How do you pair the superfood broccoli and a bar? Brandon McEachern, founder of Broccoli City Festival, a social enterprise that roots itself in a triple bottom line strategy that focuses on people, planet, and profit, has the formula. Broccoli Bar is a new bar experience that has sprouted in the Shaw neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Along with McEachern, Broccoli City Festival partners Marcus Allen and Darryl Perkins have collaborated with &Pizza to bring this new experience to the District.
“The Vibe” is the featured happy hour event that will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. McEachern says, “the idea is that more and more people are transitioning to earlier happy hour events during the week. People want to have fun, go out, but still take it home to catch their favorite shows and get a good nights rest.”
Patrons can expect to indulge in &Pizza fare, plus a beer, wine and cocktail menu that is unique to the Broccoli Bar. In keeping with the triple bottom line strategy the space with also host “Broccoli Talks,” which are TED-like talks with entrepreneurs and business owners.
“We are attempting to bring back the feeling and energy that once permeated the Shaw District, says McEachern.” The difference is in the fact that Broccoli Bar is created by the community. We represent a certain voice of creativity, boldness, and community in a place that was historically for us (African Americans).”
At its root, Broccoli Bar is a space where people can come together to turn ideas into action. It was a conversation with &Pizza CEO Michael Lastoria over late night drinks at South by Southwest that the idea for Broccoli materialized. What started with extreme excitement ended in action and execution.
“This is an extension of the work that we have done over the years through Broccoli Fest,” McEachern told Black Enterprise. Our conference focused on empowering young entrepreneurs, and we look to continue that by making success visible and attainable to young business owners.”
Broccoli Bar is located at 1817 7th St. NW. Hours are Sunday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-midnight, Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m.