The Pitch Tavern is working to bridge the gap between D.C. locals and newcomers

Washington, D.C., which was once known as “The Chocolate City” because of its high population of Black residents, has been looking a lot more “vanilla” in the past decade. In fact, the Black population lost the majority in 2011, when it slipped below 50 percent for the first time in over 50 years. Former predominantly Black neighborhoods around the city have been changing to accommodate their newer and whiter demographics, forcing many long-term Black residents and businesses out by knocking down older buildings in order to build high-priced condominiums with fancy amenities, like yoga studios, organic grocery stores and gourmet coffee shops.

Jay Narain, co-owner of The Pitch Tavern in Petworth, has seen his neighborhood change drastically in the past 40 years since he’s lived there.

“I love the change. It’s positive for the city, but you lose a lot of friends,” Narain said. “For the most part, the city has become quite a melting pot–you have a little bit of everything and every type of people.”

Narain and his family have owned the building where The Pitch is located for 18 years and has been running the Petworth Laundry Mat on the first-floor for 17 of those years. In early 2015, he and his partner decided to open the upscale sports bar on Georgia Avenue in the heart of the neighborhood following a slowdown period in his construction career. The sports lover says he was pushed by friends to open the bar because “there was nothing like it” in the area.

After a little over a year in business, Narain says getting into the food industry for the first time has been a complete learning experience.

“It’s quite different from construction. It’s a whole different mindset of people you have to deal with on the employee side--It’s a tough business ... Very tough,” Narain said.

The walls at The Pitch are covered with international sports memorabilia, including an old black-and-white photo of a younger Narain with his former soccer team, the Virginia Kicks, located in the restaurant’s entryway. A red, green and gold logo, which can be seen in a variety of locations inside and outside of the establishment, is painted mural-style on a wall in the dining area near the first of two fully-stocked bars, one is on the second floor and another on the third. The third floor also includes an outdoor rooftop sitting area that overlooks the neighborhood.

Narain says he hopes to attract a diverse crowd of sports lovers, locals and D.C. newcomers-alike to The Pitch who will keep on coming back.

“You have a guy who comes from like Yugoslavia talking to a guy who comes from Nigeria–talking football. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what this place is about. It’s a mixed culture,” Narain said.

Outside of sports, Narain says the restaurant offers a list of weekly events, like Karaoke Night on Wednesdays, daily Happy Hour, live music on select nights and their Friday Night Social, where DJs spin well into the night. Customers can also dine on Southern-inspired and Caribbean-influenced classic “game day” fare, which includes wings, hamburgers, tacos, fries and a half-smoke called “The Pitch Dog.”

“Wherever you move you can always have a certain place that you’d like to go visit and this is one of those places that I’m trying to make, like a little destination that you’ll recommend,” Narain said.