Odd Lots Podcast

Episode: The Business of Butterworth's, the Hottest New Restaurant in Washington DC
Date: January 2, 2026
Hosts: Joe Weisenthal & Tracy Alloway
Guest: Bart Hutchins, chef and owner of Butterworth's

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the business and culture of Butterworth’s, a much-buzzed-about restaurant in Washington DC. Hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway speak with Butterworth’s chef and owner Bart Hutchins, dissecting what has made his restaurant a lightning rod for political and culinary discourse. The conversation explores the intersections of food, politics, supply chains, labor markets, restaurant economics, and the enduring importance of “vibe” for restaurant success in a city synonymous with power and polarization.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "MAGA Restaurant" Label and DC’s Dining Scene

• Origins of the Label ([05:10]-[06:38])

  • Butterworth’s has been dubbed a “MAGA restaurant” due to its popularity among members of the current right-leaning administration and certain investor affiliations, such as Raheem Kassam (Breitbart UK).
  • Bart Hutchins: “Your notability is like, who's in the dining room? ...Early on, we had a lot of customers from the administration... so as that sort of developed, it became the MAGA restaurant. But if we did what we did at Butterworth's in New York, it would be like the Wall Street restaurant.” ([05:25]-[06:38])

• Political Coding of Spaces ([04:01]-[04:12])

  • Joe notes the increasing tendency for restaurants and brands to be coded as "right" or "left," particularly salient in DC’s polarized atmosphere.

• Dining Culture in DC ([07:57]-[08:36])

  • DC’s restaurant scene isn’t traditionally about “being seen,” unlike NY or LA; it has more roots in private clubs, house parties, and exclusive gatherings — “DC is a town that likes to hide itself.”

2. Business Model & Investment in Restaurants

• Investors' Motives ([10:01]-[10:41])
  • Restaurant investing is “a terrible investment” financially but offers private perks: “If you’re looking to make money, never invest in a restaurant… if you want a good table to invite your friends, it’s one of the best investments.” ([10:13])

3. Menu Philosophy: Seasonality, Sourcing, and the ‘Burger Problem’

• Local & Seasonal Sourcing ([10:53]-[12:20])

  • Menu driven by what local Amish and Mennonite farmers are harvesting/slaughtering week-to-week.
  • Dishes change frequently; “If you’re eating at a restaurant where the chef is named, you’re getting the best product no matter what it costs.”
  • Canning and preservation are used to maximize seasonal produce.

• No Burgers Policy ([12:20]-[14:04])

  • The “burger conundrum” is the paradox where a great burger outcompetes every other item, stunting culinary creativity.
  • Notable Quote: “If you do [the burger] well, it’s the only thing you become capable of selling because it’s so self-explanatory and it’s so desirable.” — Bart Hutchins ([12:27]-[13:26])

4. Supply Chain, Farmers Markets, and Restaurant Economics

• Direct Supply Chains ([16:09]-[16:53])

  • Avoids major distributors (e.g., Sysco); most deliveries made by local farmers, sometimes literally an Amish farmer with a truck.
  • Developing personal relationships at farmers markets is crucial.

• Farmer's Market Economics ([17:56]-[19:06])

  • Farmers' markets serve as starting or ending points for producers: either scaling up for wholesale or serving as a last resort before closing shop.

• Input Prices and Menu Pricing ([19:32]-[21:06])

  • Labor and input costs have increased dramatically; profit margins have been squeezed.
  • Example: French fries went from $9 to $12, but to retain prior margins, they’d need to be $25.

5. Kitchen Culture, Labor Markets, and Staff Competition

• Labor Scarcity and Wage Inflation ([31:00]-[33:10])

  • Decline in undocumented labor and post-Covid labor scarcity have dramatically increased kitchen wages. Cooks and dishwashers’ wages are now close to double minimum wage.
  • “There’s an arms race...the market on cooks is...close to double [the minimum wage] now. If your dishwasher asks for a raise, you just give it to them.” — Bart Hutchins ([31:00])

• Talent Poaching ([24:02]-[24:37])

  • The highly competitive kitchen labor market leads to rivalries over staff: “If you have a really good, fast dishwasher, and I can have one dishwasher instead of two, I’m going to take your dishwasher.”

6. Business Cycle, Demand, the Pandemic’s Aftershocks

• Staff Retention and "Labor Hoarding" ([43:32]-[46:20])

  • Keeping original pre-pandemic kitchen staff is critical for quality; retraining is too arduous and time-consuming.
  • The exit of experienced front-of-house staff during Covid has led to persistent service issues and a “shallow talent pool.”

• Customer Demand and Macroeconomics ([46:48]-[47:22])

  • Luxury and status-driven restaurants (like Butterworth’s) are somewhat insulated from downturns, whereas reservation volume and spending are down for the broader industry.

