“Reveler’s Hour Needs Your Love”

1777 Columbia Road, NW

“Dear PoPville,

Can we get the community to show Reveler’s Hour some love? This staff is INCREDIBLE and so passionate, knowledgeable, cool, fun, etc. etc. I personally use them as a local wine store, since splurging on a meal there once a week isn’t possible. Go in, ask for a $20 bottle, and they have a fabulous rec that you’re sure to not find at a regular liquor store.”

Thanks to all who passed on Reveler’s Hour plea:

“There are easier ways to make a living than working the line, popping corks, and bussing tables. But for those of us who love it, nothing else quite measures up to this industry, even in an era of hand sanitizer, masks, and vaccine card checks. After a year and a half of struggling to stay afloat, our way of life is under threat as never before. Venues that were once packed to the seams sit half full. Seven o’clock reservations that were impossible to find are readily available. And no amount of Saturday night business can make up for the dead weight of the workaday week.

Reveler’s Hour officially opened its doors on New Year’s Eve of 2019, the same day that the novel Coronavirus was first reported to the World Health Organization. We had two glorious months of business before the pandemic forced us to close our doors. Even interrupted by fire, we managed to turn a profit during this brief tenure. We have been operating at a loss ever since, pivoting concepts more times than we can remember and soliciting every bit of government assistance we were eligible for to protect our staff from unemployment. The valuable momentum we had gained coming out of early summer has been undone by the Delta variant surge, and we are struggling to remain viable.

Reveler’s Hour is one of 66% of restaurants that failed to receive funding through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Our situation is by no means unique. Tens of thousands of our peers are struggling to save their businesses as this crisis stretches into another season. Most of us are responsible actors who have done everything in our power to protect our staff and the dining public. At Reveler’s Hour, we are proud to require proof of vaccination or a recent negative test result. We understand any reticence to dine indoors, but we are confident that we have created a safe space to enjoy our food and drink.

Book a Table!

Order Some Wine!

Buy a Gift Certificate

If you love what we do, we need your help. Make a reservation, purchase a gift card, or treat us as the neighborhood wine store we’ve always wanted to be. Support your other neighborhood favorites that are equally suffering for business. Having endured a year and a half of professional uncertainty, those of us who stayed in the restaurant industry still love our craft and want nothing more to welcome you back. Tell your local legislator that our industry is worth protecting and that the Restaurant Revitalization Fund needs to be replenished. Visit SaveRestaurants.com to learn more about what you can do and what the Independent Restaurant Coalition is already doing to protect businesses like ours.

We could not have imagined what a wild ride lay in store for us when we opened our doors. Little could we guess in March of 2020 that this crisis would be stretching into September of 2021. We cannot continue to operate at a loss indefinitely, and without additional relief, our only lifeline is taking on more debt. We are mindful that not all of our peers even have this luxury. We could not be more proud of our team and the product that we’re offering. We thank you all for your overwhelming support throughout our run. We know that many of you love what we do and hope that we can find a way out of this moment of uncertainty together.”