Photo by Daniel Lu.
A couple weeks ago, word broke that Georgetown’s mainstay piano bar, Mr. Smith’s, was closing. Who knew that now instead of marking the end of the last piano bar in Georgetown, we’d be talking about two different piano bars?
Washington Business Journal reported yesterday that not only will Mr. Smith’s reopen on K St., but a group of ex-Mr. Smith’s staff and an accountant from Virginia are opening a second piano bar where the Modern was on M near 33rd.* Rebecca Cooper writes:
A group of partners, including a former piano player, a former manager and a former employee of Mr. Smith’s — whichannounced it would close last week — have teamed up to open Georgetown Piano Bar in the former Modern nightclub space at 3287 M St. NW.
The new spot, which is aiming to open Sept. 12, comes from Hunter Lang (the piano man), former Mr. Smith’s managerGene McGrath, former Mr. Smith’s employee Morgan Williams and his uncle,Bill Thoet. Another regular Mr. Smith’s piano player, Spencer Bates, will also be a featured player at Georgetown Piano Bar.
The article explains that since the bar plans to take over the Modern’s tavern license, they won’t even bother with food, but will be a straight bar:
“We’re a piano bar pure and simple, not a restaurant that has a piano bar,” he said. There won’t be any food, in fact; Georgetown Piano Bar was able to buy Modern’s tavern license, which means no food sales requirements under D.C. liquor laws.
Here’s the thing about that, though. Modern Lounge operates under a settlement agreement (what used to be called a voluntary agreement) that dates back to 2001:
Check out some of those agreement provisions:
- The license holder needs to make its best efforts to build a kitchen and have at least 15% of its revenues come from food sales
- The license holder will not provide live music
Oops.
(Also, there’s GM’s favorite voluntary agreement clause: no wet t-shirt or “beefcake” contests).
Either the folks behind Georgetown Piano Bar didn’t do their research or they plan to amend their agreement. It’s not beyond belief that such a change would be granted (and full disclosure: one of the agreement’s parties is CAG. GM is on the board of CAG and would likely vote on any amendment to the agreement.)
Either way, before cheesy 70’s schlock rock can be belted out by the suburbanites who still think Georgetown is the hippest place in town, a lot of t’s need to be crossed and i’s dotted.
*And who knew that the Modern closed? Honestly, GM was never sure it was ever open. Brit Swan, owner of the Modern and Serendipity 3, has not had a good year…
The Georgetown Metropolitan 