Existing comment:
Ben's Chili Bowl: The Making of a Washington Landmark:
On August 22, 1958 husband and wife Ben and Virginia Ali opened the doors of Ben's Chili Bowl at 1213 U Street in Washington, DC's Shaw neighborhood. The idea behind it was simple: Treat your employees like family and your customers like guests in your home. Fifty-one years later, Barack Obama, the first African American President, walked through the doors of an institution that proudly proclaims itself "a Washington landmark." The history that unfolds between these two events is a classic example of the American dream. This American success story is built upon the foundations of family and community support sustained during the most difficult of times through perseverance, hard work and innovation.
In 2010 Ben's Chili Bowl donated their business records and personal records to The George Washington University Special Collections Research Center. Contained within these records are historical memorabilia, business records and extensive compilations of photographs and press coverage that span the first 50 years of operation. Through the examination of these materials, researchers will be able to understand how a small, family operated business came to hold such an important place in the city's cultural landscape. |