Harvey's Holding Anniversary To Celebrate 1 Year In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Since opening about a year ago, Chef Thomas Harvey's restaurant Harvey's has pivoted many times, reflecting a trend many restaurants faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. That has meant changing the menu nine times, shifting from QR code ordering to full service and downsizing an initial market concept.

Despite the hurdles the restaurant has faced, Harvey has nothing but good things to say about Falls Church.

"This community has been amazing. I honestly don't know if I can't say enough good about it," Harvey told Patch. "We've had amazing support from everyone. We've grown to love and know a lot of regulars and friends because local businesses have been super supportive and always willing to lend a hand."

Harvey started working in restaurants as a teenager. After starting music school, he decided to take a different path and began cooking in the dining halls. He ended up graduating from L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 2012 and went on to work in restaurant roles around the DC region. His first stop was working for Frank Ruta at Palena in DC before becoming chef de cuisine at Casa Luca, guided by Italian chef and owner Fabio Trabbochi.

His most recent gig had been executive chef at Tuskie’s Restaurant Group, where he oversaw the operations of Tuscarora Mill, South Street Under Deli-Bakery and Fire Works Pizza in Leesburg, Fire Works in Sterling, Magnolias at the Mill in Purcellville, and Fireworks American Pizzeria and Bar in Arlington.

Then during the time of COVID-19, Harvey realized a dream of opening his own restaurant.

Harvey, an Alexandria resident, had been encouraged to look for a space in Falls Church, which he described as having a "small town field but an urban environment." He found a restaurant space that wouldn't be available in normal times: Plaka Grill's old location at 513 W. Broad Street.

"I was here for a day fell in love with it," said Harvey. "We found the space and it worked out well."

Harvey's, a restaurant serving American cuisine, debuted in March 2022. It was originally intended to have a focus on its retail market with prepared foods and drinks, but the market has downsized to offer to-go beer and wine and a few food items like sauces.

"The pandemic taught us to adapt and pivot," Harvey said. "And this restaurant has, in the year, changed, pivoted already so many times because we weren't coming out of the pandemic. It was planned during the pandemic."

One trend that has stuck has been the restaurant's involvement in local causes. Harvey's hosted a new event called the Battle of Broad Street, a food competition challenging the Neighborhood Barbershop crew and Fin of Mister Finster’s Tattoo Studio to prepare food items and try to sell out their food first. A portion of proceeds benefited the Falls Church Education Foundation, which raises supplemental funds to support Falls Church City Public Schools. The next Battle of Broad Street will be held in May or June, according to Harvey.

Harvey's is also having discussions with the Neighborhood Barbershop team to plan a Fourth of July event. While the event isn't likely to debut this year, the businesses hope to offer a fun holiday event in the future.

The other big thing coming up is Harvey's first anniversary party on Tuesday, March 14 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Inspired by the show "Letterkenny," the celebration's theme will be a "Super Soft Anniversary Party," which is intended to be like a little kid's birthday party. The pink and unicorn-themed party will have face painting, cotton candy, caricature artists, and children's activities from the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation. The library foundation will receive 10 percent of proceeds from the day.

When helping out local charities, Harvey likes to do more than donate a gift card.

"If we can throw an event and actually raise some good money for them, it shows more different charities that are out there. People can learn about different organizations, and it's just the supportive all the way around," said Harvey.

Harvey's menu of American dishes has rotated to remain fresh. Some favorites have remained, including the bolognese with fusilli pasta and signature Seven Hills Burger, which is made from a special meat blend in collaboration with a local farm. One recent menu addition that has become a diner favorite is the "Dirty Bird" fried chicken sandwich with honey butter hot sauce, pimento cheese, fried green tomato, pickles and scallion ranch.

While Harvey's has its signature items, the chef tries not to introduce dishes that other Falls Church restaurants do well.

"One of the things I did before we opened is I went in all the restaurants in town and saw what they did really well and stayed away from those items," Harvey said. "Everybody does something well, so you've got your spot for that, you've got your spot for this."

One of Harvey's proudest moments has been retaining 90 percent of the opening staff, who he credits with helping the restaurant grow.

"This town has been so great and so supportive," said Harvey, reflecting back on one year. "The things we've been able to accomplish in our first year, we exceeded my expectations. We're loving life here, and we're excited to see what the future holds."