What do you call a take-out pizza place poorly masquerading as a sit-down restaurant? Closed.
In the aftermath of this week’s snowstorms, Philly Pizza & Grill, which was supposed to have its final Board of Zoning Adjustment hearing this Tuesday, has been granted a stay of execution until February 16. When the BZA convenes next Tuesday, ending a months-long hearing process, its members are expected to—and should—hold the restaurant accountable for the pattern of mismanagement and deception exhibited by owner Mehmet Kocak. Kocak irresponsibly opened a restaurant on a residential street without the appropriate zoning allowances. D.C. zoning laws are clear: you break the rules, you pay the price. Philly Pizza should be closed.
The decision to reopen the restaurant on Potomac Street was Kocak’s first mistake. The former Philly Pizza was successful because it operated on a side street with few neighbors, where it was able to embrace its take-out identity. Believing that the old business model could succeed in the new location was foolhardy.
Kocak, a manager at Philly Pizza’s former location, skirted the zoning laws by operating as a take-out restaurant despite being zoned as a sit-down establishment. When neighbors, annoyed by the noise and mess created by Philly Pizza’s often-inebriated late-night patrons, called Kocak out, he made a half-hearted attempt to make the restaurant comply with its zoning regulations. The building may have been renovated and the food may occasionally be served on non-disposable plates with silverware, but Philly Pizza has continued to be what it always has been: a take-out restaurant—the late night hours, low-quality and low-price slices, and student customer base all but guarantee that status.
If Philly Pizza closes, some may claim it as a victory for Georgetown residents, specifically Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Ron Lewis and Bill Starrels, who have campaigned against the restaurant for months. But the BZA decision will have little to do with town-gown relations. Kocak explicitly violated zoning laws, invalidating Philly Pizza’s right to continue operating.
It is frustrating to watch the much-loved restaurant disappear, but Kocak had plenty of opportunities to meet zoning requirements. Philly Pizza could have remained on 34th Street NW, or Kocak could have pursued the appropriate zoning allowances after moving the restaurant to Potomac Street. Instead, a weekend staple at Georgetown has to come to an end.
At least we’ll always have Tuscany.
i’m sick of the voice ed board. they have only the ability to hate. on everything.
next up: apple pie and warm towels.