Fifteen years after moving to Washington, D.C., Gregory Jackson Jr. sat in the very spot where he first discovered Ethiopian culture; only now, he knew it’d be the last time.
After nearly three decades of service and impact, Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant on U Street served its final tables on Saturday, closing a family staple that shaped the nation’s capital from the customers who dined to the byproduct businesses that derived from it.
The bittersweet celebration, joined by family, friends, and longtime diners, was a moment of pride for staff and customers alike, all of whom touted Dukem’s journey as a testament to the importance of the local businesses that ultimately define District culture.
“I think Dukem is a real-life example of how we as a city have to do better to support our small businesses,” Jackson, president of the Rocket Foundation, told The Informer. “A lot of folks can move here for their job, but they stay because they love the culture and they love the people. And our restaurants are a huge part of that.”
After dining on lamb tibs with rice on Saturday, Jackson told the story of his introduction to Dukem, crediting a rich menu bursting with traditional African fare and spices as the barrier-breaker that shaped his taste for Ethiopian food as a whole.
A Virginia native, Jackson said the restaurant offered an experience as culturally curated as it was homely, from the warm embrace of co-owner Hiwot Gebru to the songs that often found their way into his playlists after a visit.
Nearly 30 years after launching one of the first Ethiopian restaurants on the Northwest corridor, that sentiment remained evident in the final hours of operation.
“You feel like you’re a part of the family, not just a customer, and that’s always been really nice,” Jackson said, reflecting on his last meal at Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant. “It was pretty sad, nostalgic. I could see kind of a sense of relief combined with sadness. But I had rice, onions, peppers — oh, it was glorious. Man, I can’t believe this is the last time.”
As traditional Ethiopian music filled the room for the last time, Nov. 7 marked a celebratory closing that the family behind the magic considers nothing short of blessed.
Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant launched in 1997 — then a carryout business turned full-scale operation — with founders Tefera Zewdie and his wife, Gebru, who envisioned a space where economic opportunity meets cultural diversity. Fusing music and cuisine, the D.C. staple became a blueprint for celebrating and expanding Ethiopian culture, all while extending beyond the menu to foster community and build relationships with everyday Washingtonians.
“There are people who had their first date here and then went on to marry that person. There are people who had their first experience trying Ethiopian food here and continued to bring their kids as they got older,” said the founders’ youngest daughter, Lydia Tefera on Nov. 7. “Dukem has done so much…beyond just food. I think that’s really what’s special.”
While the family declined to detail what ultimately led to the permanent closure of the U Street location, a series of shutdowns across the region points to a growing downtrend where small businesses are being priced out.
According to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), 92 restaurants closed their doors in 2025 alone, compared to 73 closures in 2024 and 48 in 2022.
High-profile businesses that have shuttered in the U Street corridor in the last 10 years include, but are not limited to: Marvin (closed in 2019), Alero (closed in 2025), and multiple retail stores, with Dukem now adding to the count.
“I’ve lost a few of my favorite places, and I think it’s all a product of the city’s policy and tax structure really beating up on our small businesses,” Jackson said. “We need to provide more tax breaks, more incentives for them to open and scale, and [recognize] that, that is really the lifeblood of the District.”
As of Nov. 7, neither the family of Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant nor D.C. Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George, who visited the establishment in its final weeks, have announced any plans to relocate or revive the U Street location.
Nonetheless, the Tefera sisters told The Informer the dream that began with their father, who passed away in November 2022, “was met and beyond.”
“Opening these doors to have a space for people to get together, break bread, have food, do all the things, whether you are Ethiopian or not, and for it to endure and live on to this point,” Lydia Tefera continued. “We’re just happy that people can walk away feeling like they got a taste of Ethiopian culture…we want them to remember all of the memories and experiences that they have aren’t going anywhere. They still live within all of us.”
