Not everyone spent Thursday slaving away over a turkey, and area restaurants reaped the benefit of those who decided not to make cooking part of their holiday routine.
In Rockville, Tower Oaks Lodge of the Clyde Restaurant Group was “super busy,” assistant manager Chris Campola said. The restaurant had 1,200 reservations and did about $7,000 more in business than last year, he said.
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Tower Oaks’ story wasn’t unusual – restaurants such as Charlie Palmer Steak on Capitol Hill and 14 K Restaurant downtown reported record nights.
Of the 323 Washington-area restaurants listed on the reservation Web site OpenTable.com, 46 were listed as open for the holiday, with many of them serving seasonal or prix-fixe menus.
Charlie Palmer served about 400 customers a three-course meal with limited choices, manager Patrick Ellis said.
“It was one of our best nights,” Ellis said. The restaurant reaches close to those numbers when Congress is in session because of its location, he added.
The Legal Seafoods in Tysons Corner actually saw less business than a typical day, general manager Tony Fiorino said. The restaurant’s boom was expected to come Friday instead, when it would be mobbed with shoppers, he said Friday morning.
Legal, which wasn’t open last Thanksgiving, served 230 customers, about one-fifth of its typical turnout, and had a regular menu with the addition of a turkey.
“It was very festive,” Fiorino said. “Just about every table I spoke to said they love turkey and they love seafood, so they were happy they could pair a seafood appetizer with a regular meal.”
14 K’s menu was a buffet with a complete Thanksgiving theme – roasted leg of lamb, turkey, prime rib and a raw bar, manager Mark Bencherki said. About 200 customers showed up for the occasion; the restaurant normally serves between 70 and 80 per night.
The unseasonably warm weather meant some of the 325 customers at Chef Geoff’s downtown location got the chance to sit out on the patio – until the temperature started plunging.
“It was like a tornado,” said Larry Von Weigel, assistant general manager.
Restaurant managers described the mood Thursday as relaxed and enthusiastic, with even workers stuck with the holiday shift getting into the spirit.
“Some of our customers were so relaxed that they pitched a tent and would not leave,” Von Weigel said, joking.
