Fran O'Briens Forced Out Of Capitol Hilton

[Michael Landrum]

I am not a serious, responsible journalist like, say, those sassy Reliable Source gals, so I am only reporting an unverified anecdotal follow-up investigation of a report I saw on the news--Channel 9--the other night.

As though there were not enough shame attatched to the Hilton name, the following seems to have occured:

Fran O'Brien's Steakhouse, located in the 16th Street Hilton--The Capitol Hilton, I believe--has for quite a while sponsored every Friday night a Free Steak Dinner Night Out for injured and disabled Iraq War Vets from Walter Reed Hospital. At first the restaurant picked up the tab until the event grew so big it had to be underwritten by defense contractors.

The Hilton is apparently not current-ADA compliant, and access to the restaurant involves a non-ADA escalator, which many of the Vets could not navigate. They therefore had to use the back SERVICE elevator to get to the restaurant. At one point these wounded war survivors began to complain about the affront to their dignity caused by the hotel's disregard for all disabled people, not just War Vets.

Due to today's cowardly, cravenly and slavishly sanitized press, many people are not aware of the horrible, horrible aftermath of war injuries and just how much these people suffer to regain lives and dignity--but the great people at Fran O'Brien's do. And their Steak Dinners, unpublicized at their own request, do so so much to help restore those interrupted lives.

After Fran O'Brien's management asked that the Hilton to correct this gross violation of decency by making the Hilton Hotel accessible to wounded and disabled people, they lost their lease. The Hilton claims that there is no link. They, however, do not directly claim that they also think we are stupid idiots who would believe anything.

Do we as a society allow this to happen? Let's mobilize against this outrage. (No Segway jokes, this is serious).

[Michael Landrum]

By the way, apparently those irreverant and sassy gossip-mongering gals at the Reliable Source consider cut-and-pasting from this forum journalism, so maybe they will read this and stray from their usual etched-in-peroxide coverage of smug inanities and actually use the considerable power of their column to do something right.

Gals, if you read this, hollah!!!

[Barbara]

Thanks for the info, Michael. The journalistic and PR types who frequent this board know what to do and who to contact. I'll do my bit, too.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Here is an article on the upcoming closing of Fran O'Brien's in today's post. it makes no mention of the ADA issue. You need to register to view the article, but there is no charge.

[Waitman]

Here is an article on the upcoming closing of Fran O'Brien's in today's post.  it makes no mention of the ADA issue.  You need to register to view the article, but there is no charge.

First we need to get real confirmation. Who did the Channel 9 report? Then, onto the blogs and the local news teams!

If confirmed.

What hell do they think they are, the Paris Hilton?

[Joe H]

When I read the article in the Post this morning I was disgusted. In addition to the nearly 2,500 who have died In Iraq there are another TWENTY THOUSAND (that's 20,000!) plus who have been injured. Many of these injuries are exactly the kind of injuries that those who visit Fran O'Obrien's suffer with. It is unconscionable that Hilton would do this.

As someone who travels over 100 days a year on business it will be a long time before I stay in another Hilton.

Edited April 15, 2006 by Joe H

[mdt]

First we need to get real confirmation.  Who did the Channel 9 report?  Then, onto the blogs and the local news teams! 

If confirmed.

What hell do they think they are, the Paris Hilton?

I saw this story as well. The story was done by Doug Buchanan of Channel 9. Here is the link, click.

[DonRocks]

[i implore everyone, for obvious reasons, to leave out any-and-all discussion of politics other than the situation at hand. Please understand that I'll need to delete any posting that strays beyond this particular issue.

Cheers, Rocks.]

[Michael Landrum]

Here is an article on the upcoming closing of Fran O'Brien's in today's post.  it makes no mention of the ADA issue.

From The Post:

"Jim Mayer, a veteran who works at the Department of Veterans Affairs and who helped start the steak dinner tradition, is concerned that the hotel wants to eliminate the spectacle of hundreds of severely disabled soldiers coming in and out of its building or that the restaurant's repeated requests for a new elevator or escalator to accommodate them was too much.

But Hilton spokeswoman Lisa Cole said the hotel's position on the lease has nothing to do with the dinners. She said its decision was based strictly on business considerations."

