Sholl’s Colonial Cafeteria has been a Washington landmark for more than 70 years. Its clientele has included everyone from members of Congress to members of the underclass. It serves up pie and chicken and a lot more – area residents are as loyal to the local cafeteria as Seinfeld and his friends were to Monk’s. Sholl’s is a place where some regulars have eaten for decades – you don’t find that too often in today’s corporate, cookie-cutter world.

Unfortunately, those regulars might have to find a new place to get their banana cream pie. Sholl’s lease is running out, and its rent is rising faster than its profits. If Sholl’s goes, then so does another little piece of D.C. history.

Sholl’s, located at 1990 K St., has no signs or banners that announce its presence around the corner from Tequila Grill and Taco Bell, two eateries with which GW students are more intimately acquainted. It has remained in business decade after decade because of word of mouth passed on by loyal customers. In an age when new Starbucks caf?s are popping up on every corner serving up tall decaf skim lattes, an eatery such as Sholl’s is one of the last of a dying breed.

The fear of Sholl’s extinction has spurred some of the cafeteria’s regulars to devise possibilities for saving the cafeteria – including putting it on the GWorld meal plans. They love the place, and they won’t see it fall without a fight. It’s a rare loyalty to a city and its institutions that seems to be fading as chain bars and restaurants flourish and suburbs expand.

GW students and Foggy Bottom residents should explore our neighborhood’s secret landmark before it disappears. Around this city, places that provided customers with innumerable memories and good times are being torn down and paved over to make room for another CVS or Starbucks. Sholl’s boasts a rare authenticity and a loyal, colorful clientele. It adds flavor and character to a city that is threatening to drown in corporate trendiness.