🌸 Compass Coffee Files Chapter 11

Good morning, DC. It's Friday, your weekend planning window is open, and we've got news that sounds worse than it is: Compass Coffee filed Chapter 11, but all 25 locations stay open. Also on deck: Restaurant Week returns in 10 days, a landmark exhibition closes tomorrow, and the Wizards host the Pelicans tonight with some actual reasons for optimism.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

Before you panic: your morning pour-over isn't going anywhere. Compass Coffee, DC's homegrown coffee chain that grew to 25 cafes across the DMV, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week—but all locations remain open while the company restructures.

The reason is one you've heard before: downtown foot traffic never recovered since 2020. Work patterns shifted permanently, and the economics of operating urban cafes have fundamentally changed. Rather than limp along or close abruptly, Compass is using Chapter 11 to refocus on its strongest locations while exiting underperforming ones. The 7th Street original? Still pouring.

The founder's statement leaned into the company's decade-long history—supplying the White House across multiple administrations, supporting countless community causes—framing the restructuring as adaptation rather than failure. It's the kind of business story that keeps happening in DC: the places that built their model around five-day office commutes are still adjusting to a city where remote work is permanent. For customers, nothing changes immediately. For the people reading this while working from home instead of their old downtown office, the connection is uncomfortably direct.

If you've been meaning to try that restaurant but kept balking at the menu prices, your window opens in 10 days. DMV Winter Restaurant Week runs Monday, January 19 through Sunday, January 25, with hundreds of restaurants across DC, Maryland, and Virginia offering fixed-price menus.

The pricing: brunch and lunch at $25 or $35, dinner at $40, $55, or $65. Ten Alexandria restaurants have already signed up—Bastille Brasserie & Bar, Evening Star Cafe, Vermilion, Osteria Marzano, and six more—with the full DC and Maryland lists available on the RAMW website, filterable by cuisine, neighborhood, and outdoor dining.

The Restaurant Association's advice: "Spots fill up quickly and diners should make reservations as soon as possible." Translation: if you have a specific restaurant or time in mind, don't wait until January 18 to book. After a brutal 2025 that saw nearly 100 DC restaurants close, Restaurant Week is a chance to support the survivors—and discover spots you haven't tried yet. The fixed-price format removes the sticker shock and encourages experimentation. Start texting the group chat now; the popular spots won't stay available long.

Sometimes the restaurant you think you've "done" is exactly the one worth revisiting. Eater DC returned to Le Diplomate this week, calling Stephen Starr's Logan Circle brasserie "an oldie but a goodie"—a quiet reassessment that, 12 years in, the place still earns its reputation.

What makes Le Diplomate endure while nearly 100 DC restaurants closed last year? Part of it is the formula—a 260-seat French bistro that executes classics (Burger Americain, steak frites, poulet roti) without trying to reinvent them. Part of it is location: Le Diplomate helped transform 14th Street from a corridor you drove through into a destination you planned around. And part of it is that ineffable quality of a restaurant that feels like an occasion without feeling exclusive—Bill Murray at one table, a couple celebrating their anniversary at another.

The buzz picks up after 9 PM when candles are lit and the room fills. They're open until midnight on weekends. In a year when DC's dining scene is still reeling from closures, Le Diplomate's staying power is a reminder that consistency matters—and that sometimes your most reliable date night was the one you already knew about.

Location: 1601 14th St NW (U Street Metro) | Hours: Mon-Thu until 11 PM, Fri-Sat until midnight | Reservations

Usually when business owners hear "tax increase," they don't throw a party. But Congress Heights is different.

The DC Council approved the city's 13th Business Improvement District this week, covering Congress Heights and adjacent neighborhoods in Southeast DC. The "Soul of the City" BID—awaiting the mayor's final signature—will raise taxes on businesses and multifamily housing owners in the district. And the businesses are celebrating.

"We can build a future that we can see," said Keyonna Jones, who owns an art studio and retail store in Congress Heights. LeGreg Harrison, CEO of The Museum DC store, put it more directly: "Now that we have this... the city has assured us that they're important enough to give us cleaner streets."

The tax revenues will fund workforce development, safety improvements, beautification, and coordinated marketing across Wheeler Road, Southern Avenue, Alabama Avenue, and MLK Avenue. For business owners east of the river—in a part of DC often overlooked by the development attention lavished on downtown and Northwest—the BID represents validation. Not just infrastructure, but recognition. "We are the soul of this city," Harrison said. He's not wrong.

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Here’s what’s going on around DC this weekend:

Capital One Arena | Wizards vs. New Orleans Pelicans | Two rebuilding teams, affordable tickets, watch Alex Sarr develop in real time | 7 PM

McLean Art Gallery | Winter Opening Reception | 150+ original artworks from 40+ local artists, plus wine, refreshments, and live music for the "Snow Days" exhibit | 5-7 PM, FREE

Union Station | Monopoly Interactive Pop-up | Walk through a life-sized Monopoly board, roll oversized dice for prizes including an Atlantic City getaway | During station hours, FREE

Gaylord National, National Harbor | Super MAGFest | Four-day gaming and video game music festival running 24 hours with arcades, live bands, and tabletop gaming—badges sold out but resale available | Through Sunday, $125+

Glen Echo Park | Gottaswing Swing Dance | Beginner lesson included, then social dancing in one of the region's most beautiful historic ballrooms—no partner needed | 8 PM, $20 advance/$30 door

Howard Theatre | Jazz Night | New Orleans jazz classics and improvisations in a venue that's hosted legends from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald | 9 PM, $29+

Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton | Meditation & Mindfulness Series Kickoff | First session of a new weekly wellness series—if you've been meaning to start meditating, here's accountability | 2 PM, $35

metrobar | Booze Free Bingo for Dry January | Social Sunday without the hangover—structured activity, bar setting, no pressure to drink | 1 PM, $11

Get your business in front of thousands of DMV area locals 3x/week.

Friday

55 🌡 37 | 🌧️ 65% | 💨 9 mph

Saturday

52 🌡 44 | 🌧️ 75% | 💨 8 mph

Sunday

47 🌡 32 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 15 mph

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Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder | Bluegrass legend, 15-time Grammy winner | 7:30 PM

Echostage | Nora En Pure | Deep house/melodic techno | 10 PM

Soundcheck | GHENGAR with Ghastly | Bass music (Last Call Closing Series) | 10 PM

Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder | Bluegrass legend, second night | 7:30 PM

Howard Theatre | Jazz Night | New Orleans jazz classics | 9 PM

Echostage | Reggaeton Rave | Latin dance party | 10 PM

Soundcheck | Elephante | EDM/future bass (Last Call Closing Series) | 10 PM

The Wizards (7-24) host the New Orleans Pelicans (8-26) tonight at 7 PM in a matchup between two teams more focused on draft positioning than playoff seeding—which doesn't mean it's not worth watching. Alex Sarr continues to develop into a genuine two-way threat (17.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.3 BPG), rookie Tre Johnson is finding his rhythm, and the blockbuster Trae Young trade from Atlanta could reshape everything. The Pelicans bring Zion Williamson (22.4 PPG) but are 1-9 in their last 10. Affordable tickets, young talent, and the start of whatever comes next.

The Capitals (22-15-6) hit the road for a back-to-back: at Chicago Friday, at Nashville Saturday. They'll return home Monday to host Montreal at 7 PM—Dylan Strome Bobblehead Giveaway for the first 10,000 fans. After Monday's 7-4 explosion against Anaheim (Justin Sourdif's first NHL hat trick, two more from Ovechkin), the Caps are legitimate contenders in a tight Metro Division.

Till next time,