WASHINGTON — Thirty years is a long time for a restaurant to stay in business, and Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place, on the Georgetown Waterfront, will get an endurance honor for making that mark this weekend.
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington honors a restaurant each year for its endurance, and on June 10, Tony & Joe’s will receive this year’s Honorary Milestone RAMMY Award.
The award is given each year to a restaurant that has been in business for an extended period, and it’s only given to the region’s most prestigious restaurants.
Tony & Joe’s will get its honor at the 2018 RAMMY Awards Gala, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Tony Cibel, a native Washingtonian, heads the Oceanside Management family of restaurants, which also includes its Georgetown Waterfront neighbor, Nick’s Riverside Grill. The business includes two sons and two nephews.
What advice does seasoned Cibel have for D.C.’s new crop of young chefs and new restaurants who may be looking to duplicate Tony & Joe’s longevity?
“It’s not easy. You’ve got to be dedicated, and the chefs have got to be able to get along with everyone who works in the kitchen,” Cibel said. “Forget an ego. A lot of chefs have big egos.”
Both Tony & Joe’s and Nick’s suffered extensive damage when Washington Harbour was flooded in 2011. The restaurant group committed millions of dollars to reconstruction of both restaurants, but they didn’t completely close for an extended period.
“We had an outside grill, and of course the two outside bars were open, and we were able to save 50 jobs, which was a miracle,” Cibel said.
Cibel, and nephew Greg Casten, were also named Georgetowners of the Year in 2012 by The Georgetowner.
Past winners of the RAMMY’s Honorary Milestone Award have included Ben’s Chili Bowl, Billy Martin’s Tavern, The Monocle on Capitol Hill, Tune Inn, Clyde’s of Georgetown and Occidental Grill & Seafood.
