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Frederik de Pue has shuttered his multi-concept Menu MBK at 405 8th St. NW. The Washington Post reported the closure over the weekend.
According to the article, the closure was at the demand of de Pue's business partners, who own the building with him. The future of the space is unclear. Meanwhile, de Pue will now work in the kitchen of his other restaurant, Table, full-time.
This is the second restaurant concept de Pue tried in the former Cafe Atlantico space; first was the short-lived seafood restaurant Azur.
Update: "It was a horribly mismatched concept for the space," Director of Operations Dave Hansen said of Menu MBK. "But the investors dictated the use of the space, and Frederik was working within the constraints of what he was asked to build." Hansen said de Pue's investors weren't used to the lower returns restaurants tend to produce, either.
Hansen will spend the next couple days trying to find new positions for the Menu staff. "It's taken a huge toll," he said. He will stay on with the company to manage Table and 42 Degrees Catering. Though he would not share specifics, it sounds like new concepts from de Pue could be coming in the future, despite the closure.
Meanwhile, the building's owners, de Pue's investors Citadel LLC, will "prepare to place the property for sale or lease on the open market," according to a press release about the closure.
