Deep breath.
Applications have been filed with both the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration and the Department of Health to bring a Burn by Rocky Patel to 477 H St. NW, a 10,000-square-foot historic former bank branch owned by Douglas Development Corp. Per the liquor license application, Burn, a new three-story tavern with a seating capacity of 250 and a total occupancy load of 350, will operate as a cigar lounge serving food and alcohol. There will also be a DJ and solo performances.
Next door, at 475 H, is a residential over retail building — home to Chinatown Coffee — that once served as the base for D.C. chapter of the Lung Association.
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“The neighborhood’s not interested in a cigar bar like it wasn’t interested in a strip club,” said Max Brown, the owner and a resident of 475 H, who opposes the Patel bid, just as he did a previous pitch to bring the Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub to the same space (whether Royal Jelly was a strip club is a question for another day).
Brown, a prominent lobbyist and chairman of the Events D.C. board of directors, said the Burn lounge, as seen on its website, looks like the “Applebee’s of cigar bars on steroids.” He said his kids’ bedrooms abut the party wall between the two buildings, and he’s concerned about the effects of secondhand smoke on both his family and employees.
“It’s a restaurant just like many restaurants that are in Chinatown and CityCenter,” responded Norman Jemal, principal with Douglas Development, which acquired 477 H in March for $5.4 million. “This just happens to have an assortment of cigars.”
Patel runs one other Burn lounge, in Naples, Florida, in addition to the Bonita Springs, Florida-based Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. He was unavailable for comment, his personal assistant said.
Next door, at 475 H, is a residential over retail building — home to Chinatown Coffee — that once served as the base for D.C. chapter of the Lung Association.
Sign Up for Newsletters & Alerts
Receive Washington Business Journal's Morning Edition and Afternoon Edition newsletters and breaking news alerts.
“The neighborhood’s not interested in a cigar bar like it wasn’t interested in a strip club,” said Max Brown, the owner and a resident of 475 H, who opposes the Patel bid, just as he did a previous pitch to bring the Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub to the same space (whether Royal Jelly was a strip club is a question for another day).
Brown, a prominent lobbyist and chairman of the Events D.C. board of directors, said the Burn lounge, as seen on its website, looks like the “Applebee’s of cigar bars on steroids.” He said his kids’ bedrooms abut the party wall between the two buildings, and he’s concerned about the effects of secondhand smoke on both his family and employees.
“It’s a restaurant just like many restaurants that are in Chinatown and CityCenter,” responded Norman Jemal, principal with Douglas Development, which acquired 477 H in March for $5.4 million. “This just happens to have an assortment of cigars.”
Patel runs one other Burn lounge, in Naples, Florida, in addition to the Bonita Springs, Florida-based Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. He was unavailable for comment, his personal assistant said.
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