Busboys and Poets

Busboys and Poets is a full-service restaurant, bar, bookstore, coffee shop, and events venue in the Washington, D.C. area, founded in 2005 by Andy Shallal. The original Busboys and Poets is located at 14th & V streets in the U Street Corridor of Washington, D.C. There are now seven locations in the D.C. area: A second location opened in Shirlington, Virginia in 2007; a third location opened in DC's Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood in 2008; a fourth in Hyattsville, Maryland opened in July 2011; a fifth at D.C.'s Brookland neighborhood opened in 2014; a sixth opened in D.C./Maryland's Takoma neighborhood in 2015; and a seventh location opened in D.C.'s historic Anacostia neighborhood in early 2019. It has been described as a haven for writers, thinkers and performers from America's progressive social and political movements. Establishment The first Busboys and Poets lies two blocks from U Street, a commercial corridor in Northwest Washington, known as "Black Broadway" in its heyday. Concerned that his creation of a trendy artistic space would clash with U Street's traditional identity, Shallal reached out for support from community leaders, neighborhood groups, church organizations, schools and radio stations prior to opening the location. Shallal obtained a loan from black-owned Industrial Bank, located at 11th and U streets. The name refers to American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1930s, prior to gaining recognition as a poet. Rejected ideas for the restaurant's name include Writers Block Cafe, Broken Bread Cafe and White Rabbit Cafe, the latter inspired by The Matrix.