WASHINGTON — Call Your Mother may be closing its Georgetown location. But, the owner says the fight is not over.
The self-described "Jew-ish" deli and bagel shop took to Instagram on June 5 to ask fans for help.
According to the DC Office of Zoning, the CYM location in Georgetown received special permission to open up in 2020, which was temporary and is now about to expire. This permission had to be obtained because the area is zoned for residential use.
The special permission also came with a set of rules, which some commenters on their Instagram say they did not follow. The rules include stipulations like "not becoming objectionable to neighboring property due to noise or traffic", "not detracting from the overall residential character of the area", and not selling alcohol.
The original special exception application can be seen below:
Wednesday a Board of Zoning Adjustment public hearing went on for close to seven hours. Around 8:30 PM, the hearing was adjourned.
"If people are watching this thing by the way that started at the beginning and are still on. I'm amazed. That means you all really love bagels," said Frederick Hill, the chairperson for the D.C. Board of Zoning adjustment.
But for hours, the board heard from the owner of Call Your Mother, Andrew Dana, along with the Chief Operating Officer John Murray, and their attorney.
"I'm from D.C. and owning a restaurant like this has always been my dream. This is my favorite location. I promise you we bring the absolute heat and try to be the best every single day. We want to be here for the long term. Hopefully, you'll see we're trying our hardest and the overwhelming support from Georgetown proves we're really great operators and neighbors," said Dana.
They explained to the board what they bring to the neighborhood and what they've done to be a good neighbor. They said they have signs posted up, telling people not to litter or sit on the neighbors' steps.
"We have a person on payroll, explicitly for the purpose of picking up trash and making sure no one is sitting on any stoops," said Murray.
Some neighbors expressed support.
"To be honest Call Your Mother and having something like that on the corner wasn't just the reason we moved to this block, it's the reason we stayed in the District," said one neighbor.
But another neighbor told the board, 'Call Your Mother' has not been a great neighbor.
"The owners of these houses have been unable to have people move, people get very belligerent. They want to eat their bagels they want to eat their sandwiches. It's part of the experience," said Melinda Roth.
She told the board that some neighbors have actually posted up their own signs, telling customers not to come on their property and share photos of the crowds.
On social media, Call Your Mother's comment section is divided on whether or not the bagel shop should stay.
One commenter described the place as a zoo.
"Was visiting with a friend on this block today and even early afternoon it was a zoo with people eating in all sorts of inappropriate places," the commenter said. "Keep residential areas residential!"
Another commenter showed support for CYM by saying, "I want to help 🙏," and asking what they could do.
One patron had mixed feelings, saying how much they loved the shop, but complaining there was nowhere to sit and eat their food.
One person even asked if Georgetown wants any businesses at all, with another person commenting, "Omg so true. I think they want a gated community and they don't want anyone near them."
The future of CYM in Georgetown remains up in the air. The board will hold another hearing on September 25.
Local blog the Georgetown Metropolitan explains the history behind Georgetown's zoning requirements as it pertains to retail locations, which you can read here.
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