1) According to my source, Fran O'Brien's always paid its rent. 2) There is a very strong trend in hotels to lease hotel space to steakhouses, both to offer the simple straightforward dining that business travelers demand and to relieve the hotel from the burdens and costs of operating an unprofitable restaurant (almost all hotel restaurants are), especially when the dreaded un-American unions are involved. For example, Sam and Harry's recently signed a deal to operate 14 Sam and Harry's in Marriots in Texas. 3) Fran O'Brien's is a very high-quality, if low-key, organization.

Except for the requests for the hotel to accommodate disabled patrons--hardly an onus to a responsible organization--the explanation of "business concerns" seems unlikely to be anything but self-servingly duplicitous in the most insulting way possible to our intelligence and to those who have lost so much (and to the people who nobly, quietly and selflessly try to help them regain the smallest part of that--some dignity).

I did not know there was an article in the Post today when I started this topic, so the Gals are free to ignore my exhortations.

[DonRocks]

A member of this website works at Walter Reed AMC and asked that I post the following message.

Stay tuned,

Rocks.

--

"The Fran O'Brien's folks have been very dedicated to OIF/OEF wounded warriors and provide a safe atmosphere for injured service member's first off-post meal. Fran O'Brien's weekly group dinners are an important part of the frequently year-long rehabilitation these service members (and their families) endure.

Fran O’Brien’s has always been dignified in the way they help our wounded warriors. There is no mention of this effort on their website: http://www.franobriens.com.

The action by the Capital Hilton is startling to everyone. Let's be as dignified as Fran O’Brien’s and use our collective might the right way. I will contact Jim Mayer (The Milkshake Man) for guidance regarding what he thinks is best. I trust that we'll be able to find a suitable response to this situation."

[arlvahome]

Michael Landrum, I appreciate your starting this discussion but help us understand your outrage. Are you angry because some people with disabilities can’t access Fran O’Briens’s or are you reeling solely at Hilton for not renewing the restaurant’s lease? My bet is the later, since Ray’s the Steaks is advertised as having “No wheelchair access”: http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/rayssteaks.html. Do you turn wheelchair users away at the door?

Restaurant owners using leased space share some responsibility for making their restaurants accessible. I realize that for a variety of reasons, namely cost and structural issues, this isn’t always possible—or legally required. But owners often try to get out of minor renovations with the excuse that they don’t own the building, which doesn’t always get them off the hook. And personally I wouldn’t choose restaurant space that couldn’t be altered to give everyone access.

Fran O’Brien’s clearly had good intentions by offering free meals to disabled vets. But there’s nothing remotely dignified about being “carefully wheeled” down a flight of stairs into a restaurant, as today’s Post article describes. These servicemen deserved access to an elevator that would bring them into the restaurant independently and without fanfare.

Yes, Hilton’s refusal to renew Fran O’Brien’s lease is disgraceful if it was done, as a VA official suggests, to “eliminate the spectacle” of hundreds of disabled soldiers. And Fran O’Brien’s may have done everything it could to push Hilton to install an elevator. Another outrage to keep in mind is that people with disabilities are denied access to hundreds of restaurants around the DC area. (And carrying people doesn't equal access.)

[brian]

In my experience, putting a new elevator into an existing building is about the most expensive renovation you can do, running up to $250,000 all in for even a short rise. I can certainly understand why neither party wanted to foot the bill for it, and I don't know enough about the particulars of their lease to know whose financial burden it would have been. But the real irony is that if and when the Hilton brings in a new restaurant they'll probably be required to make the space fully accessible anyway.

[Barbara]

Bear in mind, also, that the Capitol Hilton (the Statler-Hilton when I worked there in the Accounting Department a hundred or so years ago) has been in its location since WWII. It is only a couple of blocks straight up from the White House and has been a gathering place for the "High and Mighty" since its inception.

It seems to me that somebody was asleep at the switch. I have never worked in Public Relations, but it doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to see that this whole situation could have been avoided. $250,000 to fix the problem? Chump Change. They spend far more than that to redecorate the place and hang new draperies. The publicity alone would have been priceless. And, there is probably a tax break they could have taken advantage of. How much is this going to cost the Hilton Corp. now in pure ill will?

I love Landrum for his outrage. He doesn't have a vast, global company backing him up and he didn't have a role to play in any of this except to alert us to the real (?) situation. Don't let's kill the messenger here.

