Chef Geoff's and Clover Restaurant Group Announce Joint Venture

DC Establishments Join Forces to Offer Best in Guest and Employee Experience

WASHINGTON, DC – Chef Geoff’s Restaurant Group and Clover Restaurant Group announced today that they have joined forces to create a joint venture combining four Washington restaurant brands and nine total restaurants including Chef Geoff’s, Lia’s, Cafe Deluxe and Tortilla Coast. All of the restaurants will now be operated by Chef Geoff’s Deluxe Hospitality (CGD Hospitality) and family owned by Brian Sullivan, James Sullivan, Geoff Tracy and Chris Tracy.  All four have extensive experience in restaurant ownership and operations in the DC, Virginia and Maryland markets.

The new hospitality company is the product of a year-long conversation between the four owners with similar values and vision for their place in the future of dining in Washington. The joint venture brings together two family businesses known for their commitment to this region, their employees and their loyal guests. Geoff and Chris Tracy are brothers and have been partners at Chef Geoff’s for over a decade and James and Brian Sullivan are a father and son team who has owned Cafe Deluxe and Tortilla Coast for over 8 years.

“We feel fortunate to have found a set of partners who share a lot of the same values when it comes to the importance of family and how to run a business the right way. A few years ago, Brian introduced the idea of joining forces and we have been working out the details ever since,” said Geoff Tracy, who founded Chef Geoff’s in 2000 after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America.

“My father and I are extremely proud of what we have built and excited to form this partnership. This is a project that has been in the works for a long time,” said Brian Sullivan. “Geoff and I are both Georgetown graduates and we have known each other for a number of years. I have admired what he has accomplished and look forward to what we can do together as a team.”

Chef Geoff’s, LIA’S, Cafe Deluxe and Tortilla Coast are widely recognized brands in the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia corridor (DMV). At a time when so much of the focus in the restaurant business is about the newest and hippest, all four brands have earned an extraordinarily loyal customer base by consistently offering guests warm and inviting spaces in which to enjoy great food and drink.

“I think both groups have worked very hard over the years to create a sense of community both with guests and with the people who work as part of the team,” says Chef Geoff who knows the Cafe Deluxe brand very well having worked as a server there after his college days at Georgetown. “There have been a lot of challenging stories coming out of the restaurant industry lately and I’m really proud to partner with a group who practices and preaches that hospitality is about connecting with and caring for every person who walks through our doors.”

The new venture provides a unique opportunity to take a fresh look at a well-established company and take advantage of best practices and strengths of both sides. “Both groups have literally spent decades trying to figure out how to thrive in this business and it’s going to be a lot of fun to learn from one another and find ways to make the guest experience and the employee experience first in class,” said Brian Sullivan.

Geoff and Chris Tracy will be leading the day-to-day management while Brian and Jim will be leading the company’s strategic growth efforts. “There is a lot of work ahead but we are all extremely excited to dig in and innovate in ways big and small for the good of our employees and guests.”

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