WASHINGTON — Fans, friends, and family closed down The Front Page with a bang Sunday--the last day the DuPont Circle staple would be open.
The restaurant/bar was forced to shut down after they weren't able to renew their lease at the current location.
"I can't believe it's really happening," said one regular to a former bartender who traveled all the way from Michigan just for the occasion.
"Familiar faces... It’s like nothing’s changed. Even though a lot’s changed," said Eric "Soup" Campbell, a favorite bartender who served at The Front Page on and off from 2002 to 2012.
Soup is a longtime favorite of the owners and regulars.
“I feel like The Front Page is an institution," said Janel Young, who used to frequent the bar in her 20s. "It’s such a huge part of so many people I know’s lives in d.c. whether you started as an intern or college student.”
Soup returned to D.C. for the first time in years to be at The Front Page for the closing.
“It’s like being in a time warp," he said. "I pretty much was a kid when I started working here. Knew nothing about the bar business. Walking back in here is like going back to a house you grew up in.”
A lot of the staff pretty much grew up in the restaurant.
Tom Bouhsane started as a server 17 years ago, and now is the General Manager.
“For me, this is everything. It’s a really sad time, sad moment for me to let it go," said Bouhsane. "I lost my hair in this place. I had hair before.”
For the owners, a father and sons team, the staff and customers have become family--and make it all worth it.
“So I hope five, ten years down the line, people look back on this moment and say man this place was something else," said one owner, Alex Heidenberger.
