American Ice Company, The Brixton, Echo Park, El Rey, The Gibson, Marvin, and Players Club are scheduled to close indefinitely on October 31. In a statement to Washington City Paper, brothers Eric and Ian Hilton say they’ve been fighting to keep the establishments open amid the mayor’s COVID-19 restrictions, but can no longer do so.
Each having its own distinctive theme, the bars were a vital part of DC nightlife – the U Street corridor in particular. H2 hasn’t announced plans to close their other DC and Northern Virginia establishments, but these closings will undoubtedly have a profound impact on dining and nightlife scene in DC.
The Hiltons’ statement in full:
Today, my brother and I are saddened to announce our decision to close the majority of our hospitality entities in DC after service on Saturday, October 31st for the foreseeable future.
After 6 months of constantly restructuring our operations to comply with the mayor’s orders, we have depleted our resources while fighting a great, yet unsustainable battle to save the jobs of our employees and our businesses.
When the crisis began, we knew this year would be a tremendous challenge. While we have done our very best to meet those challenges, we no longer have the capability to keep that fight going. Day after day, we and our staff are operating at a loss, under duress, and with little relief in sight.
As life-long Washingtonians, we truly love this city with all of our hearts. We are grateful to be part of its hospitality industry and appreciate all the support our friends and families have given us. This was one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make, and we believe it’s the right one.
To our fellow friends and colleagues who are fighting this fight. We encourage you to take a realistic look at the current and foreseeable future and determine how sustainable this fight is without meaningful support.
We know the toll this has taken on you financially and personally. Sometimes, taking a step back is the only way to move forward.
We sincerely hope that in the future, we can all walk into a brighter day together.
The venues affected are American Ice Company, Brixton, Echo Park, El Rey, Gibson, Marvin, and Players Club.
We love you DC.
Photo: Teddy Wolf / theinfatuation.com