The long-empty Generous George's Pizza and Pasta, which was to become Yates Pizza Palace, may change hands again — and next time you order from a national chain restaurant, the food could come from 3000 Duke St.
The Washington Business Journal broke the story Tuesday morning.
"A permit application filed with the city seeks a change of ownership of the former restaurant at 3000 Duke St. to a limited liability company affiliated with Reef Technology, a Miami-based company that uses its network of thousands of parking lots and other facilities to open 'neighborhood kitchens' to sell food from brands like TGI Fridays, Wendy's, BurgerFi and David Chang's Fuku," the Washington Business Journal reported.
Reef Technology describes itself as a company that "transforms open spaces into multi-purpose places that create jobs and bring new goods, services and and experiences to your neighborhood." The company accepts applications from landlords and property owners to join the Reef Technology family, and properties have included parking, ghost kitchens, retail, hospitality and more.
Generous George's closed in 2009 after more than three decades in business as a family restaurant and go-to venue for birthday parties, sports team events and more.
The Yates family worked hard in the late 2010s to build a new, more modern restaurant with rooftop seating with plans to open Yates Pizza Palace. Those plans never came to fruition after Jeffrey Yates passed away from cancer in 2018.
Ghost kitchens — those that prepare food only for delivery — have become significantly more popular during the pandemic as more people do takeout rather than eat inside restaurants. A ghost kitchen is opening on West Glebe Road this fall, and Shababi opened as a ghost restaurant earlier this year.
