana Dahan tends the window boxes overflowing with pansies and the baskets of zinnias hanging from the eaves. She oversaw the creation of the mural more than a decade ago.

Marcel Montagnier, a French-born chef, opened the restaurant on his birthday in 1980. Dahan, a former French teacher whose father owned successful D.C. nightclubs, joined him as co-owner in about 1985. Montagnier, now deceased, thought Dahan was crazy when she suggested  adding a mural in 1995, Dahan says. But Dahan, who is passionate about flowers, had long thought the corner cried out for art. Artist Betty Zeiger, Dahan’s mother, helped with the design, and Dahan hired two artists to paint the mural. 

The artists took down Dahan’s beloved flower boxes, whitewashed the walls and dashed through early-morning traffic on Old Georgetown Road for three weeks to make sure their work looked OK from across the street. Dahan added more flower boxes and the Swiss-style log planters. Today, people sometimes come inside thinking it’s a flower shop, Dahan says.

Trattoria Sorrento (Opened in 1991)

Before his parents opened Trattoria Sorrento, Giovanni Di Simone remembers going

after school to help his father, Carlo, transform a driveway into a narrow, indoor dining space.

Today, Giovanni operates the restaurant; his sister, Melinda Sergi, is hostess; dad Carlo makes the pasta; and mother Maria bakes the bread. Regulars know to order the branzino, a fish that is flown in from the Mediterranean but is not on the menu. Customers often will request other dishes that are no longer on the menu, and Carlo happily accommodates them. “If we have the ingredients, why not?” he says.

While the restaurant once served lunch, Sorrento is open only for dinner now. Regular customers beg the family to stick it out through the tough times, Sergi says. “During the week, it’s quiet. [Regulars] say, ‘How come they’re not knocking the doors down?’”

Brasserie Monte Carlo (Opened in 2000)

Owner Sonny Abraham has worked at the Willard, the Hilton Washington and the Watergate hotels, and trained as a chef in Lausanne, Switzerland. But he got his start as a dishwasher at his father’s Italian restaurant in Arlington, Va. “I thought because I was the owner’s son I would get to wear a tie and seat tables,” Abraham says.

His father Ishmael’s insistence that his son start at the bottom didn’t sit well with the 16-year-old Sonny, who was fired for coming to work late. So he went to work at L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls, Va.—and found the owner there to be even stricter than his dad. He went back to work for his father, went to college, became a private pilot and eventually returned to the restaurant and hotel business.

When he opened Brasserie Monte Carlo in 2000, Abraham had to sell his boat, a 32-foot cruiser, to make the down payment. He has built a loyal following, and has added catering to help pay the bills. Abraham says he was able to buy back his boat four years later.

Tragara Ristorante (Opened in 1987)

Claude Amsellem had owned, and later sold, a French restaurant in Bethesda, and still owned a French restaurant in Gaithersburg when he decided to open a location in Bethesda for bar mitzvahs and parties.

In 1994, the French-born Amsellem purchased Tragara—an Italian restaurant with a French chef, Michel Laudier. At the time, there were many French restaurants in the area, and diners were turning away from creamy sauces, Amsellem says. Italian food was hot, so he made few changes; 14 years later, Laudier is still in the kitchen.

For about four years, Amsellem’s wife, Shelley, and middle son, David, worked at Claude’s, the family’s Gaithersburg restaurant, while Amsellem concentrated on Tragara. Then David got married. “His wife didn’t want him working seven days a week and evenings,” Amsellem says.

So David left to sell cell phones, and later went to work at a mortgage company. Amsellem’s wife left the restaurant business, and he sold Claude’s, but he still calls on his three sons when he needs help at Tragara on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and other busy times. “I can always count on them,” Amsellem says.

Positano Ristorante Italiano (Opened in 1977)

Luigi Traettino first stumbled into the quiet suburb of Bethesda when he got lost during a snowstorm in the early 1960s. “I say, what is this place?” Traettino remembers. “They say, ‘This is Bethesda.’ I say, ‘What is Bethesda?’”

When he received his green card in 1977, the Italian immigrant decided the quiet suburb was a good place to open a restaurant with his wife, Angela, a chef. With few other eateries in town, Positano’s opening on Norfolk Avenue was big news in local newspapers and on television and radio, he says. There was a line around the block. “We were overrun,” Traettino says.

They moved to a bigger space on Fairmont Avenue in 1981. Today, the eight-room, 600-seat restaurant, with an interior designed by Traettino, includes a grand room that resembles an Italian piazza with faux balconies, a terrazzo floor and baskets overflowing with flowers. Angela is still in the kitchen; Luigi and their oldest son, Jimmy Traettino, run the business.

Bethesda resident Lisa Nevans Locke has written for The Washington Times, New York Daily News and Journal newspapers, and is co-editor of Going Places with Children in Washington, D.C.