Beloved D.C. Restaurant Forced to Close Popular Location
A popular restaurant in the nation's capital is closing the doors to one of its locations.
Rising costs and the end of leasing agreements have wreaked havoc on restaurants around the country, and the U Street location of Alero in Washington D.C. appears to be the latest victim.
According to Prince of Petworth, the Mexican restaurant has a sign outdoors that thanks patrons for their support while announcing the location's closure.
"Thank you for supporting Alero for over 20 wonderful years," the statement reads. "We are truly grateful for you and every one of our employees. Unfortunately, the building has not chosen to renew our lease, so we will be closing our doors at this location."
Customers reacted to the closing, and reflected on the conditions that have caused so many restaurants to close.
"whoever owns the commercial space in this building has faced increasing vacancies for months; leading one to wonder why the lease of a paying tenant was not renewed," one patron said.
"I'm guessing that the landlord is (apparently like most commercial landlords in DC) a moron, and decided that the correct response to increasing vacancies is to raise the rent on the remaining tenants to make up the shortfall," another patron said.
"This makes me feel old because I can remember when this location opened," one diner said.
"Very soon we're going to start seeing a lot of vacancies on U Street due to landlords thinking that their commercial properties are worth more than anyone can actually pay," another patron predicted.
The closure of the U Street location will not spell the end for Alero. The restaurant also has locations on H Street and Dupont Circle, and there are plans to establish a new location north of Massachusetts Avenue.
Alero is known for Mexican dishes like quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas and more. A brunch menu is on offer on weekends, and the full bar is a popular hangout at all of its locations around the city.
We'll see what the future holds for Alero as one door closes and another is set to open in another part of the city.
Beloved D.C. Restaurant Forced to Close Popular Location first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Al Pastor Papi's downtown San Francisco location is now open
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Vacant to Vibrant program welcomed three new businesses to the downtown area. What we know The new pop-ups include a Mexico-City-style taqueria, an interactive art studio and a clothing retailer. The Vacant to Vibrant program transforms empty storefronts into vibrant community spaces. Back in April, we reported on founder and head chef Miguel Escobedo's plans to turn his food truck, Al Pastor Papi, into a brick and mortar store. Now that location at 232 O'Farrell Street is open and serving his sumptuous, award-winning al pastor cooked on a spit roast, or 'El Trompo' for those who are in the know. Escobedo's bold Mexican flavors will be accessible in what the program calls one of the city's most high-traffic corridors. In a news release on Wednesday, Ecobedo said he's honored to bring a taste of Mexico City's street food to downtown. "This is about sharing our culture, feeding both locals and visitors, and proving that community, culture, and our signature tacos can help spark San Francisco's transformation," Escobedo said. Following Al Pastor Papi's Wednesday grand opening is Craftivity, the interactive art studio offers hands-on maker experiences and team-building workshops. Crafitvity opens Friday, June 13 at 215 Fremont Street. Both of these businesses will celebrate soft openings for the month of June. Patrons are asked to follow along on social media to see upcoming events and announcements. Perhaps Nooworks, a local apparel brand, is putting the 'vibrant' in this program's name. Their colors and artist-designed prints are bold and so is that fact that they offer inclusive sizing. Nooworks Union Square location at 236 Powell is now open. "Bringing back Downtown San Francisco means creating spaces to make this area into a thriving 24/7 neighborhood," said Mayor Daniel Lurie. "We're just getting started - and we'll keep investing in small businesses to power our city's comeback." The ongoing Vacant to Vibrant project has been revitalizing underused spaces in San Francisco that were vacated, especially during the pandemic.
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
An LA couple moved to Mexico to avoid deportation. They racked up $20K in debt, but are feeling more hopeful they can build a life together.