[ScotteeM]

$250,000 to fix the problem?  Chump Change.  They spend far more than that to redecorate the place and hang new draperies.  The publicity alone would have been priceless.  And, there is probably a tax break they could have taken advantage of.  How much is this going to cost the Hilton Corp. now in pure ill will?

I love Landrum for his outrage.  He doesn't have a vast, global company backing him up and he didn't have a role to play in any of this except to alert us to the real (?) situation.  Don't let's kill the messenger here.

Barbara,

I don't have your background here, but I was thinking the same thing. $250,000 for the Hilton chain? Absolutely chump change, IMO.

I thought Landrum's posts were eloquent and righteous. You go, Michael!

[B.A.R.]

Easy now, people. Restaurants lose their leases ALL OF THE TIME. Many of these restauraunts are good corporate citizens. Many of them are not. How many people on this board could have answered the question "What's the name of the steakhouse at the Capital Hilton?" two days ago? Almost everyone would have had to give the question some thought. Maybe they are looking for a more high profile tenant. Maybe they want a mini-burger/sushi/tapas place. Who the hell knows?

Now, it is a possibility that the GM of the Hilton is an intolerant, inflexible asshat. My instincts tell me there is more this story than the disabled veteran's angle, but a restaurant losing it's lease isn't sexy enough for Channel 9 news.

Having spent the last 5 years in the hotel industry, and spending a significant time dealing with ADA compliance, most would be surprised at the lack of "letter of the law compliance" at every major hotel in this, and every other, city.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Michael Landrum, I appreciate your starting this discussion but help us understand your outrage. Are you angry because some people with disabilities can’t access Fran O’Briens’s or are you reeling solely at Hilton for not renewing the restaurant’s lease?  My bet is the later, since Ray’s the Steaks is advertised as having “No wheelchair access”:  http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/rayssteaks.html. Do you turn wheelchair users away at the door? 

It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who criticize Ray's the Streaks that have never actually been in the establishment.

[Principia]

...My bet is the later, since Ray’s the Steaks is advertised as having “No wheelchair access”:  http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/rayssteaks.html. Do you turn wheelchair users away at the door?

As a person involved in this exchange who's actually been in the building in question, I have to query exactly what about RTS would involve not being wheelchair-accessible? It's a completely flat space in a single-floor building - and Guajillo, its immediate neighbor with a very similar floorplan, does not earn that designation from the W'tonian.

I'm especially surprised given that both the City Paper (http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com/restaurant.php?rID=635) and AOL CityGuide (http://cityguide.aol.com/washington/dining/search.adp?page=detailDetails&id=118133342&layer=venues) label RTS (to my mind, properly) as 'Wheelchair Accessible.'

Back to the topic at hand:

WTOP's Bob Madigan just talked about the Fran O'Brien's closure from the vets' angle. Perhaps this won't go quietly after all...

[B.A.R.]

It seems to me the folks at Fran O'Brien's are using their Veteran's dinners to wage a PR campaign against Hilton.

Fran O'Brien's said they did not want any publicity about these dinners before they lost their lease, but they sure do want it now.

And, if I read the article correctly, the Hilton has offered to continue to host the dinners (and did so before this brouhaha started). That would seemingly refute the anonymous quote "....VA official suggests, to “eliminate the spectacle” of hundreds of disabled soldiers."

So, the owners of Fran O'Briens are now trying to use their good deeds as leverage to retain/salvage their lease, and are doing it publicly. They are well within their rights to do so. However, IMHO, this doesn't make the Capitol Hilton, or Hilton Hotels in general, a collection of heartless pricks.

[arlvahome]

It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who criticize Ray's the Streaks that have never actually been in the establishment.

Well, actually I’ve been to Ray’s many times, although not in the wheelchair I now use frequently. The space is flat, but maybe the entry is too narrow or the space too confining for wheelchairs. I do know that the past two editions of the Washingtonian’s 100 Best have listed Ray’s as having “No wheelchair access,” and if that’s a typo the owners haven’t bothered to fix it. Many restaurant goers rely on Washingtonian and the entry definitely discourages wheelchair users from visiting Ray’s.

My point was that when talking about the Fran O’Brien’s controversy, people shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the restaurant and many others in the area aren’t accessible. I also think Fran O’Brien’s was clueless to host dinners for disabled vets when they didn’t even have an elevator and question why they found it acceptable to carry wheelchair users down the stairs.

