Open for Service

All seven Busboys and Poets locations are open for patio service as the DMV begins phase one of reopening. Busboys and Poets is following all government mandated guidelines and taking every precaution to ensure everyone’s safety as we welcome you back into our dining rooms.

The Busboys Promise

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

To ensure everyone’s safety as we welcome you back into our dining rooms, we ask that we make the following promises to each other:

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

We promise to continue to be a leader in safe sanitation practices with a manager certified in food safety present on every shift. Also, all employees will be trained on appropriate cleaning, disinfecting, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.

We will follow all protocols adopted by the State/District including:

  • All employees must pass a health screening before their shift
  • Hand sanitizing stations will be available to all guests and staff, including upon entry.
  • We will not leave condiments, silverware, flatware, glassware or other traditional table top items on unoccupied tables.
  • We will provide condiments only upon request and in single use non-reusable portions.
  • We will no longer offer menus and we will instead use QR codes for menu viewing. If you need a printed menu, we will provide you with a laminated copy that has been disinfected.  
  • Employees will wash or sanitize their hands and gloves upon entering the restaurant in between interactions with customers.
  • We will clean and disinfect common areas and surfaces regularly and disinfect each dining area after each use.
  • All staff will wear masks and gloves
  • We will post this Busboys Promise at our entrances and display readily visible signage to remind everyone of best hygiene practices.

YOUR PROMISE TO US

We ask that if you dine at our restaurant, you also make a promise to us that is rooted in protecting the health of our staff and guests. If you are unable to adhere to the below promise, we will happily provide your order as take out. You agree to follow the protocol adopted by the State/District including:

  • If you have been exposed to COVID-19 recently or have symptoms of COVID-19 (including a fever, aches, cough, shortness of breath, headache, chills or loss of taste/smell) or known close contact with someone with COVID-19, please keep everyone safe by staying home and using our contactless delivery options
  • If you are sick in any way, you will not dine at the restaurant
  • Your party size is limited to six or fewer guests from the same household
  • You will practice social distancing in all waiting areas and while seated                                         
  • You will utilize hand sanitizer upon entry

If you have any questions about this Busboys Promise, please ask the manager who will be happy to assist you.

Busboys Promise Final3
The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

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Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

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iViva Cuba

3. Cuba – The arrival

Our visit to Cuba is to see this first hand. This is a cultural trip. Not a political one. It is meant to open opportunities for dialogue and understanding between people in the United States and the Cuban people. I hope you will join me as we explore this island nation together.

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Once again the issue of transparency and trust in our food system arises