Save the Queen
The hearing before the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration to rule on the liquor license for the Queen of Sheba Restaurant is May 2. The rules permit only those opposing the license to testify, but written expressions of support from neighborhood residents are likely to help. It may be too late to mail it in, but you can fax your supporting letter to:
Charles A. Burger, Chairman
Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration
941 N. Capitol Street, NE, Suite 7200
Washington, DC 20002
FAX: 202-727-4052
[UPDATE: Here's an alternative FAX number, in case you couldn't get through: 202-442-9563. Thanks, Erich.]
I mailed and faxed mine today. Slum Historique has posted a good template containing the key points, which you can use as a start and has also written up some of the background here.
Queen of Sheba (1503 9th Street, NW) is a great asset to the neighborhood and deserves our vocal support, particularly since the opposition to its liquor license appears to be a one-woman campaign waged by Mary Sutherland for no discernible good reason. This is an attractive sit-down restaurant serving excellent Ethiopian food, not some dive whose patrons would staggering out into the streets and dumping their litter on the sidewalk. I just heard that the restaurant owner reported that Ms. Sutherland had been by to harass him. Outrageous.
So let's help these good people out. A liquor license can be the difference between success and failure for a new restaurant, and the neighborhood needs more quality business ventures like Queen of Sheba.
And if you haven't been there to try the food, this weekend would be a great time to treat yourself. You can't get a beer yet, but they have some terrific mango smoothies.
And fax in your support on Friday!
posted by DaddyFiveOh @ 8:06 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I'd also say that if we're going to save the queen, we should patronize it a bit more as well. Liquor or not, they're serving high quality ethiopian and american/italian food at great prices. The atmosphere is nice and the owners are extremely gracious. Definitely a neighborhood asset that deserves a bit more of our dining support.
Why doesn't Queen of Sheba, as the newer kid on the block, make the effort to make nice with the powers that be (bend the knee and kiss the ring, if they have to) take the high road, be a good corporate citizen, and offer to cater a few events at Shiloh and make this ridiculous nightmare situation go away? Good PR is a standard business procedure and it's tax deductible.
We have other things to worry about in this community than one restaurant's silly feud with one church. There are people living in fear of their lives at 1330 7th St, drug lords and gangs have officially run the place under (per the US Attorney's office). And the crimes that go on in that building affect the greater community that shops at Giant and uses the Convention Center Metro.
Thousands of people v. 1 restaurant with not very many patrons and a church made up of very few local residents. The food is good at Queen of Sheba. But great resaurants don't have to beg people to eat thier food.
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