 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
ONLY ON NEWSCHANNEL 8
Black Rooster Pub Closing After 40 Years
posted 10/12/09
5:25 pm
D.C. restaurateur Blackie Auger opened the pub in 1970 as a home away from home for L Street regulars.
Two years later, Jody Taylor, a Marine returning from Vietnam, walked through the doors. He's been a fixture at the Black Rooster ever since and the Auger family even sold him the pub earlier this year for just one dollars. But in the process, an option to extend the lease expired and now the pub is getting pushed out.
Diane Branagan says she comes to the Black Rooster for "the people, the atmosphere". "Everybody's been coming here forever," she said.
Management shares that emotion.
"A lot of these people end up becoming family with us," said Jody Taylor. "When they have deaths in their family, we mourn. When they have happy events, we're happy for them."
When the Auger family passed the restaurant on to Taylor, an option on the original lease wasn't exercised and the landlord offered the space to the Peace Corps.
"There wasn't anything really done that was incorrect or improper," Taylor said.
When word got out that the pub was closing, e-mails from around the world flooded Taylor's inbox.
"I've gotten emails from Russia, from Australia, from Ireland, from Central America, from Iraq (web | news) --- from a bunch of the troops there," he said.
A Virginia Senator and two D.C. councilmen also sent letters of support.
"We ask that you please reconsider your plans so that the Black Rooster may remain at it's current location," Taylor said, reading one of the letters.
Taylor estimates 2,500 people have signed a petition to save the Rooster. But he admits at this point, nothing can be done. Taylor is trying to find a new site, but he says it's a challenge because he doesn't want to move more than a few blocks.
The Black Rooster will hold an event Monday night until closing time to drum up support and say farewell to the community they've served for nearly 40 years.
read more stories in Local News
Talkback - Story Comments
Not a member yet? Click Here to sign up.
Please leave your comments below:
Messages that harass, abuse or threaten other members; have obscene or otherwise objectionable content; have spam, commercial or
advertising content or inappropriate links may be removed and may result in the loss of your posting privileges. Please do not post any
private information unless you want it to be available publicly. Never assume that you are completely anonymous and cannot be identified by your posts.
More News and Videos
© 2009 NewsChannel 8, a division of Allbritton Communications Company
The Associated Press may have contributed to this article.
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NewsChannel 8 to leave comments on news stories.