Pizzeria Paradiso Serves Limited Menu For 'Day Without Women' Protest

GEORGETOWN, DC — Showing support for the national "Day Without Women" protest, a popular restaurant in Georgetown will serve a limited menu on Wednesday, March 8.

Chef and owner of Pizzeria Paradiso Ruth Gresser will serve half of her food and draft beer to reinforce the impact of a day without women. The restaurant will also donate half of the day's profits to two women's organizations: My Sister's Place and the National Organization for Women.

"By cutting our menu in half, we symbolically reinforce the impact of a day without approximately half of the world’s population," Gresser said in a statement. "I ask you, my customers and my community, to support me and equal rights for women with this symbolic restraint and limitation."

The reduced menu will be in effect at all Pizzeria Paradiso locations, including the Georgetown restaurant at 3282 M St. NW, the Old Town location, the Dupont Circle location and the VELOCE restaurant in DC.

"As a girl coming of age in the 1970’s, I remember the day in March 1972 when the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution passed the Congress. I also remember the disappointment when, ten years later, it failed to be ratified by enough states to become law," Gresser said.

"This failure means that I, as a woman, do not have equal rights under the law in this country where 'all men are created equal.' Today, 45 years later, I am striking for those same equal rights."

Diners are encouraged to talk to their server if they'd like to contribute to My Sister's Place and the National Organization for Women.

My Sister's Place is DC's oldest domestic violence shelter, open since 1979. They are the only domestic violence shelter in DC that offers a full continuum of care — from immediate crisis on their hotline to transitional-to-permanent housing — to ensure victims are not re-traumatized by telling their story multiple times to different counselors.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest feminist grassroots organization in the U.S. They focus on a variety of women's rights issues, including: economic justice, pay equity, women's health and body image, reproductive rights, family law, representation of women in the media and global feminist issues.

Pizzeria Paradiso is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Photos: Pizzeria Paradiso