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Washington Post - Going Out Guide
Got Plans? preview: Lynne Breaux talks Restaurant Week
D.C. Restaurant Week is in full swing, so it only made sense this week for the Going Out Gurus to bring in Lynne Breaux, president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington -- the organizer of Restaurant Week — as
our guest guru on Thursday’s Got Plans? chat.
 Lynne Breaux, president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, celebrated the successes of area restaurants at the RAMMY awards gala in June. She joins the Gurus to talk Restaurant Week on Thursday at 1 p.m. (Rebecca D'Angelo/For The Washington Post)
We asked Breaux — who for more than a decade was the owner of Tunnicliff’s Tavern
in Capitol Hill — to catch us up on what’s happening with Restaurant
Week (which this year offered a chance to try out newcomers such as Graffiato, The Lounge at Citronelle, Newton’s Table, Degrees Bistro, Mala Tang and District Commons).
Read our interview, then join us Thursday at 1 p.m. for a look at the week and what’s ahead in the Washington dining scene. Submit your questions here.
And be sure to keep up with RestaurantWeek coverage — including where you might still be able to snag a reservation, and where to post your own Instagram photos of your dishes — on the GOG blog.
Q. Tell us about the origins of Restaurant Week, which launched
shortly after Sept. 11. What was the mission when it started, and how
has it changed since then?
Breaux: Yes, the metro DC Restaurant Week promotion started in
November 2001 to jump-start restaurant business. Due to the success of
the initial one, it was continued with one per year until 2004 when it
became biannual, making this the 20th RW. RW is all about giving the
consumer a real deal on a delicious meal while introducing an expanded
clientele to the restaurant. From the first RW, and as more restaurants
participated, the competition was stiff and chefs/restaurateurs
increasingly went and go to great lengths to ensure the best deal for
the consumer and the best showing of their restaurants.
Q. It feels like Washington has been experiencing a restaurant boom
for the past five years. Numbers-wise, is that true? What are some of
the dining trends that you’ve observed in recent years?
Breaux: Between 2007 and September 2011 there was an increase in
the total number of alcohol-licensed restaurants from 651 to 719 and
taverns from 141 to 215 in D.C.
You could almost say the trend is, well, trends. Chefs are always
looking for ways to wow their patrons and anything and everything is
fair game. (Game? Let’s consider that the next big trend.)
Q. For more than a decade, you were the proprietor of Tunnicliff’s in
Capitol Hill. What’s the most important lesson you picked up about
working in the restaurant business in Washington?
Breaux:To paraphrase Matisse — “It’s very difficult to make
things look easy.” And that is what is required of restaurateurs
whenever the open sign is on. No matter what the crisis du jour or
moment may be, all must be handled with grace and, unless you’re “back
of the house,” also with a beaming smile. It is indeed a tough business,
but it is an exhilarating one. Setting the stage for the celebrations
of our customers’ special milestones and engendering memories is an
honor and a pleasure.
Q. Does the association have a position on the growth of vouchers,
such as Groupon and our own Capitol Deal, for restaurants? Good for biz,
bad for biz, or is it more complicated?
Breaux:The deals-a-day can be great exposure for a restaurant
during targeted time slow periods but must be judiciously analyzed as to
exact cost/benefit to the establishment.
Q. Okay, dish: We read that you’re frequently dining out in
Washington. How often are you checking out restaurants? Any tips for
staying in shape?
Breaux:As is obvious, I love restaurants and the dining
experience and am out and about at member restaurants quite frequently
in the D.C. region. My husband and I enjoy the pursuit and discovery of
new restaurants as well as visiting old favorites on our travels,
especially in NYC and in my hometown of New Orleans. We do watch every
bite and sip and work out almost daily. However, dining out is not
contradictory to staying in shape.
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