Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant, located in Northwest D.C., has been serving dishes made with fresh ingredients and authentic spices for almost three decades and prides itself on being friendly and welcoming to its customers.
However, the local establishment has run into hard times recently.
In a video she posted on TikTok in August, Lydia Tefera — whose mother, Hiwot Gebru, owns and runs the restaurant — pleaded for people to come to Dukem.
“We’ve been in this game for a while, and I don’t want this game to end,” she said into the camera, her voice quivering.
The video, which now has over 1 million views, was just a “spur-of-the-moment” decision for Lydia.
She told WTOP that the idea for the video came from a conversation she had with her mother and sister, Yodit Tefera, a sports medicine doctor. The three were worried about the restaurant as they had fewer customers come in following the COVID-19 pandemic and faced an uncertain future.
“Me, my mom and my sister, we have lots of conversations, as anyone would, when it comes to a business, specifically around the longevity of the business and whatnot. And that’s something even our dad talked about with us before he passed,” said Lydia, who helps with the restaurant outside of her full-time job as a director of marketing strategy at AMC Networks.
“(My mom and sister) didn’t even know about it when I made it. I just posted it, and they saw it afterward,” Lydia said, adding, “I did not expect the reaction and response as beautiful as it was, and I’m really happy that it happened.”
Since the video was posted, there has been an uptick in people coming into the restaurant. Dukem also got an added boost from famous TikTok food critic Keith Lee, who dined at the restaurant in August, shortly after Tefera’s TikTok video was posted.
Tefera said it’s been beautiful to see people coming to Dukem.
“Over the past couple of weeks, I feel like we’ve seen a lot of new and old faces, and that’s been the best part. People have been like, ‘Oh, I used to come here all the time. I’m so glad to be back.’ Or people who had never tried Ethiopian food, people are coming in for the first time. So, it’s been a beautiful mix of new and old,” she said.
The restaurant’s menu is filled with traditional Ethiopian fare, including its special tibs (beef or lamb), goden tibs (short beef ribs), and a variety of vegan and vegetarian platters. Every meal comes with injera, an Ethiopian flatbread that has a sponge-like texture.
Dukem’s origin and its influence on the DC Ethiopian community
Tefera’s parents — mother, Hiwot Gebru, and her late father, Tefera Zewdie — immigrated from Ethiopia to the District for greater economic opportunities and career development. They enrolled in higher education upon coming into the country.
Zewdie and Gebru were immersed in the cultural diversity of the city and the region, where thousands of Ethiopians reside, according to data from the World Population Review.
They opened Dukem in 1997 on the U Street corridor as a carryout business. It was eventually turned into a restaurant because of how quickly the business grew.
“They’ve (my parents) definitely put a lot of energy into growing the business. This was their dream, and they made it happen,” said Yodit.
Zewdie passed away in November 2022, but while he was running the restaurant, he influenced other Ethiopians in the District to open up their own businesses.
Bekalu Bayabile, who had known Zewdie since 1998, immigrated from Ethiopia and is the manager of Amsterdam Cafe and Lounge, a lounge and entertainment spot located near Dukem.
“He was a great person to me. He greeted me with an energetic and friendly smile every time I ever interacted with him over the years,” Bayabile said.
He added that Zewdie had “a big and tremendous impact in the Ethiopian community” in D.C., other U.S. states and in Ethiopia, and created jobs that helped support many families.
“He was able to show us (how) to work together as a family, and he contributed a lot for the communities by participating in many organizations and donating, financing and using his venue as sponsorship,” Bayabile said. “Now, Dukem is like a staple place for the Ethiopian community.”
Zewdie’s family wants Dukem to be remembered “as a landmark.”
“A hardworking man created this place,” said Gebru, the patriarch’s widow. And as if to answer her daughter’s plea in the TikTok video, she added: “We are still standing. We are still in the game.”
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