Alfredo Linares moved to Mexico with his wife Raegan Kline due to deportation fears in the U.S. The couple left Los Angeles with $20,000 in debt after closing their Japanese barbecue pop-up restaurant. After several months of instability, the two are finally finding some footing in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. When Raegan Kline and Alfredo Linares married last summer, their dream felt straightforward and simple: start a Japanese barbecue pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles and live happily ever after. But all of that changed in the fall when President Donald Trump, who had promised mass deportations on the campaign trail, won reelection. Linares, who had worked his way up in fine dining to become a cook in a Michelin Star restaurant, arrived in the US as a teenager at 19 with his family and has lived here illegally ever since. Kline, a US citizen, was stricken with worry that at any moment, her husband could be arrested and deported. "I really didn't feel safe," Kline said. "Every morning I would wake up saying, 'If we don't go and something happens to him, I'll never be able to forgive myself.' " In March, the couple moved from Culver City to Linare's birth country of Mexico in hopes of improving their chances of building a future together. "I lived in the shadows for 20 years," Linares said. "I'm 38 years old, so I don't think I have 10 more years of living in the shadows when I'm trying to build a business and grow as a family, as an entrepreneur." Do you have a story to share about moving or immigration? Reach out to this reporter at jdeng@ Going into debt to move to Mexico The couple received around $10,000 in cash from their parents as a wedding gift. They had originally hoped to use the money to hire a lawyer to help Linares gain citizenship, but they wrestled with the best way to use the money to secure a future together. "Do we really go ahead and gamble and trust this administration with this $10,000 that our parents gave us for our wedding gifts, or do we use that $10,000 to move to Mexico?" Kline said of their dilemma. But even the wedding gift wasn't enough to help them break even and start fresh in Mexico. The pair took on debt to start their Japanese barbecue business last spring. While they tried to get it off the ground, their bills ballooned to over $20,000. They raised over $4,000 online through GoFundMe to help them with their relocation. Since the move, they've attempted to find jobs in hospitality, but because Linares doesn't have an identification card and Kline doesn't have work authorization as a temporary resident, it's been difficult to pay the bills. "We're not earning an income," Kline said. "We have all of that stress and try to keep our credit card in a reasonable place and keep ourselves on a budget." Adjusting to life in a new country The biggest hurdle for them has been navigating the deluge of paperwork and bureaucracy in a new country. "I'm very Americanized," Linares said. "Yes, I'm Mexican, but I haven't been here for 20 years. It's totally different from the Mexico I left." From needing a physical copy of a birth certificate to struggling to establish Linares' permanent residence, it's been hard for him to get an ID card when they were first living in Airbnbs in Mexico City. "I need my ID, but I cannot have an ID because I don't have a home address. And I can't get a home address because I don't have a job, because I don't have an ID," Linares said of the frustrating situation. Now they are renting an apartment in Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco, where they've been finally settling in over the past three weeks. "I feel like myself a little bit more," Kline said of the stability. "I'm realizing that this is where we live, this is our home. We're not on vacation." Kline is now able to see past the trials of the past few months and look toward the future with more hope. They've since brought down their rescue dog Dolly Love from Los Angeles to live with them in Mexico. "I do believe we made the right choice," Kline said. "I do believe that there's opportunity here. I do believe in my husband and his talents and his skills." The move to Mexico has tested their relationship and challenged them in many different ways, but Linares said the core of their bond hasn't been shaken. They keep a routine of checking in with each other over coffee every morning. "She makes things easier, and it's because of the communication that we have," Linares said of his wife.
Business Insider
4 hours ago
- Business Insider
Howard Schultz says he is a big fan of Brian Niccol's 'brilliant' Starbucks revival strategy
Howard Schultz, the former chair and CEO of Starbucks, enthusiastically lauded Brian Niccol's turnaround plan for the coffee chain at a company event on Wednesday. Schultz was speaking at "Starbucks Leadership Experience 2025," an event which saw over 14,000 North American store managers gather in Las Vegas, when he praised Niccol's work. The former and current CEOs of Starbucks discussed the company's future during a fireside chat on Wednesday. "I want to say, when I heard you speak for the first time about 'Back to Starbucks,' I did a cartwheel in my living room," Schultz told Niccol. "First of all, it was so brilliant. It's short. It's to the point, and it's exactly the tip of the spear of who we should be, and who we are. And we are, above all else, a coffee company," Schultz added. Niccol was the CEO of the Mexican grill chain Chipotle before he became the CEO of Starbucks in September. Niccol's predecessor, Laxman Narasimhan, stepped down after 17 months. During Narasimhan's tenure as CEO, the company struggled with declining sales in the US and China. Schultz publicly criticized Starbucks' management in a LinkedIn post he wrote in May 2024. Schultz said the coffee chain's senior leaders and board members "need to spend more time with those who wear the green apron" and overhaul its retail strategy. "The stores require a maniacal focus on the customer experience, through the eyes of a merchant. The answer does not lie in data, but in the stores," Schultz wrote on LinkedIn. That idea of focusing on stores was echoed in Niccol's " Back to Starbucks" plan, which he unveiled shortly after taking over as CEO. "Today, I'm making a commitment: We're getting back to Starbucks. We're refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas," Niccol wrote in an open letter in September. Starbucks announced its second-quarter earnings in April. The company reported $8.8 billion in net revenue, slightly lower than the $8.83 billion estimate compiled by Bloomberg. "Our financial results don't yet reflect our progress, but we have real momentum with our 'Back to Starbucks' plan," Niccol said in April. Starbucks' stock is up by over 4.5% year to date.
