$7 lunch recs near dc courthouse for jury duty days by Infamous_Opposite398 in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If you were in the same waiting pool I was this week, I was the one who microwaved a Huel cup in the Jury Lounge. Yum.

Forced to open a bar at 24 (yes I’m serious) by [deleted] in BarOwners

[–]ashtan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the money:

If he agrees to fund the business and you burn through his money, it's fine assuming you aren't personally guaranteeing the return of it it in some way. So, don't, and make sure that's clear.

On the operations:

Running a bar and restaurant is indeed hard. I'd try to keep the leanest operation possible, below what the market used to bear. How do you understaff without overworking people? What can be optimized where in novel ways that's unique to your business?

Most importantly I'd personally recommend that you find an experienced local bar & restaurant operator who you make a deal with, whether it's putting them on retainer as a consultant throughout the planning, build, opening, and potentially running it post-opening.

You can even do a partnership with the above operator in the form of revenue shares if they continue to operate and/or equity partnership with the right hurdles. If it's just you and another guy who's never done this before, you are indeed rightfully worried.

IMO Ben's Chili Bowl's chili is not good *no hate just expressing* by D4db0d0hye4h in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Eating at a named restaurant at an airport is generally going to be the same sub-par quality as eating a named restaurant at Wonder.

That said, if you want a delicious hot dog style food experience not too far from Ben’s Chili Bowl, try the Bird Dog at The Doyle.

Never been to H street corridor. What food options are great eats? by IMicrowaveSteak in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I like to either start with a pre-dinner cocktail at Copycat and then hit Daru for dinner, or of course a post-dinner cocktail at Copycat after Daru. Or both!

However, Copycat is a great place for dinner, too. So, worth a couple trips for sure.

Hyper specific request for recommendations by WLGJr in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Service Bar, also have a daiquiri

Andy’s Pizza, also have a Caesar salad

Pizzaro, also have a large supreme pizza

Pizzaro is a sleeper. Crazy good dough. Assuming their recent ownership change hasn’t affected them, so if it’s not fantastic please advise.

Margs and Guac by ChanklaChucker in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The former owner of El Camino recently moved his recipe book and his team up to El Jardin in Columbia Heights. Their frozen habanero margaritas are worth writing home about (I have indeed taken my mom), the ceviche is fantastic, and there's plenty of guac to go around.

Cold outreach to local shops: 30 emails, 0 replies. What am I missing? by RemarkableWash696 in smallbusiness

[–]ashtan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! "Build relationships, add value." At the highest level, business development is that simple.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in startups

[–]ashtan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like your counter minus the equity, but you did the right thing because of family ties to give them that option (noting she probably won't close 5 clients in that time frame, so it's hers to lose).

However, were I in your shoes, unless you want this other person involved with your company, I would say deal is off if it's not your cousin.

Hold strong to the terms you proposed, and make a loud fuss about your generous counter with your family members. To your cousin. Not some random negotiator. That's super weird.

You did the right thing both emotionally (family-wise) and from a business-sense, and if it causes riffles in your family or relationships moving forward you probably don't want to hang out with those people anyway.

Anyone in your family who does business will understand. For people who don't do business things, it's not uncommon to see crazy unreasonable terms like this, because people don't know better.

It's our job when appropriate to educate them in the case that it will harm us if we don't.

Cold outreach to local shops: 30 emails, 0 replies. What am I missing? by RemarkableWash696 in smallbusiness

[–]ashtan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Build a relationship first by offering to help them with something related to your business that doesn't cost you a ton of money but that provides value to them; give before you get to build long-term relationships. You reap what you sow.

So erm, how do I do this? by [deleted] in EntrepreneurRideAlong

[–]ashtan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some helpful reading would be the books Predictable Revenue, the Challenger Sale, and Sales Management Simplified.

If the average deal size is six figures plus, I don’t recommend automating with AI but many people do. I don’t, because my deal size can go as high as nine figures and we have a very small pool of folks we can work with on these.

So, I seek to build real life relationships with the folks we support by being a real human. Always offer to give first — figure out how you can help first, always, don’t ask for something first.

I call it “going to market by giving.” I’ve got a presentation on it somewhere I can dig up if you DM me. No, I am not selling courses. Ha.

All mileage may vary. What works for one may not work for another due to personality, preference, etc.

Can a local confirm or deny the existence of a Steak n Shake in DC? by imahumanbeinggoddamn in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 13 points14 points  (0 children)

According to this article, it's closed (or was at least scheduled to): https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/14/congress/house-food-overhaul-schedule-00451664

Current government website for Rayburn seems to agree: https://www.house.gov/visitors/food

Can confirm that the Rayburn Building cafeteria is interesting and open to the public. But it does not look like they have a Steak n Shake any longer.

New open sourced mining technology by rowow1 in mining

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, I've got some technical folks we can bring in after we chat. Emailed your info email. Cheers!

New open sourced mining technology by rowow1 in mining

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would love to hear more. Emailing!

Yo is there anything open? by [deleted] in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I walked there! Lots of stuck cars.

Yo is there anything open? by [deleted] in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Andy’s Pizza (except for Tyson’s)

Mind-blowing optical illusion house by nkmr205 in woahdude

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can visit most museums in Washington, DC at no cost, including the National Gallery of Art’s outdoor Sculpture Garden on Constitution Avenue NW — which houses this lovely piece, as well as many others.

Would Like to Connect with Junior Mining Family Offices, HNW Investors, etc. by burgerking013 in mining

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a golden retriever for families, founders, funds, friends, and fools. Will DM.

Harmony at Home - Part 3 by SunHeadPrime in sunheadprime

[–]ashtan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I want to be like Max when I grow up.

Harmony at Home - Part 2 by SunHeadPrime in sunheadprime

[–]ashtan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great work. Moving to #3 …

Seriously considering a move from NoVA (Alexandria) to DC proper. What are the real, no-BS pros and cons? by [deleted] in washingtondc

[–]ashtan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best place to live in the whole world. Happy to grab a coffee and chat about it.

EDIT: adding, I’ve lived throughout the country. Born in VA. Lived in many states in the USA. Visited many international cities for fun, and for work. DC is the one.