Kevin Zeese, spokesperson for Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign and director of Democracy Rising, related to The Hill, 'Boom! It just became an incredibly important landmark for the community. C-SPAN, NBC News and ABC's ' Good Morning America' all filmed segments inside the restaurant within the restaurant's first few months. Shallal had said he would keep Busboys running even if just broke even, but it proved a success from the beginning, even without committing an advertising budget. It features the words of Langston Hughes, 'Let America be America again / Let it be the dream it used to be.' Reception The collage depicts civil rights icons including the Rev. He refuses to sign the mural, saying this would be a 'final gesture' that would preclude him from making revisions later. Shallal painted the giant civil rights movement-themed mural covering one wall of the restaurant, titled Peace in Struggle Wall. Rejected ideas for the restaurant's name include Writers Block Cafe, Broken Bread Cafe and White Rabbit Cafe, the latter inspired by The Matrix. The name refers to American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1930s, prior to gaining recognition as a poet. Shallal obtained a loan from black-owned Industrial Bank, located at 11th and U streets. Concerned that his creation of a trendy artistic space would clash with U Street's traditional identity, Shallal reached out for support from community leaders, neighborhood groups, church organizations, schools and radio stations prior to opening the location. The first Busboys and Poets lies two blocks from U Street, a commercial corridor in Northwest Washington, known as 'Black Broadway' in its heyday. Locations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area It has been described as a haven for writers, thinkers and performers from America's progressive social and political movements. area: A second location opened in Shirlington, Virginia in 2007 a third location opened in DC's Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood in 2008 a fourth in Hyattsville, Maryland opened in July 2011 a fifth at D.C.'s Brookland neighborhood opened in 2014 a sixth opened in D.C./Maryland's Takoma neighborhood in 2015 and a seventh location opened in D.C.'s historic Anacostia neighborhood in early 2019. There are now seven locations in the D.C.

The original Busboys and Poets is located at 14th & V streets in the U Street Corridor of Washington, D.C. Busboys and Poets is a full-service restaurant, bar, bookstore, coffee shop, and events venue in the Washington, D.C.

Busboys and poets catering