7. Restaurant Vibe, Design, and Social Media

• The Power of "Vibe" ([34:33]-[35:47])

  • “I spend as much time thinking about lighting and volume level…as about food.”
  • Good food alone isn’t enough; ambiance and “vibe” are now competitive necessities.

• Instagram vs. Atmosphere ([35:47]-[37:21])

  • Current trend is towards photogenic interiors, but Butterworth's intentionally rejects Instagram-friendly lighting, aiming for a more classic and intimate ambiance.
  • Notable Quote: “If it’s too bright to reasonably get away with giving a hand job, then it’s too bright in the restaurant.” — Bart Hutchins, quoting a former boss ([37:15])

8. Reservations, Scarcity, and Restaurant Culture

• Reservation Scarcity ([27:49]-[29:20])

  • Modern reservation systems (Resy, OpenTable) and engineered scarcity have made access more competitive; knowing someone inside helps, but most systems now avoid workarounds to maintain exclusivity.

• Publicizing Celebrity Guests ([38:18]-[39:53])

  • The restaurant never promotes visits from political or celebrity figures—doing so risks losing those regulars.

9. Permitting, Health Codes, and Bureaucracy

• Permitting Frustrations ([47:44]-[50:30])

  • Restaurant opening is too slow due to cumbersome permitting—sometimes taking 8+ months, far outpacing old informal or “mob” systems.
  • Memorable Story: Restaurant owner recalls giving $10,000 in a briefcase to a city official to secure a permit in the past.

• Health Code Inspections ([49:18]-[50:30])

  • Routine and sometimes feel redundant for high-quality establishments; more about bureaucracy than actual safety.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “MAGA Restaurant” phenomenon:
  “If we did what we did at Butterworth's in New York, it would be like the Wall Street restaurant. So I’m not entirely… like, it’d be like, you know.”
  — Bart Hutchins ([06:19])

• On investment logic:
  “If you’re looking to make money off an investment, never invest in a restaurant... If you want to… always have the good table… it’s one of the best investments.”
  — Bart Hutchins ([10:13])

• The Burger Conundrum:
  “If you do it well, it’s the only thing you become capable of selling because it’s so self-explanatory and... desirable.”
  — Bart Hutchins ([13:00])

• On Instagrammable Restaurants:
  “What I'm actually trying to do is the exact opposite, which is, like, our food photographs terribly. If you have photos on your phone from that night, they probably look awful, but it's a reaction to that thing.”
  — Bart Hutchins ([36:23])

• Lighting and Ambiance:
  “If it’s too bright to reasonably get away with giving a hand job, then it’s too bright in the restaurant.”
  — Bart Hutchins quoting his mentor ([37:15])

• Bureaucracy and Permitting:
  “You're in this race against your landlord to open before you start paying them. And getting 17 different permits ... is legitimately stopping new restaurants from opening.”
  — Bart Hutchins ([50:03])

• Labor market shifts post-pandemic:
  “If your dishwasher comes and asks for a raise, you just give it to them because you finding another one, ... is going to take you months and the cost will just work out ... exactly the same as giving the one you have a raise.”
  — Bart Hutchins ([31:00])

Highlighted Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Intro & Butterworth’s buzz | [01:37]-[04:12] | | MAGA label & political clientele | [05:10]-[06:54] | | DC’s “see and be seen” culture | [07:57]-[08:36] | | Restaurant investment logic | [10:01]-[10:41] | | Menu philosophy, farm-to-table, burgers | [10:53]-[14:04] | | Supply chain, farmers markets | [16:09]-[19:06] | | Input prices, chef priorities | [19:32]-[21:06] | | Chef/restaurant labor competition | [24:02]-[24:37] | | Pandemic aftershocks & staffing | [43:32]-[46:20] | | Demand side & business cycle | [46:48]-[47:22] | | Permitting, regulations, bureaucracy | [47:44]-[50:30] | | Ambiance, Instagram, and lighting | [34:33]-[37:26] | | Handling celebrity guests | [38:18]-[40:05] | | Dramatic restaurant stories | [41:18]-[42:18] | | End of episode reflections | [51:01]-[54:34] |

Episode Takeaways

• Butterworth’s epitomizes the way restaurants mirror broader economic, cultural, and political trends, from direct supply chains and labor shortages to brand polarization and social-media savvy consumers.
• Chef-owner Bart Hutchins delivers a candid look at the realities of running a modern restaurant—the joys, the frustrations, the creative constraints, and the constant balancing act between making food, managing vibe, and navigating regulation.
• The “burger effect,” labor market arms race, and post-pandemic scars loom large, shaping the decisions and realities for any contemporary restaurateur.
• Despite the “political hotspot” image, Butterworth’s aims to be a human, unpretentious gathering place, driven as much by classic hospitality as current events.