3226 11th Street, NW
Johnny’s opened up in the former Bad Saint space back in 2023. Updates when we learn what becomes of the space.
Thanks to all who passed on the note from Johnny’s All American Bar:
“Johnny’s All American — the first and original “fancy dive” bar — is closing at this location, effective immediately.
“And to the regulars — the real ones — let me say this the right way: you are some of the best people I’ve ever had the honor of serving. You saw the work. You understood what this was. You appreciated it. And I appreciated you right back — every tip, every laugh, every handshake, every “good to see you,” every time you brought someone new in and said, this is my place. You didn’t just support a bar. You gave me proof that the sacrifice meant something.”
What you can do:
Bring large boxes so we can move quickly. They are kicking us out on Wednesday. You can also follow us on IG if you would like to cause a fuss when they lock us out sometime on Wednesday. Maybe alert local news too for funsies. We can’t keep letting shitty landlords not do good business and keep pushing good nieghbhood small buseinsses out in favor of cookie cutter bullshit. Until then, come shop the garage sale and grab your piece of Johnny’s history online and in person, all day and night, Tuesday. DIY and at your own risk! I’ll buy the pizza! Last day at Johnny’s! Bring the gang! Don’t get stuck in the snow. I’m not helping (I blew out my back overworking)…but you know I would if i could!!!
But that is what Johnny’s has always being about. Looking out for eachother. We created that lane here. We built that tone here. Doing special things for special people. Pushing the boundaries. We’ve been copied more times than we’ve been credited. That’s fine. The people who were here from day one know exactly what this place is, and exactly who made it real.
Many of you know, we have been fighting unnecessarily and disgustingly abusive attacks from all angles for years. So why close now? Well, one man, even as strong and hardened as I, can only take so much. This isn’t a hobby, and it’s not playing with someone else’s money. It’s really taken a mental, spiritual, physical, financial, and emotional toll on me and my family. And in the latest shenanigans from “commissioner” Anthony Thomas-Davis, compounded with the inability of my landlord and me to reach a deal, we’re just going to have to call it quits at this location. I know you love Johnny’s. I appreciate that. But its out of our control. We’ve asked for help over the years, but i dont know if people didn’t really understand or believe the seriousness and severity of the situations these bad actors placed us in. So here we are.
Now for the truth, with no soft edges:
This closure is happening because forces outside my control — and a steady stream of pressure from people who don’t build, don’t risk, and don’t carry responsibility — became too much to hold back alone.
For three years, I ran Johnny’s in a way most people only romanticize. I worked 90 hours a week. And I’m not going to dress this up: I did not pay myself. Not “stretches.” Not “periods.” I mean I didn’t pay myself — because every dollar went to everything else first: payroll, vendors, repairs, licensing, taxes, the next order, the next shift, the next emergency. Everyone else first. Every obligation first. Whatever was left after the city, the landlord, and the chaos took their piece… there wasn’t enough left to protect me from what kept coming.
Not enough to overcome being robbed, cheated, extorted, and broken into.
Not enough to keep pace with rent escalations that had nothing to do with reality.
Not enough to keep absorbing systems breaking down in the building while dealing with an unresponsive landlord like that’s just part of the job.
And still — still — I kept the standard high.
Because the part that people either forget or refuse to understand is how absurd this entire run was from the beginning: I did this having never owned a restaurant, never employed anyone, and I did it with no backers, no connections, no investors, no built-in industry friend network waiting to catch me if I slipped.
I opened anyway. I delivered anyway. We became a top-ranked bar in this city anyway.
We were open 10am–2am every day for the first two years — not as a stunt, but because I was trying to give this neighborhood a real place that always showed up. People complain if I take Tuesday off, or if I open at 5pm now — like I didn’t already do the impossible. Like I didn’t already drag a full operation into existence and keep it running at a high level with lines out the door.
I was the cook and the bartender and the bouncer and the maintenance man. I was the social media team. I was the designer. I was the janitor. I was the barback and the busser. I kept the doors open while keeping the machine from falling apart — and still, somehow, it was never enough to stop the judgment.
And here’s another truth that matters: I didn’t just grind — I tried to do this right.
I jumped out ahead of Prop 82 and paid well above minimum wage across the board — every position, no matter the skill level, even zero-skill roles — because dignity at work shouldn’t be reserved for the “right” titles. And bartenders here weren’t surviving on vibes — they were earning real money: typically $30–$50 an hour, and as much as $80 an hour on some nights.
So when people talk like this place was selfish, exploitative, or careless — understand how dishonest that is. I tried to build something high-standard, fair, generous, and real in a climate that punishes anyone who isn’t corporate.
