hello everyone. I am the AGM of Tonic at Quigleys Pharmacy. We have been open since May 2007, but received our liquor license this afternoon. Here is the press release:
Tonic at Quigley’s Pharmacy Granted Liquor License
Foggy Bottom Restaurant Now “Curing What Ails” Their Guests Their Way
Washington, D.C, Foggy Bottom, January 10, 2008 — District Restaurant Enterprises, Inc, (DRE, Inc.) the Washington, D.C. home-grown partnership that owns and operates Tonic at Quigley’s Pharmacy, today announced that the Washington, D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) has finally granted their request for a liquor license.
The ABC license allows the Foggy Bottom purveyors of comfort food and updated classic home-style dishes to add beer and wine to its menu. Something that many, if not all, of its patrons have been waiting for since the restaurant opened in May 2007. In addition to beer and wine, the bar will also offer Bloody Marys during Saturday and Sunday brunch hours.
“After going through such a prolonged process and traveling such a rough road to get here, the entire DRE management team is thrilled that we are finally overcoming this hurdle and we can move forward and do what we do best... operate an amazing neighborhood restaurant that feels like home. This license was the missing piece, and getting it in place is the final step which will allow us to offer our guests the full Tonic experience,” said Jeremy Pollok, DRE Managing Partner.
The ABC decision comes six months after Tonic opened its doors and signifies the end of a long fight that was the result of an isolated protest from a small group in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Pollok states that the majority of the neighborhood, civic, and George Washington University (GW) campus groups they worked with throughout this process have supported Tonic at Quigley’s Pharmacy since its inception.
“I was a student here at GW so, of course, I naturally have a soft spot for this area of D.C. and I always wanted to do something like we did at the Tonic in Mt. Pleasant, here in Foggy Bottom. We are first and always a neighborhood restaurant and bar that provides American comfort food with a twist. And we are a place where you walk in once or twice and feel like an instant regular. I couldn’t be more pleased to be serving this neighborhood, I want to thank those who have helped us along the way, and I am confidant that we will not disappoint those who have supported us throughout this process,” said Pollok.
“We are so happy to see the historic Quigley’s Pharmacy building be put to such good use,” said Dana Groce, GW student and Foggy Bottom resident. “The entire Tonic team has been a pleasure to work with, and we congratulate them on this recent victory. It is our hope that they will be here for many years to come, serving GW students as well as the residents of Foggy Bottom their amazing food.”
Background and History
According to a November 2003 article about the Quigley’s Pharmacy building that ran in the student newspaper the GW Hatchet, “The building's long and unique history began in 1891, when GW alumnus Richard Lucien Quigley opened Quigley's Pharmacy. In the early 1900s, it transformed into a soda shop and served as a student gathering area into the early 1970s. In 1974, the University bought Quigley's and converted it into an office building. This February, the geography department left Quigley's for more spacious and newer offices in the 1957 E Street building.”
The Quigley’s building has been empty since that move-out in February of 2003, and amidst cries from the GW student body for a late-night dining option, Pollok and the DRE, Inc. team submitted a proposal in 2005 to develop the location into what is now Tonic at Quigley’s Pharmacy.
About Tonic at Quigley's Pharmacy
Location: 2036 G St, NW, Washington, D.C.
Hours: Lunch: Monday -- Friday 11am- 4 pm
Dinner: Sunday-- Monday 5pm-11pm
Brunch: Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-3pm
Late Night Menu: Sunday-- Thursday 11pm.-12am, Friday and Saturday 11pm-1am
Happy Hour: Monday -- Friday 5pm-7pm (1/2 price drafts and 50¢ wings)
Executive Chef: Shannen Smith
General Manager: Nicole Ryan
About District Restaurant Enterprises, Inc
DRE, Inc, a well known and well-liked group, also owns and operates:
• Tonic Mt. Pleasant -- 3155 Mt Pleasant St, NW
• Radius Pizza -- 3155 Mt Pleasant St, NW
• Palace of Wonders
"DC's Mecca for Freaks and the People Who Love 'Em" - 1210 H St, NE
DRE, Inc. Partners:
• Jeremy Pollok
• Eric "Bernie" Bernstrom
• Erik Bergman
• Ilias Nathanail
• Greg Nicklas
• Lenka Culbertson