[B.A.R.]

I believe patrons in wheelchairs could use the service elevator. You can argue whether this is dignified or not, but generally fits the "reasonable accommodation" statute of the law.

Carrying people down the stairs does not.

Has anyone ever tried the food there? Thoughts? Recommendations?

[Mark Slater]

I believe patrons in wheelchairs could use the service elevator. You can argue whether this is dignified or not, but generally fits the "reasonable accommodation" statute of the law.

Carrying people down the stairs does not.

Has anyone ever tried the food there? Thoughts? Recommendations?

Is Fran O'Briens the old Trader Vic's space or the old Twigs space? I can't remember.

[bilrus]

Is Fran O'Briens the old Trader Vic's space or the old Twigs space? I can't remember.

According to the Post article the hotel offered to continue the dinners in Twigs, which is apparently open and accessible, but not sufficiently manly for the events.

[bioesq]

"Due to today's cowardly, cravenly and slavishly sanitized press, many people are not aware of the horrible, horrible aftermath of war injuries and just how much these people suffer to regain lives and dignity--but the great people at Fran O'Brien's do. And their Steak Dinners, unpublicized at their own request, do so so much to help restore those interrupted lives."

In the early 1970s, Fran O'Brien had a restaurant on L Street, and if you walked in there wearing a uniform he'd find a way to make you feel special. A guy that I worked with had lost an arm in the war, and they always comped his meal. They sought no publicity for this, and were amongst the few who went out of their way to say "Thanks" to returning veterans. I don't know who's right in this dispute, but their hearts have always been in the right place.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Is Fran O'Briens the old Trader Vic's space or the old Twigs space? I can't remember.

It's in the old Trader Vic's space. I still miss the tikki puka puka (after 2, you wanna pukeah pukeah).

[Baccala]

Fran O'Briens is not losing its lease because of this issue, lets be clear about that. The fact is that Fran O'Briens is not a draw for the Hilton and decided not to renew its lease. The only reason we are hearing anything about it is that they happen to serve meals to Vets. It should be noted that the compassionate Fran O'Briens signed this lease knowing full well that the restaurant was not accessible. In their further compassion they decided to host the event knowing that people would need to be carried. They could have simple moved the event to the other mediocre restaurants in the hotel.

[tfbrennan]

Just saw a promo that CBS Evening News will be airing a story re. this on Monday, 4/24. (DC channel 9 at 6:30 pm).

[background n015e]

Fran O'Briens is not losing its lease because of this issue, lets be clear about that.  The fact is that Fran O'Briens is not a draw for the Hilton and decided not to renew its lease. The only reason we are hearing anything about it is that they happen to serve meals to Vets. It should be noted that the compassionate Fran O'Briens signed this lease knowing full well that the restaurant was not accessible.  In their further compassion they decided to host the event knowing that people would need to be carried. They could have simple moved the event to the other mediocre restaurants in the hotel.

I wanted to comment on a few points here. For the record, Fran O'Brien's was in it's current space LONG before it started up these "Friday Night Out" events (in Oct. 2003). They evolved organically. They began with a few guys recovering at Walter Reed commenting on what a great thing it would be if.... and it grew.

The ADA was passed while they were in their space. It was not relevant at the time they signed the original lease. for a fuller account of the access issue, you can go to Hilton Screws Hundreds at Friday Night Bash in DC.

The short answer is you have your chronology wrong and lack material facts. Hope that helps.

[B.A.R.]

Do you have any affiliation with he restaurant? If so, please tell us more. I've read through this thread and several media accounts of the "situation" and it is my opinion that the restaurant is using the Veteran's dinner and ADA compliance issues as a blunt instrument in a public relations fight.

Any additional insight into a prejudice by the Hilton towards the Veteran's, this particular Veteran's dinner, and the subsequent lease cancellation due to that prejudice would be greatly appreciated.

[Baccala]

I wanted to comment on a few points here.  For the record, Fran O'Brien's was in it's current space LONG before it started up these "Friday Night Out" events (in Oct. 2003).  They evolved organically.  They began with a few guys recovering at Walter Reed commenting on what a great thing it would  be if.... and it grew.

The ADA was passed while they were in their space.  It was not relevant at the time they signed the original lease. for a fuller account of the access issue, you can go to Hilton Screws Hundreds at Friday Night Bash in DC.

