Interview: Scott Parker Has Put The “Life” Back Into Arlington Nightlife

GofG: What do you see that the Arlington hospitality scene was lacking prior to opening A-Town and Don Tito? SP: I noticed that Arlington was very traditional in terms of what the bars and restaurants offer. I did take a lot of concept tips from what other people were doing in other major markets and cities around the country that hadn’t been done here; like our Sunday Brunch party at A-Town, day parties, all that kind of stuff. We just noticed that there were things people were doing successfully outside of the DC area that hadn’t been done here before and that’s what we tried to bring to the table… I think what we saw that was lacking was that there weren’t that many bars that had really good food in Arlington. There weren’t many bars that had a very high level of restaurant and hospitality service, whereas that’s what we try to bring. We have a very dedicated clientele base at A-Town; they are used to the VIP service that they get from the staff there. It is the same thing at Don Tito. At the end of the day, even though the food is really good it still is a bar, we just bring a very high level of service to it. GofG: Do you think you’ll keep your businesses in Arlington? Do you see it being your primary area of expansion? SP: My partners and I really like Arlington right now. Obviously the city has done incredible numbers for us at A-Town and Don Tito is off to a start right now that is even bigger and better than what we could have even imagined. Just like A-Town, both restaurants have incredibly surpassed even our greatest expectations. So for that reason, we definitely have a couple more venues to bring to Arlington. As of now, we’re just not sure. We can’t open 50 places in one city, so we are starting to look. We do think that DC has a lot of incredible concepts already; we’re looking to do more rural Virginia, maybe other parts of Arlington like Crystal City and Pentagon City that most people don’t even really consider Arlington. Most people focus on the Ballston, Virginia Square, Rosslyn, Courthouse corridor, so we’re really trying to figure it out right now. We have a lot of work on our hands, getting Don Tito up and running and opening so we’re not really thinking right now. We may take a year off to make our concepts are even stronger than they are. But we do see growth outside of Arlington, yes. GofG: If you ever do move into downtown DC, do you see yourself opening a venue similar to The Huxley, The Gryphon, or The Sheppard that are of a more luxe and upscale atmosphere? SP: We’re going to stick with a good time feel. The venues that you just mentioned are gorgeous places, I personally like all three of them. But if and when we do go into DC, I expect we’ll to keep doing what we’re doing now which is sort of casual bars with very good food. Basically, bringing restaurant-level service to the bar business. [Photos via]