Building a Better Path for D.C. Small Businesses
When the family announced the business’ official closing last month, it came as a shock to many Dukem loyalists, including Northwest D.C.’s Liz Crowther.
Crowther said walking the U Street strip brought familiarity to someone who grew up exposed to the culture through her uncle, particularly as the historic neighborhood is home to at least 10 Ethiopian spots — some of which came through guidance from Dukem founder, Zewdie, like Amsterdam Cafe and Lounge on 1208 U St NW.
From the taste of Ethiopian coffee to the combination vegetarian platter that “never fails,” the 33-year-old considered Dukem as homely as it gets, making the closing more than the end of a business venture, but an opportunity to expose a financial crisis shifting the landscape of D.C.
“I’ve lived up here by Malcolm X Park for three years, and the cost of living has just increased so much; it’s just wild,” Crowther told The Informer on Saturday. “Pushing the culture is really important wherever you can, [and so is] supporting local businesses [and] local media. And just remembering that change comes locally. I think that local D.C. government knows what it has to do.”
Just days before her Nov. 3 victory, Lewis George, who has represented Ward 4 on the D.C. Council since 2021, was among the visitors breaking injera bread and offering farewells with Dukem’s own Lydia Tefera.
In the Oct. 25 post, which circulated 73.8k views on X (formerly known as Twitter), the two women dished longevity and tips for small businesses over a plate of Lewis George’s favorite menu item — tibs — while the then D.C. Democratic mayoral candidate encouraged viewers to show love to the family business before its closing.
The response: comments flooded with people not only voicing support for the D.C. staple, but questioning what Lewis George could do to keep it open.
“Their closure is a personal family decision. They asked we make it a celebration versus something sad,” Lewis George wrote in response to one user. “They are proud of their 30 years in the DC restaurant business and even prouder after the devastating loss of their father they kept it going in his honor.”
Back in August 2024, Lydia Tefera delivered a candid plea to preserve the legacy Zewdie started in 1997. In a TikTok video that surpassed 1 million views, the 31-year-old noted that, since her father’s death two years prior, Gebru — co-owner, cook, and family matriarch — held down the fort, while she and her older sister, Yodit, helped where they could, but “man, this restaurant business is hard,” she said in the video.
The aftermath, in addition to more than 5,000 likes and 13,000 reposts, brought weeks of outpouring support and increased foot traffic, and even an appearance by food critic Keith Lee, who dined at the Ethiopian restaurant during his 2024 nationwide “Redemption Food Tour.”
Despite a less-than-favorable experience taste-testing several restaurants in the nation’s capital, the former MMA fighter and social media influencer crowned Dukem on U “the best food we’ve had in D.C.,” highlighting a “robust sauce” and “earthy taste.” Further, he gifted $1,000 worth of food to customers, plus $500 in individual tips to the restaurant owners.
For folks like Jackson, it begs the question: what more can be done to ensure D.C.’s sacred institutions have a place in its future.
“There are very minimal incentives for the burdens and regulations that are added on [small businesses]. Rent prices increase, and we know there’s so many consumers impacted by unemployment or underemployment,” he told The Informer, adding, “it’s not only impacting the customer base; it’s impacting the businesses that thrive off of a [thriving] community.”
With reports ranking D.C. among the highest unemployment rates of any major city in the country (at 5.6%), Jackson attributes the drastic collapse to government cuts and major challenges in the hospitality industry, such as outpricing, gentrification, declining foot traffic in a post-COVID society, plus local officials prioritizing community development over investing in the city-grown roots.
Where incoming District officials can act, says the Rocket Foundation president, is better marketing for small business loans, cutting “as much red tape as possible that can harm businesses,” creating a more livable wage for hospitality employees, and providing more cash incentives to keep ownership afloat, like the small business grants Maryland offers to jumpstart novel enterprises.
