Steakhouse [Forced] To Close, Ending Tradition For Wounded War Vets

D.C. Channel 9 WUSA ^ | 4/14/06 | Doug Buchanan

[Coop]

A two-year tradition for wounded war vets is about to go by the wayside. A downtown DC steak house that’s catered to injured troops every Friday night is about to close.

Fran O’Brien’s landlord [Hilton] is forcing out the steakhouse of the same name.

“We're not feeling very good about leaving and especially the Friday night dinner,” O’Brien said.

With the restaurant soon to close, so too will go a hang-out spot that troops have been able to call home while healing, if only for a few hours every week.

In a statement from Hilton hotels, a spokesperson writes: "this is a business decision whereby Hilton Hotels is exploring several options to utilize this space."

But the decision impacts more than just the business that's getting the boot.

A Hilton hotel spokesperson say they are -- on some level -- hoping to keep the Friday night alive without Fran O’Brien’s.

[bd476]

Kingu wrote: "...I hope you ping again with an update if there is a resolution, because if they do, well, what honestly looks like a 'cave' to public pressure, then I'd like to reward them with my business again. If another hotel or company picks them up, let me know also."

I will ping you Kingu, and I'll bet Coop, hipaatwo and whoever hears first will also. :-)

King wrote: "...These people react quick, but I think someone above is rather perplexed by the response to this...

...So others, I encourage you, keep up the pressure. At some point, someone will make a decision, and the CSRs will respond with some confidence when you talk to them, one way or another. The decision does not, to me, appear to be final."

I hope you're right, Kingu.

I also hope that Hilton's perplexed state moves over quickly into the panic zone and to "what will it take to get Fran O'Brien's to stay here?!"

[Cindy]

THANK YOU kingu and thank you very much bd476 for the update.

[bd476]

OKIEDOC wrote: "I received several replies that showed most of the people emailed either out of office, on vacation or unavailable.

I am disappointed with Hilton Hotels but it's not like I didn't expect this from them. I guess they need the wheelchair ramp money so Paris can show her immoral butt in some foreign country.

If I was Hilton and I'm not, this problem would have been quietly fixed and quickly.

I believe there is an ulterior motive at work and it has nothing to do with the cost of a wheelchair ramp but more to do with the free meals for wounded veterans."

OKIEDOC, that is very discouraging.

I just can't believe that a prosperous hotel such as Hilton would turn their corporate back on our wounded soldiers.

Hilton Hotels all over the world have always benefited greatly by the selflessness of our American soldiers.

We need to remind them of this for a very long time. We have a long journey to go in a very short period of time.

Hilton Hotels' bottom line is green.

American soldiers' bottom line is red, white and blue.

[Cindy]

"American soldiers' bottom line is red, white and blue."

Yep.

[onyx]

*sigh* but we shall forge on!

[kingu]

The only people who deserve thanks are a) the soldiers who have made the biggest sacrifices one can make, and b) the folks who offer such a great thing to our soldiers.

Me, all I did was put my money where my mouth is.

[bd476]

FeeFee, I thought you might be interested in reading what Kingu did.

Kingu wrote: "Ok, I contacted Hilton, sent off e-mails, and whatnot. I've canceled $14k worth of reservations for the next quarter..."

Kingu's post

[bd476]

Thanks for the bumps! :-)

[kingu]

Here's the most likely scenario - Some other business made an offer to Hilton that they'd take over the space, pay for the improvements to bring it up to ADA requirements, and use it for their business in exchange for a longer lease. That way Hilton doesn't have to pony up for the bill, nor even deal with it.

My own viewpoint is: What would it cost to put in the improvements, will Hilton extend the lease to the existing tenants in exchange for the improvement, and how long would it take to raise the money? It honestly sounds like Hilton's signed the other deal, but public pressure could cause them to cancel it.

[bd476]

Thanks for the bumps, Cindy. Getting the word out is important.

[kingu]

Hmm.. I'm encouraged by the responses contained in here. The commitment to the first May dinner is a good sign, as well as the response itself. I too would like to know if the offer is in response to the reaction, or was pre-planned, but honestly, to the soldiers, it isn't the issue.

I think I'll stand with the quarterly cancellations at this point, but don't plan on changing reservations for third or fourth quarter at this point because there appears to be a good faith effort on the part of Hilton to maintain these dinners.

I don't like another small business getting the shaft, but if I boycotted every chain for shafting one of their tenants, vendors or associates, I'd have to go to Mexico to buy anything. I've also added the site to my favorites to double check on updates.

[bd476]

Thank you for the bumps, Onyx!

[onyx]

Here's an "I'm calling it a night" BTTT!

[Levante]

As someone said, there's a whiff of Code Pink in the air.

You mean, the stench of Code STINK in the air. =)

[bd476]

Hilton Hotel slams the door on our
wounded soldiers in two weeks.

April 30, 2006 is eviction day for
Fran O'Brien's.

Thanks Onyx. And here's a good night refresher response.

Hilton Hotels all over the world have always benefited greatly by the selflessness of our American soldiers.

We have a long journey to go in a very short period of time. We need to remind them of this for a very long time.

Hilton Hotels' bottom line is green.

American soldiers' bottom line is red, white and blue.

