Chef Geoff's Owner: Rockville Site Lost Money for Months

Despite losing money for months, the tipping point that led Washington, D.C., restaurateur Geoff Tracy to close his Rockville restaurant was a broken hot water heater.

The Chef Geoff’s at 12256 Rockville Pike closed with little warning on Nov. 2.

Tracy told Bethesda magazine that he was facing a $30,000 cost to replace the broken hot water heater at the restaurant. “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

On his company’s Facebook page Tracy said he simply couldn’t sustain the cost to keep the Rockville location open, and probably should have closed it 18 months ago.

“I am super proud of the work we did in Rockville,” Tracy wrote. “I still think the bar was epic - one of the biggest (and prettiest) in the entire region. The chef team and the hospitality teams created excellent food and service.”

Tracy noted he’s placing many of the employees at his other area restaurants, and is working with other restaurants to hire those he can’t keep on.

His downtown DC location on 13th Street NW off Pennsylvania Avenue will close at the end of the year because the property is being redeveloped.

Tracy also operates a Chef Geoff’s at 3201 New Mexico Ave. in Washington, D.C.; Chef Geoff’s Tysons Corners at 8045 Leesburg Pike in Vienna, VA; and Lia’s at 4435 Willard Ave. in Chevy Chase.

Owner Geoff Tracy’s statement posted on Facebook Nov. 3:

The restaurant business is very challenging. I have been playing the game for very successfully for over 15 years. Unfortunately yesterday I had to close my ROCKVILLE location.

All my other restaurants (Lia’s in Chevy Chase and Chef Geoff’s in Tysons, New Mexico Ave, Downtown, and Dulles Airport) are all ready to provide you with everything you have always loved about Chef Geoff’s. It’s even all night happy hour tonight!

My team and I are working to find jobs for my Rockville cooks and servers in my other restaurants. We should be able to place most of them. If you know of openings in other restaurants - please let me know.

I am super proud of the work we did in ROCKVILLE. I still think the bar was epic - one of the biggest (and prettiest) in the entire region. The chef team and the hospitality teams created excellent food and service. But unfortunately the sales could not sustain the cost to operate. Financially I probably should have closed 18 months ago. But I am a stubborn fighter and wanted to turn it around.

Fortunately, I have five other restaurants with over 300 great people working there, three healthy and happy kids, and a beautiful and talented wife. We are all looking forward to seeing you at a Chef Geoff’s or Lia’s very soon.

Cheers! Geoff

»Photos of Geoff Tracy and Rockville Chef Geoff’s location, from company website