Café Tu O Tu's Creative Conundrum

A restaurant's effort to expand into a second location on M Street is hitting a roadblock from a board that oversees design in the Georgetown historic district.

Since Mino Sarano, owner of Café Tu O Tu, decided to expand his restaurant with Cafe Tu-o-Tu Express at 3421 M St., he has met resistance from the Old Georgetown Board (OGB). His goal is to create his own sign design for his restaurant.

“The signs I have to put up, they won’t allow,” said Sarano. “It can only be a basic design. You cannot be really creative.”

The OGB, part of the U.S Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), oversees design review of projects in Georgetown and has strict guidelines for commercial venues’ approaches to expanding businesses.

“The purpose is to preserve the historical character based in its architectural heritage,” said Thomas Luebke, Secretary of the CFA. According to the CFA website, the Commission “…advises on design matters affecting the Historic District of Georgetown, under the Old Georgetown Act…”

The Old Georgetown Act gives the CFA authority “…to conduct design reviews of semipublic and private structures within Georgetown's boundaries.”

“I thought that side of Georgetown needed a place like us,” said owner Mino Sarano. “I have a lot of customers who say ‘I wish we had a place closer'.”

Sarano says he wants to bring more activity the eastern edge of Georgetown  near the Key Bridge and plans to focus on university students as one of his main markets. Sarano said, “95 percent of our menu is the same, but at the new location we serve breakfast sandwiches all day." Afterall, “Students usually wake up late.”

He will employ a new team at the new location, but the first couple months will be slower than normal. “I don’t want to overload myself,” said Sarano. “I just want to provide fresh and excellent service.”

The issue is on the agenda for the upcoming Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting on Monday, Feb. 27 and on the OGB agenda for Thursday, March 1.