Ten-year break doesn't stop Morgan's Seafood
Vanessa Rozier/Contributing Writer
Issue date: 9/20/09 Section: Business
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"It's just about taking something that my great uncle worked hard for, and making sure that it stays where it is because this is a historical landmark," explained Morgan, standing in his restaurant on a sunny afternoon.
The sunlight poured in, illuminating the menu board, which listed the types of fish and side orders to choose from, as well as the walls full of pictures that captured the essence of this past summer's grand opening celebration.
Morgan stood for over an hour, enthusiastically sharing his ups and downs at, as he put it, this "historical landmark." "I took it over about 20 years ago just trying to keep my great uncle's name and the family business going on," said Morgan. Romeo Morgan is the third family member to take over the business and believes that his 25 year old son to will become the fourth.
Morgan's great uncle, Morris Morgan, came from Petersburg, Virginia and initially opened the business as a pool hall before changing over to a seafood restaurant. Morgan's Seafood has been known for its fresh steamed crabs and down-home soul food.
"We do 100% jumbo crab meat and we peel the shrimp in front of the customers so they see the freshness that they're getting," explained Romeo. "All the food that I cook here, I cook it fresh."
Reoccurring car accidents and other fees and penalties forced Morgan's Seafood to close their doors for 10 years. The damages that the business incurred from the first two car accidents were covered by his insurance company, but the following two were not, because the insurance company deemed the business a "high risk."
"The fourth car that drove through, I decided to close the doors until I had money to fix it up like it's supposed to be," said Romeo.
Along with struggling to keep cars outside of the building, the Morgan family had to replace $30,000 worth of equipment that was stolen shortly after the accidents. This season of setbacks only pushed Romeo and his family to work harder to resurrect the restaurant and return Morgan's Seafood to its former glory. Going back to the beginning, Morgan's Seafood served as a staple in the neighborhood, according to former employee Don Carroll of Landover, Maryland. For 20 years, until 1990, Carroll worked as a cook for the Morgan family and remembered the restaurant as a great place to be.
"It wasn't just a job, it was like being part of the family," said Carroll. "It was fun to be there."
Address: 3200 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC
Phone: 202.645.1001
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