The short answer is you have your chronology wrong and lack material facts.  Hope that helps.

The restaurant hosted this event with full knowledge that they were not fully accessible. If the issue was so near and dear to them they would have raised the issue long before the lease expiration. Why was there no public outcry’s to the press about the big bad Hilton before the lease expired? Are you are saying they get a pass because the ADA was enacted after they were there? That is laughable. Just because you may not fit in the box of the law does not mean that you should not honor the intent of the law. Many places have made accommodations that are not required to by law, because it is the right thing to do.

Furthermore let’s be clear. If that were Citronelle and they asked for an elevator it would have been installed in a heartbeat and with gold leafing.

In my opinion the only reason we are hearing about this is that can not find another downtown space that fits their budget.

In the interest of disclosure my wife is disabled and also works in writing and enforcing ADA laws.

[Michael Landrum]

(1)If the issue was so near and dear to them they would have raised the issue long before the lease expiration. (2)Why was there no public outcry’s to the press about the big bad Hilton before the lease expired? (3)Just because you may not fit in the box of the law does not mean that you should not honor the intent of the law.  Many places have made accommodations that are not required to by law, because it is the right thing to do.

Furthermore let’s be clear. If that were Citronelle and they asked for an elevator it would have been installed in a heartbeat and with gold leafing.

(4)In the interest of disclosure my wife is disabled and also works in writing and enforcing ADA laws.

Point 1: It is my understanding that the issue was raised, privately, with the Hilton, long before the lease expiration. Perhaps you have information to the contrary which would explain your position. Further, it is my understanding that the lease negotiations (which occur long before lease expiration), which were otherwise proceeding smoothly, went sour when the restaurant demanded that the proper (what you call the right thing to do) changes to the hotel's physical plant be made.

Point 2: There was no public outcry because there was no press. Obviously the Hilton would not publicize its failure and refusal to accommodate and provide access to all public spaces.

Further, the people at Fran O'Brien's were in no position, and of no inclination--remember these are people who refused publicity regarding their events in the first place, to bring issues of lease negotiations to the press. I think there may be some confusion here as to with whom the power lies between the leasor and leasee.

For Fran O'Brien's to fight for what they believe once they have nothing to lose is an act that should earn them admiration, not opprobation. They are showing tremendous courage in this fight for, as you must be aware, although the point has not come under discussion here, they are endangering their standing with potential future landlords as "troublemakers". This courage, again, should be applauded since without such "troublemakers" there would be no ADA in the first place (I am assuming that that is not a problem).

Point 3: This statement is entirely true. Every business has the obligation to provide maximal access regardless of legal technicalities, it being a privilege to serve any and all. The larger the business, the greater the means, the greater this responsibility.

However, to hold the leasee of a sub-space responsible (or to condemn them for not being Citronelle--are you seriously arguing that the "unworthy" deserve their fate?) for the physical plant of the entire hotel is patently absurd. The leasee has no legal right to install an elevator in the Hilton's lobby even if it were not such a ridiculous suggestion in the first place. The Hilton, as landlord, does have the obligation to lease and maintain proper facilities, and to enact improvements to the overall physical plant and common areas as necessitated by law. It is the Hilton which seemingly is refusing to do the right thing. It is Fran O'Brien's, the erstwhile tenant, who tried to get them to do so. Will it somehow be right when Morton's (or whatever tenant you deem worthy) moves in and nothing changes since no one is fighting for it to be changed because everyone's bread is so well-buttered?

Point 4: Given these facts, the animus towards Fran O'Brien's seems oddly misdirected.

Let's abandon Fran O'Brien's then, if they are unworthy, if they have no cause, if they are somehow the engineers of this outrage. Instead, let us demand that the Hilton provide access to all of its public spaces regardless of the tenant. An elevator, perhaps. Perhaps a working, secure, sufficiently-wide escalator. Or that they forgo the revenue of leasing a sub-standard and unsafe space for profit.

When this does not happen, we can then direct this animus correctly.

[Baccala]

Response: Point 1

I doubt it, but will have to take your word on that, as you are in the business. From a business perspective I see a restaurant that is not a draw and the Hilton, which I am no supporter of, wanting them out. If the ADA issue was raised it was a smoke screen. I am sure that there will be a new place there and will be modified. My guess is they have a little something better up their sleeve.

