The Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar — a Georgetown classic, known for its seafood and outside dining overlooking the C&O Canal — was closed abruptly and unexpectedly Sunday, Jan. 29.
“The restaurant was a big part of the community for over three decades,” wrote Lisa Homstein, vice president of sales and marketing for owner RB Properties in a company press release. “We thank all the diners who supported us over the years.” The missive added: “There will be something new in the future. Plans of what that entails have not been released at this time.”
Since 1978, Sea Catch was located in Canal Square in a restored building once owned by Herman Hollerith of the Tabulating Machine Company, a precursor of IBM.
The closure was so sudden that Sea Catch’s general manager Ryan Fichter and chef Steve Rosenthal had already prepared and promoted the restaurant’s Valentine’s Day menu and the other 20 or so employees were caught unawares.
Fairly new at the job, Rosenthal, who has worked for Clyde’s Restaurant Group and other restaurants, told the D.C. Eater website, “I just got done changing the menu,” also referring to specials for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. “I walked into work Monday, and they decided to close the restaurant over the weekend. We were all let go right there.”
Today, a sign on the door of the restaurant reads: “Temporarily closed . . . exciting things to come.”
