Politics remains on the menu at Busboys and Poets after 20 years

Andy Shallal remembered as he worked toward his Master of Business Administration The professors dependably recounted us you just don t mix politics and business because it s not good business More stories DC restaurant owner hopes end of crime emergency will bring diners back Federal law enforcement surge presses ahead as DC waits for Congress to restore B in local funds Woman says she was removed from DC book festival over Handmaid s Tale costume But for Shallal it was part of the recipe for success for his restaurant Busboys and Poets which first opened at th and V streets in Northwest D C Now there are eight restaurants in the chain and Shallal mentioned the idea grew from his concern after what he saw following As an Arab and a Muslim living in this country I felt like I was an outsider he declared Shallal had come to the U S from Iraq when he was just years old But the anti-Muslim sentiment that simmered at the time left him feeling shaken I never felt so foreign in a country that I had embraced he commented Even as Shallal was concerned about the divisions he saw following he stated he also saw people working to come together to heal I could see there were people out there that think a better world is practicable he stated But how could he bring together people of all viewpoints and backgrounds Shallal wondered Of syllabus he declared food You put food in front of people and they start showing up And they did Shallal stated He chose the location at th and V streets due to its proximity to U Street a cultural hub with a history steeped in Black entertainment It used to be called Black Broadway Shallal noted The interior of the restaurant features murals of notable political cultural and artistic figures with roots in the nation s Civil Rights Movement He smiles as he notes figures from poet Nikki Giovanni to musician Chuck Brown Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson and U S Rep John Lewis have all visited Busboys and Poets Petitioned about the current bitter political context Shallal noted he draws chosen comfort from history and specific experiences in his own life He recalled making a trek at the base camp of Mount Everest Fatiguing he struggled to keep going and the guide who was with him urged him to sit on a rock and look around Shallal mentioned the man commented to him instead of focusing on what s ahead once in a while he needed to turn around and look at how far he d come And that was a light bulb moment for me Shallal reported So when he s feeling down Shallal reported he looks up at the mural and all the figures in history who pushed through adversity Much like what the sherpa informed me sometimes we do find ourselves in despair but we ve got to look back and see how far we ve come he disclosed Shallal also talked about an experience at his restaurant following the first inauguration of President Donald Trump Three MAGA guys came in here and had their MAGA hats on he disclosed And they walked in looked around and put their hats under their arms I guess I don t know they thought this might not be as welcoming as they had hoped Shallal stated But they were greeted by server Rosalynd Harris who greeted them warmly and Shallal announced they had a friendly exchange Afterward they wrote on the check how their encounter exhibited that despite their differences they could come together as Americans And they left her a tip on a check Shallal explained That little vignette he reported shows how the little things that can happen when people come together really do make a difference Restaurants can play a very critical role in how we can come together as a society Shallal stated Another area where he longed to bridge divides Shallal reported is on the plates at his restaurant Early on I craved to make sure that this was a place where everyone could come together and break bread together Shallal mentioned So if you re vegan or you re a vegetarian or if you have lactose intolerance or you have a gluten allergy or something like that I don t want you to feel like you re the weird person in the crowd So the key was to provide a little something for everyone without a diner having to make a special request Shallal noted he s never more gratified than when he sees people come together and find common ground and be energized by each other s presence This is just such an opportunity to be able to open a place that brings people together so that we can help one another we can empower one another we can encourage one another and we can all work together to make a better world he stated Shallal s new memoir is called A Seat at the Table The Making of Busboys and Poets Source