The Truth About Georgetown's Call Your Mother Bagelry
It calls itself "a Jew-ish" Deli. Now Call Your Mother Deli can call itself the first restaurant the Bidens visited since President Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20. Multiple news outlets say the Bidens dropped by the deli after going to Sunday mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The newly-minted commander-in-chief didn't leave his car – a Secret Service reportedly made a "very long order" on his behalf. But Biden waved to bystanders who were lucky enough to be milling around the popular dining spot (via NBC Washington).
The heads-up about their famous client came via social media, when the restaurant itself went on Twitter to retweet a report by one NBC reporter with their reaction, saying: "What a GREAT Sunday surprise! Thrilled to have an admin again who will love all that DC has to offer — starting with sesame bagels!! Come back anytime @JoeBiden", along with a heart emoji.
Call Your Mother has shout-outs as one of the best delis in the country
Even before the restaurant made restaurant history as the first place the Bidens would pick to eat at in DC, Call Your Mother was already on the national radar as one of the places to go in Washington DC. Food and Wine put the bagel shop on its 2019 list of the country's best Jewish delis, including it among the "14 New Names to Know." In 2019, Eater named it one of the "16 Best New Restaurants in America" for its 21st century takes on what it called "old-world deli culture." The site recommended Call Your Mother's latke ("the city's best"), alfajores cookies, and babka as well as its challah sandwiches stuffed with an unorthodox pairing of pastrami and brisket.
We suspect the Bidens didn't just stumble across this highly-rated eatery on their own (although we can imagine the Biden granddaughters might have already told their Pop about the places they'd have wanted to try after they got to DC). Washingtonian says Call Your Mother is co-owned by a member of the Biden administration tasked with handling the COVID response: Jeff Zients, who the Financial Times says is nicknamed "Mr. Fix It." Zients, who has reportedly always wanted to own a deli, is a management consultant known for taking on bungled government projects and turning those around. One of his projects: fixing HealthCare.gov, which earned bad reviews when it launched in 2009.
What Call Your Mother did when COVID struck
Call Your Mother isn't just about serving up good food; it's about giving back, too. Zients' restaurant partners, Andrew Dana and Daniela Moreira, were also hit when COVID-19 struck, resulting in the closure of their four restaurants. During their shutdown, they continued to do right by their 145 employees by paying them. Thrillist reported that they also undertook several online fundraisers to help keep their people employed. Among their initiatives: private dinners, baking classes, and bagel naming rights. They even offered cut-the-line passes which could be used when they reopened the deli.
In August, Call Your Mother announced on Instagram, "A moment joy from the last few months: I am really proud that we did not have to lay off a single person during the pandemic, no matter if they could work or not. We were able to keep all of our staff safe and paid. We have always talked about how we're a family, and the way we have gone through Covid times together has solidified that for me." So we're not surprised to see the restaurant supporting initiatives like the Food Rescue and Ayuda, which conducts outreach to underserved immigrants (via Call Your Mother). They also source their ingredients through local partners. Sounds exactly like the kind of corner deli the Bidens would pick for their first Sunday morning as the White House's newest residents.