I hope that FormerLib and OkieDoc won't mind my sharing their great examples of the kind of e-mail Hilton might listen to.

* * * * *

My e-mail to Hilton:

I've just heard a horrible rumor that Fran O'Brien's lease for the steakhouse at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, DC, will not be renewed because of liability concerns about his hosting dinners for wounded service vets in wheelchairs.

Tell me this is not true?

FormerLib's E-mail

* * * * *

MY email to all of the above:

Tell me that you're not really shutting down Fran O'Brien's Restaurant in Washington, DC.

This restaurant should be given a special award for true American Patriotism, instead the restaurant is being closed by the Hilton Hotels.

Okiedoc's E-mail

* * * * *

Coop provided this info:

Hilton can also be contacted at

1-800-HILTONS,

or at the corporate website:

Hilton Corporate Website.

Here's hipaatwo's

List of Hilton's Phone, Fax and E-mails

[bd476]

I hope that Hilton withdraws the eviction notice, and offers the owners of Fran O'Brien's some good incentives to stay.

The owners of Fran O'Brien's, one a Viet Nam veteran, have been digging into their own pockets to pay the Hilton lease and for the steak dinners.

This has not been a case of a business giving anyone a free ride.

There is no job Americans will not do. The hottest, most difficult, dirtiest and dangerous job in the world is rooting terrorists out of Fallujah. Marines are doing that job for $8.09 an hour.
Representative Steve King, (R Iowa)

[singfreedom]

Thanks for the "ping", Onyx! I sent an email using their little corporate comments form. Just informed them husbie and I won't be spending any more time in Hilton's hotels and that I thought this decision was disgraceful.

As a former teacher of the physically disabled, I found their decision, to chase Fran's away, particularly distasteful.

[Irish Eyes]

Called and sent email today. Thanks for the information.

[bd476]

Hilton Hotel Slams the Door on
Wounded American Soldiers'
Night Away from the Hospital


Sgt. Chris Cook, a National Guard medic from Waukesha, Wis., was one of the wounded servicemembers who visited Fran O'Brien's on April 15.


Sgt. Wayne Scott talks about his experiences in Iraq during a visit to Fran O'Brien's.


Wounded servicemembers and their relatives gather for the weekly Steak Night at Fran O'Brien's. At the far side of the table, Brig. Gen. Frank Helmick talks with Spec. Robert Hunt.


Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz signs an autograph for Sgt. Nathan Smith of Whitefield, N.H.


Photos by Joe Gromelski / Stars and Stripes
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz talks with Sgt. Brian Doyne of Fayetteville, Ga., during the weekly gathering for wounded troops at Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in Washington, D.C., on April 15.

* * * * *

Urgent! Your vocal support is needed
for our
Wounded Recovering Soldiers !!

Every Friday night for the past two years, there has been a restaurant providing free steak dinners to some of our nation's recovering wounded soldiers. The steak dinners have given our wounded soldiers a few moments' respite from their personal daily struggles and a chance to get away from the monotony of hospitalization.

Marty O'Brien and Viet Nam Veteran Hal Koster, co-owners of Fran O'Brien's in Washington D.C. have been digging into their own pockets, leasing space from a local Hilton Hotel to provide the once a week free steak dinners to our wounded recovering soldiers, many of them amputees, who are patients at Walter Reed Army Hospital and National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Hal Koster's generosity was borne out of his attempt to find a way to say thank you to our returning wounded soldiers.

Hal Koster remembers too well the welcome home he and other servicemen did not receive after service in Viet Nam.

Unfortunately, Hilton Corporation has served eviction notice upon Fran O'Brien's citing Hilton's desire to better utilize the space currently leased and paid for by Hal Koster and Marty O'Brien.

Hilton Hotel slams the door on our
wounded soldiers in two weeks.

April 30, 2006 is eviction day for
Fran O'Brien's.

Please phone, e-mail and/or fax Hilton Corporation and let them know that there is no better space utilization than saying thanks to our wounded soldiers.

Hilton Hotels Phone:

1-800-HILTONS,

or the corporate website:

Hilton Corporate Website.

Here's hipaatwo's

List of Hilton Hotels Corporate Contacts with Names, Phone, Fax and E-mails

* * * * *

I hope that FormerLib and OkieDoc won't mind my sharing their great examples of the kind of e-mail Hilton might listen to.

* * * * *

My e-mail to Hilton:
I've just heard a horrible rumor that Fran O'Brien's lease for the steakhouse at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, DC, will not be renewed because of liability concerns about his hosting dinners for wounded service vets in wheelchairs.

Tell me this is not true? FormerLib's E-mail

* * * * *

MY email to all of the above:
Tell me that you're not really shutting down Fran O'Brien's Restaurant in Washington, DC.

This restaurant should be given a special award for true American Patriotism, instead the restaurant is being closed by the Hilton Hotels. Okiedoc's E-mail

* * * * *

There is no job Americans will not do. The hottest, most difficult, dirtiest and dangerous job in the world is rooting terrorists out of Fallujah. Marines are doing that job for $8.09 an hour.
Representative Steve King, (R Iowa)

* * * * *

Hilton Hotels' bottom line is green.
American soldiers' bottom line is red, white and blue.

[The Foolkiller]

Worthy of another bump.