The Struggle to Replace The Trump Hotel's Restaurants, Plus More Intel

Filling The Trump Hotel's vacancies

Washingtonian takes a deep dive into deposition transcripts, which look at local real estate brokerage firm Streetsense's struggle with replacing José Andrés' and Geoffrey Zakarian's restaurants after they pulled out of The Trump Hotel project following controversial comments made by the Presidential candidate. Chefs and restaurateurs ranging from Stephen Starr to Cathal Armstrong weren't interested in coming on board after the drama on account of the controversy, and others weren't able to make it work by the tight timeline involved. Talks with Bryan Voltaggio never came to fruition. Ultimately, the hotel will feature a BLT Prime and a large conference room instead. The hotel will open in September. [Washingtonian]

Weird combo

Chick-fil-a is out testing some healthier menu items. And that includes...a quinoa bowl? They're not in D.C. yet, though. [E]

Scouting Washington

New York chef Roberto Santibañez is interested in opening a D.C. restaurant. Washington Business Journal reports the chef behind Fonda and La Botaneria is scouting D.C. locations, including The Wharf. [WBJ]

The Shutter

Family Meal has now closed its Baltimore location. The Bryan Voltaggio diner mini-chain has shuttered locations there and in Richmond, and has switched its Ashburn location to Aggio. Eater has reached out to a rep to confirm if the chain will continue to live on in Frederick and elsewhere.

Update: Looks like only the original will remain. The company said in a statement, "Bryan Voltaggio and his team have decided to close Family Meal locations in Richmond, Baltimore, and Hagerstown as an opportunity to reassess the Family Meal concept. The flagship location of Family Meal in Frederick will remain open." [BS, EDC]

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