Press Release

The RAMMYS Awards & Gala Expands to The Wharf, Bringing DC’s Most Anticipated Dining Celebration to New Heights

Contact: Sheena Pegarido, 202-805-2638
Jae Early, 202-640-5295, media@linksp.com

Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington announces milestone move to Arena Stage and The Anthem for its 44th awards ceremony and post-awards celebration

WASHINGTON (Mar. 3, 2026) — The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) today announced that The RAMMYS Awards & Gala — the region's most prestigious recognition of culinary excellence — will step into a new era at The Wharf, Washington's thriving hospitality waterfront district. 

For the first time, the Awards ceremony will be hosted at the iconic Arena Stage — cultivating a distinguished experience where honorees can celebrate with colleagues, family and industry pioneers — while a dynamically expanded post-awards celebration will invite revelers from all corners of the industry to The Anthem, one of the nation’s most exciting live music and events venues.

“This is a huge moment for our industry,” said Shawn Townsend, president and CEO of RAMW. “Bringing The RAMMYS to The Wharf not only allows us to celebrate on two of the most incredible stages in the Nation’s Capital, but also be surrounded by one of the most energetic hospitality scenes in the District. Arena Stage gives us the opportunity to create a more intimate, elevated ceremony that truly honors our finalists and winners. Then we head across the street to The Anthem to turn up the energy and shine a bright light on the people who power this industry. It’s bold, it’s thrilling and it reflects the historic heights our restaurant community has reached.”

The move marks a milestone for an awards program that has become the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the DMV, drawing rapidly growing crowds of chefs, restaurateurs, industry professionals, and food lovers who come together each year to celebrate the people and places that define Washington's world-class dining scene.

Tickets for the 2026 RAMMYS Awards & Gala go on sale today at www.TheRAMMYS.org. 

In another first, RAMMYS Awards semi-finalists will also be announced publicly, offering broader recognition for the talented individuals and businesses shaping the region’s dining landscape — and providing a more transparent view of how culinary excellence is recognized.

During the announcement at the 2026 State of the Plate, RAMW revealed the five finalists for the Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year Award, which honors a RAMW associate member who best exemplifies commitment to and support of the organization. This year’s finalists are:

  • Acme Paper & Supply Co.
  • Coca-Cola Consolidated
  • Events DC
  • Grossman Young & Hammond
  • Preferred Insurance

RAMW has also announced that Mayor Muriel Bowser will receive the 2026 Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award. She and other RAMMYS Honorees to be announced will be celebrated at The RAMMYS Honors Cocktail Reception on May 5, 2026, at The Watergate Hotel.

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