On August 12, 1963, investment banker
Stuart C. Davidson opened Clyde's of Georgetown. For many decades, hard liquor could be served in the District of Columbia only to patrons seated at tables. President
John F. Kennedy signed legislation in May 1962 allowing liquor to be sold to patrons standing up. When no other restaurant/bar opened in the district, Davidson decided to enter the restaurant business. Clyde's opened in a former
biker bar known as the B&J Restaurant. When B&J lost its lease after one too many brawls occurred there, Davidson rented the two front rooms of the building and established Clyde's there. The oak bar was retained, and the decor changed to an assortment of oddities. The first Clyde's restaurant was in
Georgetown, the first bar/restaurant in Georgetown to open on a Sunday, the first restaurant in Georgetown to serve
brunch, and the first restaurant in Georgetown to hire women as waiters. In 2010,
Billboard named "Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time. Clyde's Restaurant Group subsequently opened more locations under the "Clyde's" name: in
Columbia, Maryland (1975);
Tysons Corner, Virginia (1980);
Reston Town Center in
Reston, Virginia (1991);
Chevy Chase, Maryland (1995);
Alexandria, Virginia (1998); and
Gallery Place in Washington, D.C. (2005). In December 1985, Clyde's Restaurant Group purchased from founder
Richard J. McCooey three notable D.C. drinking and dining establishments:
The Tombs, 1789 Restaurant, and F. Scott's. These restaurants underwent a significant renovation from 2016 to 2018, and F. Scott's was closed, becoming a new bar and lounge area for 1789. Clyde's Restaurant Group also opened several restaurants which are not branded under the "Clyde's" name. These include The Tomato Palace (1993), which opened in the same building as Clyde's of Columbia, separated by a short hallway and sharing some resources such as bathroom space; Tower Oaks Lodge in the
Tower Oaks development of
Rockville, Maryland (2002); Clyde's Willow Creek Farm in
Broadlands, Virginia (2006); and The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. (2011). According to co-founder John Laytham,
Boston Properties, the developer of the
Tower Oaks office park, allowed Clyde's restaurant use of the land rent-free, and built the infrastructure of the restaurant at no cost. at $20.00 per square foot, which rises to just $29 per square foot after 40 years. Although the multi-level restaurant and music venue cost $24 million to construct, the District of Columbia gave Clyde's $5 million in
tax increment financing. Within a year of its opening, Laytham said it employed 355 people. On July 4, 2017, Clyde's Restaurant Group closed The Tomato Palace, and repurposed the space into a music venue called The Soundry, which opened on June 1, 2018. After several years of struggling sales, followed by the blow from the
COVID-19 pandemic, Clyde's of Columbia and The Soundry permanently closed on July 19, 2020. Clyde's of Reston closed on May 21, 2022. In March 2023, Clyde's Restaurant Group announced that it would open Ebbitt House, a spinoff of Old Ebbitt Grill, in the
Reston Station development center in 2025. In May 2023, Clyde's purchased Rye Street Tavern, a two-story, waterfront restaurant in
South Baltimore's
Port Covington neighborhood that opened in 2017 and closed in 2021, from
Andrew Carmellini's NoHo Hospitality. They announced plans to make "significant improvements" to the space, including a remodeled kitchen and the addition of an oyster bar and an outdoor dining and bar area. It reopened on July 15, 2024. In July 2023, Clyde's announced that it would open Cordelia Fishbar, a seafood restaurant focused on
charcoal grilling, in
Union Market in Washington, D.C. It opened on November 20, 2024. Clyde's founder Stuart Davidson died on August 1, 2001. In July 2019, Clyde's Restaurant Group was acquired by
Graham Holdings. ==References==