Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria

Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria was a twentieth-century cafeteria-style restaurant brand founded in Washington, D.C., in 1928 by Evan A. Sholl. It developed in response to the expanding population of government workers in the capital during the late 1920s and 1930s, offering a practical dining option for customers who had limited time and relatively few convenient lunch choices. The business grew from its original location into a regional chain with as many as eight restaurants in Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland. The brand became particularly associated with the civic and institutional life of Washington. Its customer base included federal workers, tourists, school groups arriving by charter bus, local residents, United States presidents, clergy, and people experiencing homelessness. At its height, Sholl's reportedly served approximately 10 people per minute and around two million customers annually. Its cafeterias were known less for exclusivity or formal service than for accessibility, speed, and a broad welcome to people from different social and economic backgrounds. Sholl's also developed a reputation for opposing racial segregation. From at least the 1940s and throughout the period when racial integration remained a major public issue in the United States, the cafeteria served African American customers. Its workforce included immigrants from Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, alongside members of the Sholl family. This history made the restaurant notable not only as a food-service business but also as an informal public institution in the capital. Religious inclusiveness and charitable activity were additional parts of the brand's identity. Clergy members of any faith were reportedly offered free meals. Tables displayed prayer cards representing Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant traditions, and a framed papal certificate was displayed inside the restaurant. Sholl's management also participated in efforts to feed people experiencing homelessness. A donation associated with Washington advocate Michael Kirwin was remembered as supporting free meals for homeless patrons over an extended period, reinforcing the cafeteria's reputation for treating vulnerable customers with dignity. During its final decade, Sholl's operated only one location, at 1990 K Street N.W., with an entrance on 20th Street N.W. The business faced rising occupancy costs and a weakening tourism environment. After the terrorist attacks of 2001, tourism in Washington declined sharply, and the resulting fall in customers compounded the effect of a proposed rent increase. Public appeals urged the landlord to reconsider the increase and allow the restaurant to continue, but the effort did not save the business. The final cafeteria closed in December 2001, with contemporary accounts differing on the precise closing date. Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria therefore survives primarily as a local institution remembered for affordability, social inclusiveness, and civic-minded hospitality.

Evan A. Sholl opened the first Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria in Washington, D.C., in 1928. Sholl came from rural Pennsylvania and had already developed experience across several businesses, including farming, dairy production, an ice-cream factory, and real estate. The cafeteria concept matched the needs of a rapidly expanding capital city. Government employment was growing, and workers required reasonably quick and convenient meals during the working day. The original restaurant developed into a chain serving the Washington region. At its peak, Sholl's had eight locations across Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland. The cafeterias attracted a varied clientele, including federal employees, residents, visitors, school groups, and prominent public figures. Charter buses frequently stopped near the restaurants to collect or drop off groups of students visiting the capital. The business reportedly served about 10 people per minute and approximately two million customers each year at its height. The restaurant's historical importance also rested on its social role. From at least the 1940s, Sholl's served African American customers during a period when racial segregation and discrimination remained widespread in American public life. The cafeteria was likewise staffed by people from a range of national and cultural backgrounds, including immigrants from Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia. Members of the Sholl family worked in the business, helping maintain continuity across generations. Sholl's cultivated a policy of religious and social openness. Clergy members were reportedly given meals without charge regardless of their religious affiliation. Prayer cards placed on tables offered Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant forms of grace, and a framed certificate from the Pope was displayed in the restaurant. These practices contributed to the cafeteria's reputation as a place where people from different traditions could eat under the same roof. Charity was another enduring part of the institution's identity. Sholl's participated in efforts to feed people experiencing homelessness, and Washington homeless advocate Michael Kirwin publicly recalled the generosity of its management. A $5,000 contribution connected with Kirwin was said to have supported meals for homeless patrons over a long period. The recollections emphasized not only the food but also the dignity, warmth, and respect offered to customers who might have been excluded from other establishments. By the 1990s, the chain had contracted to a single restaurant. Its last site was at 1990 K Street N.W., entered from 20th Street N.W. in central Washington. The location retained a loyal following among workers, visitors, and socially conscious patrons, but it operated in a more difficult commercial environment than the earlier chain. Increasing rent became a major pressure. In 2001, the terrorist attacks and the resulting fear of travel caused a sudden reduction in tourism to Washington, further reducing the restaurant's business. Community members and supporters mounted a public effort to persuade the landlord to avoid the rent increase and preserve the cafeteria. The campaign was unsuccessful. Sholl's closed its final restaurant in December 2001; published accounts differ over whether the last service occurred on December 1 or December 5. The closure ended a seventy-three-year Washington-area restaurant history and left Sholl's remembered as both a practical cafeteria and a distinctive civic gathering place.

• 2001

  Final K Street location closes

  [1]Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org

  The last restaurant at 1990 K Street N.W. closed in December after rent pressure and a tourism decline following the terrorist attacks of 2001. Accounts differ on the exact closing date.

• 1940

  Sholl's becomes associated with racial integration

  [1]Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org

  From at least the 1940s, the cafeterias served African American customers during the era of segregation and the broader struggle for racial integration.

• 1928

  First Sholl's cafeteria opens

  [1]Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org

  Evan A. Sholl opened the first Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria in Washington, D.C., targeting the growing population of government workers and other customers seeking convenient meals.

• The business expands into a regional chain

  [1]Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org

  At its height, Sholl's operated eight locations in Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland.

An affordable, accessible, and socially inclusive cafeteria serving government workers, tourists, local residents, and people in need in the Washington metropolitan area.

• Prepared food · 1928

  Cafeteria-style meals

  Sholl's served prepared meals in a cafeteria format designed for efficient counter service. The available reference material emphasizes the restaurant's nourishing, accessible meals and broad customer base rather than identifying individual signature dishes or a formal menu.

• 2001Campaign to preserve the final Sholl's location

  Washington, D.C.

  Customers and community supporters publicly urged the landlord of the K Street restaurant to abandon or reconsider a planned rent increase. The effort framed Sholl's as a valuable civic and charitable institution as well as a restaurant.

  Outcome. The campaign did not prevent the restaurant's closure in December 2001.

  Source

• 2001

  Management seeks to preserve the last restaurantStrategy

  Background

  By the final decade, Sholl's had already contracted from a multi-location chain to one restaurant. The remaining K Street site then faced a proposed rent increase and a sudden decline in tourism after the terrorist attacks of 2001.

  Action taken

  Management and supporters pursued public appeals for the landlord to maintain more workable occupancy terms, while the business continued operating at its final location.

  Aftermath

  The restaurant closed in December 2001. The available sources do not document a subsequent relocation or a successful reopening.

  Source

• 2001

  Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria closes after decades in Washington[1]Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Pricing

  The final Sholl's location closed in December 2001 after a proposed rent increase coincided with a sharp decline in Washington tourism following the terrorist attacks earlier that year.

• 2001

  Public campaign seeks to preserve Sholl's final location[1]Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Pricing

  Supporters appealed to the landlord to withdraw or moderate a planned rent increase, arguing that the cafeteria was an important civic institution and community resource.

1. 1Sholl's Colonial Cafeteriaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sholl's Last Supper: A Truly Civic-minded Business Closes Its Doorswsj.com
3. 3Sholl's Cafeteria Closes Doors: Eatery Looks For New Locationgwhatchet.com
4. 4No Hurrymcsweeneys.net