The popular restaurant in the heart of Brookland opened about 11 years ago and says they have faced an uphill battle for quite a while.
WASHINGTON — After more than a decade as a neighborhood staple, Brookland’s Finest will close its doors for for good on Sunday.
Owner Tony Tomelden says the decision was emotional — and emblematic of broader economic struggles still affecting many local businesses.
“We’re at Brookland’s Finest in the great neighborhood of Brookland where I’m closing soon… sorry,” Tomelden said, fighting back tears.
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“We’re shutting down here Sunday and it’s an incredible neighborhood and it’s been very supportive. I think we’ve supported the neighborhood a lot and they have supported us tremendously but the numbers post COVID and some of the new things in place just aren’t working for us anymore. I can’t make it work anymore so we’re gonna close Sunday,” he explained.
Located at the corner of Jackson and 12th Street in Northeast D.C., the restaurant has been a community hub known for it’s family-friendly atmosphere, and familiar faces.
“The kids leave all the pictures,” Tomelden said as he pointed to the front windows that were covered in kids artwork.
“You would see your neighbors, and it wasn’t seeing your neighbors waiting to pick them up at school or seeing them at the water cooler at work. It’s that famous third place,” he said.
Tomelden cited a variety of challenges in his decision to close — from the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to labor cost increases, federal job cuts and rising prices due to tariffs.
“I think that we’re still reeling from a lot of things from COVID,” he said. “Sometimes the lockdown seems like it was yesterday, sometimes it seems like it was 20 years ago. The lockdown changed everything.”
In 2023, Initiative 82 began phasing in higher wages for tipped employees in the District, aligning their pay with non-tipped workers. While intended to support laborers, Tomelden said the change added pressure to already tight payrolls.
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“I didn’t navigate it quite well enough,” he admitted. “What you have to do is you have to cut people. That’s the only way to make payroll. And… there were nobody that I wanted to cut.”
With the next minimum wage increase approaching, Tomelden is concerned about the future of his other establishment, The Pug on H Street.
“It is one more thing that keeps me awake at night — trying to figure out how to raise my payroll and keep my guys there,” he said.
Tomelden, who also serves as executive director of the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals (CHAMPS), warned that D.C. small business owners are feeling the ripple effects of federal job cuts and tariffs as well.
“I have some neighbors that both spouses are fired by the feds, and you know, they’re not going to go out anymore,” he said. “I’m concerned about pricing because of tariffs on goods, and I’m concerned about a further reduction of customers because if you’ve been laid off or fired, you don’t have the money to go out.”
“You know, it just has these seismic ripples all the way down,” he added. “It’s D.C., so they don’t really ever think about what’s gonna happen to us anyway — but here we are.”
As he looked around the room, and out the windows, he told WUSA9 “I see this place closing and I see places like this not being able to get through and it’s it’s, it makes me sad and angry.”
A final farewell party will be held Saturday night at Brookland’s Finest. The restaurant’s last day of operation is Sunday.
