Steak and Ale Alexandria: The End of the Casual Food Chain

“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but a whimper.”
– The Hollow Men, T.S. Elliot

By Matthew T. Eng, Offbeat NOVA

When I was a kid, I didn’t eat out that often. Most of the meals I ate in the late 1980s and early 1990s were served by my parents at home, often around 6:00 pm with military precision. If we did go out to eat on an evening that: 1. Wasn’t someone’s birthday, 2. Wasn’t a parental work celebration, or 3. Wasn’t an easy alternative with friends our family from out of town, then we would most likely go to a chain restaurant. And you know what, I was okay with that. I’m still okay with it. Hell, even in these times of Corona, our favorite go-to is TGI Friday’s (don’t sleep on the cobb salad).

At some point between going off to college and starting a job, I noticed a large number of these restaurants began to vanish like a Marty McFly polaroid. While some of these establishments are still around and going relatively strong (Chili’s, TGI Friday’s, Outback), others are struggling (Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster). There are a few from my childhood, like Bennigan’s, ShowBiz Pizza, Pargo’s, and Chi-Chi’s, that are no longer around at all—relics of a forgotten past.

These are, of course, just establishments that are from my own personal life. A cursory look on Wikipedia shows nearly 100 now-defunct restaurant chains in the United States alone.

One of these chains that have not weathered the financial storms of the past two decades was Steak and Ale.

First opened in Dallas, Texas, in 1966, Steak and Ale was billed a casual dining steakhouse chain that would offer “an upscale steak experience at lower prices.” Popular dishes over the years included the New York strip, Hawaiian chicken, and Kensington club. Notably, it was also one of the first chain restaurants to have a salad bar. Several opened in Northern Virginia over the years, including at least one in Alexandria on the busy intersection of Kenmore Avenue and Seminary Road near Interstate 395. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available online about that particular Steak and Ale Restaurant. One source about the property’s history said the familiar tudor-style facade was built in 1975, which was likely when the restaurant opened. The entire plot measured 34,848 feet, which included 91 parking spaces. one commenter on a website called menuism.com had this to say about the former establishment: 

“Great location for a new restaurant. I say keep the building and decor and do something interesting with it. German Bierhaus?”¹ 

menuism.com

The restaurant likely closed around 2008 when the company that owned Steak and Ale, the S&A Restaurant Corp, filed for Chapter 7, 2008. By the end of July 2008, all of the remaining Steak and Ale locations closed as part of the Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding.² 

Although the restaurant chain folded over twelve years ago, the building and adjacent parking lot still stand today. The restaurant plot is located in the Mark Center area of Alexandria, an area that has no doubt seen better times. Much of the Mark Center of Alexandria is on the verge of reinvention and construction, which are just fancy words in Northern Virginia for “gentrification.” 

The 6,800-square-foot building and its attached parking lot property, according to realty website XOME, is worth approximately $4,667,781 and was last sold in November 2013 for an amount of $3,835,348. The owner is a real estate company known as HSRE-Capmed Alexandria Land, LLC. The plot of land is now known simply as “Colonial Parking Station 483.”  The increase in price and the eventual construction of Amazon just a few miles away in the upcoming years almost guarantees that the projected demolition will not only occur, but will occur soon.³ According to the Construction Journal, as of February 13, 2020, the project demolition of the Steak and Ale building on 4661 Kenmore Avenue is delayed still to this day. One other source online has put in an approved request to turn the area into valet space for the 91 car parking lot.⁴ 

Visiting the location today is eerie. The lot sits abandoned with a hotel, medical officers, and a shopping center nearby. Several apartment buildings can be seen across from Seminary Road near the interstate. Evidence of the valet parking is already evident, as there is one Colonial Parking sign near the vacant valet stand directly under the still-standing Steak and Ale neon sign. Any visible lettering has been removed from the large sign near the valet stand, but you can still see the rivets where the neon lighting for “Steak and Ale” must have connected to circuitry. Still visible beneath it, a smaller sign reads “Immediate Seating.” 

The facade is in fairly remarkable condition, considering it has been closed and vacant for over a decade. The windows are boarded up and much of the roof has been stripped down to the wood. One can only assume there is massive mold and water damage inside. Signs for no trespassing dot the front facade of the building where so many happy families like mine once entered its doors to share a meal. 

There is a elevated walkway leading to the other side of Seminary Road around the back side of the building. Walking up it gives you a great view of the still visible “Steak and Ale” sign, albeit faded, as it once displayed on the roadside. The lettering has been removed, but you can still see evidence of what it once was. in a way, that statement is reminiscent of the entire restaurant — with everything removed, those familiar with the restaurant chain could still pick it out easily.

You will be incredibly hard pressed to see the inside of a Steak and Ale restaurant nowadays. Although the company, which also owns Bennigan’s, had made plans to revitalize the chain, we have yet to see anything of that bearing much fruit. Thankfully, one such establishment does exist bearing the bones of a former Steak and Ale off Interstate 1 in Fairfax County, Alexandria (7120 Richmond Highway). Back then, the restaurant was known as the Jolly Ox, as it was custom to remove the “ale” from the name in Virginia. Driving by it, however, you can see all the old familiar tudor-style facade wrapped around the building. The building is now the Elks Lodge #758. A look at the Lodge’s facebook page shows that they have retained much of the restaurant’s facilities, including its kitchen and horseshoe bar. Even during a pandemic, the Elks Lodge #758 regularly hosts weekly events, although it mostly sits vacant and unassuming during the day. 

The Steak and Ale in Alexandria will eventually go away entirely. It’s property will be swallowed up by gentrification. For businesses, this is the circle of life. COVID has only accelerated the process.

Footnotes:

1. Menuism, “Steak and Ale Alexandria,” LINK.
2. Jeffrey Mccracken and Janet Adamy, “Dining Chain Shut Doors,” Wall Street Journal, July 30,2008. Accessed 13 February 2021, LINK.
3. XOME, “4661 Kenmore Avenue, Alexandria,” LINK.
4. City of Alexandria, “Application for Valet Parking,” LINK.