“These are not just dots on a map — these small businesses are generating revenue; they’re bringing excitement to the District,” Jackson continued. “The government has to support these different businesses and provide different incentives or tax breaks or at least relief so that the restaurants don’t pass those fees and costs off to the customer, or take those hits and lose in the profit areas. I think all of that could be really, really helpful.”
Similarly, Crowther said she hopes to see Lewis George take a special interest in local business development and preservation, and especially throughout the historic U Street corridor. While rent increases remain an imminent obstacle, the environmental specialist said she “trusts” D.C. government to “get it together” and, more importantly, find a positive way to reimagine the space that Dukem once called home.
“Maybe [it will be] another Ethiopian restaurant, but hopefully…a place that knows that keeping culture really does come [down] to things like dining and spending quality time together,” she told The Informer. “But who knows? I’m really interested to see it, and I’ll be here whatever opens up next.”
Remembering Dukem: ‘It’s More Than the Building’
With Ethiopian music and dance setting the scene, Yoditi and Lydia Tefera reflected on their connection to the place they’ve come to know as far more than the family business.
Having grown up with the lay of the land, both sisters said fond memories range from hosting dinners with friends and family to, as the youngest Tefera recalls, trying to soft-launch a role in the market by simply pressing buttons on the register at “nothing-years-old.”
More than that, when they weren’t leveraging quality time by busting tables and cooking as a family, the beauty of it all was when they got to lead their own lives — and find their way back.
“It was never something forced…[like], ‘you need to be here sweeping floors,’” said Lydia Tefera, director of brand marketing strategy at AMC Global Media. “We were able to pursue our own career paths and passions, and then find our way here by choice.”
Adding to the yearlong memories, Dr. Yoditi Tefera said she’s been humbled to learn some of what Dukem has meant to others in the community over the past few weeks. Growing up in D.C., a day in the life often meant people would tell her they tried Ethiopian food, only to discover that the meal came from her family’s restaurant.
Now, the full-time physician says she’s treasured the moments when people confess the piece of Dukem they’ll remember most isn’t on the menu.
“We grew up in our own world of, you know, ‘it’s a family restaurant,’ but other people have invested in [this] almost as intensely as we have,” Yoditi Tefera, 39, told The Informer. “It’s been a very humbling experience to see that…to see others be connected to [Dukem] in the way that we are connected.”
To that point, Crowther admitted the Asa Dulet (ground fish) and vegetarian platters were two of many reasons she kept coming back.
“Every time I went in there, I felt like it was a restaurant in the neighborhood that I could call my own. Very personal, unique every time, and just relaxed and unburdensome — just like home,” said Crowther, who was second in line to order when Dukem opened early, and for the last time, on Nov. 7.
For Crowther, her final visit was filled with appreciation and hope for the future.
“I knew I really wanted to soak it up and just kind of be here,” she continued. “Tomorrow is going to be a new beginning to something new, and…I’m just really fortunate to be able to come here and…to know that this has been a neighborhood staple, [and] it’s good to be…grateful for what it’s offered over time.”
Though it’s too soon for him to imagine what will take over the property at 1114-1118 U St NW, Jackson said he’d be content just to see the community at large, “and hopefully our incoming mayor,” rally behind the family, and potentially find a new home for Dukem.
“It’s more than the building,” the local organizer emphasized. “It’s about the culture, the food, the people, and the vibe that they bring. And I think that could definitely be recreated somewhere else, with better opportunities to succeed.”
In the meantime, like many, he remembers the U Street eatery as a cornerstone of the memories and cultural appreciation it shaped over time. Plus, with local leadership changes and congressional shifts looming, Dukem’s story can be a shining light on what should matter most in the District — versus what has up until this point.
“To watch so many places shut down, especially those that represent specific cultures and Black-owned businesses and small businesses in parts of town where you know there aren’t as many options… it’s really frustrating and discouraging,” Jackson told The Informer. “If we can’t embrace and support our hospitality industry, I think the city as a whole will really suffer.”