Response: Point 2 :

Well they are using it to further their cause, let see if it works.

Response: Point 3 :

You are correct the leasor does not have the ability, nor should be required, to install an elevator. My beef, no pun, is with the duration of time that they have been in that location without raising the issue. This is not a one year lease. Seems to me that the discussion happened around lease time, maybe a few months before. Why wait so long ? Furthermore they could have gone public years ago, as the Vets were not an issue.

As far as the Citronelle example-I was only pointing out the reality of business. If the place was a draw and profitable and made a condition or renewing the lease it would be done.

Can we hold the lessee of the space responsible for simple modifications, non structural, such as bathroom modifications? I notice Ray’s bathrooms are not ADA compliant, no bar’s or hand grabs. Is that because the county does not require it because of structure size or age or your landlord did not pay for it?

Response: Point 4 Agree

For the record again. I live in the neighborhood and eat at Ray’s often. I have a reservation card from the old day’s.

[Barbara]

My beef, no pun, is with the duration of time that they have been in that location without raising the issue.

Do we KNOW this? This is at the heart of the issue.

[squidsdc]

"Seems to me that the discussion happened around lease time, maybe a few months before. Why wait so long ? Furthermore they could have gone public years ago, as the Vets were not an issue."

My feeling is that the Hilton wants you to think the issue was just raised, to make themselves look better, and to make Fran O'Briens to be the culprit. There is usually truth in both sides of a story, however. And we are only hearing what is newsworthy.

Without inside information there is no way to know when the issue was raised. In my experience, lease negotiations for office space begin as early as two years before the lease is up---one does not wait until a few months before a lease is up to negotiate. I can't imagine that a restaurant would have any reason to wait until a few months before a lease renewal, unless they were led to believe that the renewal would take place, and then were told unexpectedly that it would not.

Generally, promises are made, and promises are broken. It's not final until it's signed on the dotted line. (yeah, I've been called a cynic)

[B.A.R.]

Fair and Balanced?

I've yet to read or hear anything that said they lost their lease due to the Veteran's dinners, as was originally posited.

[Lydia R]

/Bump/

Thought y'all would like to get some follow-up on this situation.

Not sure where Fran O'Brien's is with getting a new location -- but the Wounded Warrior dinners live on in rotating locations. Hal Koster and Marty O’Brien still participate and are greatly aided by the generosity of Washington's restaurant community.

There's a good article in last Friday's Stripe (Walter Reed's weekly newspaper).

When Fran O’Brien’s lease was cancelled and the restaurant closed in early May, the dinners literally became a moveable feast. ‘‘We go from place to place,” Koster said. ‘‘The Italian ambassador hosted one. We’re going to be at the former Taiwanese ambassador’s residence next week.

The Capitol Hill Club does one a month. The Hamilton Crown Plaza Hotel does one a couple of times a month or whenever we don’t have a place.”

[treznor]

I missed this thread the first time around. I've stayed at the Capital Hilton a number of times, maybe 20-25 times for a total of 60-75 nights. Back when I lived in Charlotte and commuted to Washington during the week (which was 3 years ago or so) it was where I stayed. The hotel is nice-ish in a decent location (though at 3-4am it happens to also be where the street walkers are at, a fact that we found out one night coming back late from Atlantic City and looking for parking...).

The food there is pretty bad though. Fran O' Briens was the better of the two options (the other being Twiggs), but I never had a meal there that I really liked (3-4 times or so) and there was never a huge crowd of people. Usually ended up walking over to K or M street somewhere or going to Archibald's/Fast Eddies (which is fine if you stick to the side that's food only...). I could see why Hilton would want Fran O' Briens out to try and get someone in that would have a better draw. Of course, I don't know that's what was going on or not.

[Erik Ox]

Not sure where Fran O'Brien's is with getting a new location -- but the Wounded Warrior dinners live on in rotating locations.

Update on Fran's from the Washington Business Journal. They are slated to move to McLean, into the space previously occupied by Amerigo's. Status of the dinners for the wounded servicemen is unclear at this point.

[qwertyy]

This very good profile of Garry Trudeau in the October 22 WaPo Magazine mentions that he attended at least one of these dinners at Fran O'Brian's, and gains a lot of inspiration for BD's storyline from the soldiers he meets at these events.