Comments on: Chef Gillian Clark’s Silver Spring Restaurant, The General Store, Closed. Petworth and NoMa Projects Moving Forward

By: JOlsen

JOlsen — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:38:17 +0000

Looks like she isn’t giving the full story. The Wapo announced the landlord’s side here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/landlord-tells-his-side-of-general-store-saga/2011/03/24/ABX0XFRB_blog.html

Turns out she owed $160k in back rent…which in turn meant he couldn’t pay about $10k in taxes. He has to take her to court, the judge ruled in the landlord’s favor so Clark would of had to pony up the $160k in order to keep the restaurant open. Instead, she closed and had this brilliant remark:

“Everyone gets behind in their rent or asks the landlord to accept less for a while. That’s how we all survive in slow times and how we both coexist to make money. Spiro is a bully and uses the courts to get his way. He has never wanted to work with us throughout this ordeal.”

Umm, no not everyone gets behind on rent, esp $160k and nearly 1 year behind. Sounds like the courts were his only option. I don’t know how she is getting anyone to finance her future projects or agree to sign a lease with her. As much as I would love another local restaurant in Petworth, I’d prefer one by a respectable business owner, not this clown.

By: Lester

Lester — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:50:16 +0000

You shall all kneel before us when we get our new Petworth Safeway!

By: caballero

caballero — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:00:23 +0000

Workers have been inside during the past few mornings.

By: Leeroy Sputnik

Leeroy Sputnik — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:38:01 +0000

This lady obviously doesn’t know how to run a business.

Good food, but she’s ran two restaurants into the ground now.

By: OB Rider

OB Rider — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:37:34 +0000

Any update on Billy Simpson’s?

By: rooty tooty

rooty tooty — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:19:38 +0000

I had long ago written off the possibility that she’d be taking the place on GA Ave since literally NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING has happened there in over a year. It’s funny to hear her make it sound as if it’s imminent.

By: Ricky Gregg

Ricky Gregg — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:12:09 +0000

Knowing how she operates, don’t hold your breath on any of these places ever actually opening. She could very well wake up one morning and abruptly change plans.

By: Nichole

Nichole — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:55:48 +0000

We open tomorrow at 5pm. After that the park will be open every day from 7am until 10pm.

There will be another big grand opening soon where you can get your pup licensed etc.

By: PetworthRes

PetworthRes — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:48:13 +0000

Bad news for Petworth that the Georgia Ave Meeting House is going to have to wait for the NoMa development first. That really rots since the Petworth plans have supposedly been in place for years now. How long can she hold on to that space without really doing anything about it? PoP, your story on the Kitchen on K St says the Georgia Ave restaurant would be opening in March 2011. Now it comes out that work hasn’t even started. I’m losing patience, and also worried that someone known more for restaurant closings than openings might not be the best thing for Petworth.

By: Tres

Tres — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:42:44 +0000

I love that NoMa is blowing up, because of what it does for Eckington. I feel like the Eckingtonians have been given too hard a time. It’s a pretty little neighborhood, and soon it will have a couple -nice- dining options! Their home values are going way, way up from where they were 2 years ago.