Following the recent closures of Ruta del Vino and Hank’s Cocktail Bar there will understandably be many hot takes about Upshur Street and Petworth in general, let us remember that things with Slim’s Diner have been rough from the very start back in 2016. You can revisit all the ups and downs here.

Due to the private nature of the letter I’ve removed the investor letter from owner Paul Ruppert but the last day of service will be Sunday and I’ll be updating as we learn what becomes of the space.

Paul tells me:

“The current plan is to close on Sunday – but that is dependent on our staffing. We are considering our options for the future, including subleasing the space to another operator.

We are closing because our revenue is lower than our expenses and thus we are losing money.

Several factors have contributed to our lack of success – some exterior and some of our own making. Rising costs for labor and food make a diner a particular challenge because of the low price point and the variability of the menu . During our busy times, we didn’t have enough seats. And during our quiet times, we didn’t have enough customers. And while we have been able to improve service recently, we had challenges with staffing early on that led to occasional poor service for customers and it is always difficult to recover from bad word-of mouth.”



Georgia and Upshur Street, NW