Meanwhile, the city keeps gentrifying — not just buildings, but spirit. Culture gets sanitized. Uniqueness gets priced out. The real places get squeezed. And the loudest people in the room are too often the ones who have never taken a meaningful risk in their lives — yet somehow feel entitled to grade the people who do.
So yes: I will continue to fight and shed light on the inequities and shortcomings of our public officials while our culture and uniqueness drown under a shadowy abyss of bullshit and blowhards who understand nothing about what it takes to compete, risk, add value, suffer — and still smile at the door and say: Welcome in.
And here’s something else that deserves to be said plainly: there’s a general lack of appreciation out here for what it takes to be an owner-operator — and I believe a lot of that ugliness is sharpened by something even more uncomfortable. Not being a stereotypical young Black man is, for some people, an offense all by itself when you’re perceived to be doing a great job. When you’re disciplined. When you’re articulate. When you don’t play the role they expect. When you win in public. People don’t always know what to do with that — so they reach for suspicion, contempt, and petty punishment instead of respect.
This isn’t the love running out. The love was never the problem.
The problem is that I can’t keep carrying an entire ecosystem of weight — alone — while getting hit from multiple directions, while a handful of people actively root for me to fail.
We can’t stay at this location — not with this landlord, and not surrounded by people who would rather see me fall than see something independent survive.
For the record
I’m not going to be vague about how we got here. In my view, the chain of events that forced this closure was driven and accelerated by specific parties — including Buddy’s DC; Dale Colbert; John Saunders; Brenda Vaquero; Anthony Thomas Davis; Brianne Nadeau; the Georgetown Law School Civic Justice Clinic; The Washington Post, Albert Wilson (Veda Law); Kelly Formant; Mike Formant; Brian Kass and the Kass Legal Group; Michael Frias and Tiber Realty; Dave Pringle; Sameera Mangena; James Hannaway; and others already known to anyone who’s been watching closely. The details will be handled through the appropriate channels. I’m stating this plainly because I refuse to let the record be rewritten.
What I’m proud of
Over the past three years, people came literally from around the globe to get a taste of the world’s first fancy dive, and to soak in the love and energy of a place that I literally built from nothing — with no money, with my bare hands — and bootstrapped into one of D.C.’s most lovable and popular bars from day one.
I’m fucking proud of that. And you should be too.
And to the regulars — the real ones — let me say this the right way: you are some of the best people I’ve ever had the honor of serving. You saw the work. You understood what this was. You appreciated it. And I appreciated you right back — every tip, every laugh, every handshake, every “good to see you,” every time you brought someone new in and said, this is my place. You didn’t just support a bar. You gave me proof that the sacrifice meant something.
Now, I’m not new to what comes next. The trolls will come out — they always do. People who don’t do anything productive love to run their mouths about people who actually build. They couldn’t do what I did if you gave them a million dollars and a million days. I’m used to it. Bring it on, losers.
Just understand this: when you talk shit about me, you’re also talking shit about everyone who loved this place and called it home — many of them almost every day — for three straight years. You’re not just taking a shot at an owner. You’re taking a shot at a community.
And I need to say this with love and respect: I’ve made lifelong friendships in this industry with some of the best operators, owners, and staff this city has ever seen — especially my owner friends. There’s a deep connection and understanding there that no one gets unless you’ve been an owner-operator in this town in these days and times. Thank you for the solidarity, the late-night talks, the real advice, the truth, the support.
And if you ever need anything — from advocacy, to an ear to bend, to filling a seat on a slow night — you know I’m always here for that.
There will be another Johnny’s
There will be another Johnny’s, and the official Ohio Embassy and home of the Buckeyes will live on. This time, we’ll be looking for partners — because I can’t do it all alone again. We’re going to find a place with fair rent and people who actually want us there and want us to succeed.
So stay close. And if you have anyone who can be of assistance or value — locations, partners, operators, investors, fair landlords — connect us. That’s what Buckeyes do. We look out for each other.
And the GOAT once said it best: “Nothing is given. Everything is earned.”
As a 4th-generation factory worker and a first-generation business owner, that isn’t a quote to me — that’s a life. Unfortunately, not everyone here understands that.
I’ll also continue supporting our favorite local businesses on the daily just as I have for the better part of a decade. Builders deserve builders.
1-Day Only — Everything Must Go
For now, visit my exclusive 1-day only Everything Must Go garage sale at:
www.allamericangaragesale.com
Shop online and in person while enjoying complimentary beer and pizza from our Ohio friend Nick’s Pizza — best pie in D.C.
Peace, love, and always — Branden4DC.
www.brandenfordc.org
— Branden Givand
Founder, Johnny’s All American”
You can see their garage sale here.