The Business of Butterworth's, the Hottest New Restaurant in Washington DC

January 2, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

The Format: This episode blends casual hosts' reminiscences about a recent meal with an in-depth interview exploring the restaurant industry's economic, cultural, and operational realities, centered on DC's dining scene and Butterworks as a case study. Technical yet lively.
The Format: This is primarily an interview with hosts providing economic context and personal anecdotes.
The Key Players:
- Guest: Bart Hutchins, chef and owner of Butterworks, a buzzy DC restaurant known for farm-to-table sourcing, unique ambiance, and its unexpected "MAGA" political label due to early Trump administration patrons; interesting for his decade-plus experience revealing insider restaurant economics and DC's tribal dining culture.

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What you'll learn

1 **(00:00) 🎙️ Introduction: Bart Hutchins**
2 **(02:04) Hosts Recap Butterworks Meal**
3 **(05:38) Bart Defines "MAGA Restaurant" Label**
4 **(07:13) DC Restaurant Scene Evolution**
5 **(09:29) Political Roots & Investors**
6 **(11:13) Menu Philosophy: Farm-to-Table Seasonal**
7 **(12:52) The Burger Conundrum**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

When the Odd Lots team was down in Washington DC earlier this year, we had a phenomenal meal at a restaurant called Butterworth's. As it turns out, the restaurant is one of the hottest hangouts for the MAGA crowd, with Steve Bannon and others frequently seen in its dining room. Of course, restaurants are difficult businesses in normal conditions, but in DC, you have the added factor that political cycles are changing all the time, and different bars and restaurants become associated with specific parties who go in and out of power. On this episode, we speak with Bart Hutchins, the chef-owner at the restaurant. We talk about everything from sourcing ingredients from small Amish farms, to acquiring beef tallow, and dining room logistics. We also talk about food costs, labor availability, and how the intense worker shortages and price inflation of the post-2020 period still affects how the restaurant is run today.

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