Duke’s Grocery, the East London gastropub with a popular burger menu, did not last long at its new Navy Yard spot, closing about two years after opening the Half Street location in Southeast D.C.
Duke’s owners have replaced it with Problem Child, a bar with cheap drinks ($4 for Miller Lite or Coors Light), free popcorn and a bar menu with wings, tater tots, smash burgers and baby back ribs.
Why the pivot? Baseball fans don’t necessarily all want what restaurants are selling.
“After two years, we came to better understand what our guests in Navy Yard were looking for. The sales matrix was different than our other locations, so we embraced that with Problem Child, as a bar that serves food, (not a) restaurant that serves drinks,” said Duke’s Grocery managing partner Daniel Kramer.
“Problem Child is the divey, comfortable bar every D.C. neighborhood should have … about having fun in a relaxed, chill environment with solid food options,” he said.
The Navy Yard Duke’s Grocery closed for several weeks to remodel.
And the name Problem Child?
“While I think it’s generally a douchey move to name a bar after yourself, in this case I thought it was OK,” Kramer said.
The menu also includes a PBBJ (peanut butter, bacon and jelly sandwich) for $12. Most bar menu prices are under $15. The bar menu has a short list of beers on tap and in cans, beer buckets, Jell-O shots and cocktails.
Problem Child opened April 4 at 1201 Half Street in Southeast, with the same indoor and outdoor space Duke’s had.
The original Duke’s Grocery opened in Dupont Circle on 17th Street in Northwest in 2013. Duke’s Counter in Woodley Park opened in 2016, and another Duke’s Grocery location opened in Foggy Bottom in 2019. A new Duke’s location opens in Potomac this week.
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