The Foggy Bottom bar McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon, which the District’s police chief ordered temporarily shuttered after five patrons were stabbed Dec. 27, will permanently close, according to the chairman of the area’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
The chairman, Patrick Kennedy, said he confirmed the closure in a discussion with the tavern owner’s attorney, Stephen O’Brien. Kennedy used Twitter to make the announcement.
McFadden’s has been in the 2400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW for about 10 years. Neither O’Brien nor the owner, John Sullivan, has returned calls seeking comment for the past two weeks.
Despite the decision to close, the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration will still have a hearing at 11 a.m. Friday on whether to continue to suspend or restrict the liquor license, according to a spokeswoman for the regulatory agency.
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Kennedy said the owner may want to try to keep the license active so he can sell it to someone who either wants to open a new establishment at the McFadden’s location or transfer the license to another spot. The board can still revoke the license, meaning it could not be sold, costing the owner a possible five-figure sale, Kennedy said.
Jessie Cornelius, the spokeswoman for the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, said the board has not received a request to transfer the license, but it did get a request that the license be held in “safekeeping” pending a transfer application. If approved, that would allow the license to remain dormant for 60 days. Cornelius said the board has postponed that request.
The incident occurred early Dec. 27 when, police said, members of one group argued with people who were at McFadden’s to celebrate a birthday. In the melee, five people were stabbed, including one man who is underage and another who suffered serious wounds that included a punctured kidney.
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An investigation by the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board found that bar security failed to help the wounded patrons, tried to cover up the crime scene by mopping up blood, refused to cooperate with police and may have helped the assailant leave the building through a side garage door and get away from police.
Detectives have not made any arrests and have not found the knife. Police have released pictures of two men they are looking for in connection with the incident. The board said one of the men seen in surveillance video being escorted out of the bar appeared to have blood on his hands.
After D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier ordered McFadden’s closed for 96 hours, the board summarily suspended the license. Friday’s hearing is an appeal from the restaurant’s owner. Kennedy said the owner has an interest in keeping the liquor license viable.
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McFadden’s is near the campus of George Washington University, which issued a safety alert after the stabbings. A school spokeswoman has said that no students were among the victims.
Kennedy said the area has changed since McFadden's opened about a decade ago, with many homeowners replacing renters in Foggy Bottom and the West End. He said they would prefer that a full-service restaurant or bistro replaces McFadden's.
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