Business in Brief: Celebrating Biden’s win with cheesesteaks and champagne; Van Ness and Tenley holiday fests take new form

Van Ness/Forest Hills

This celebration calls for cheesesteaks: When Philadelphia put Joe Biden over the top in Pennsylvania, Washington celebrated… by ordering cheesesteaks. Jimmy’s Philly Steaks, the ghost restaurant from I’m Eddie Cano, tells Forest Hills Connection that it sold out of the sandwiches on Friday, November 6th. And on Saturday, November 7th, when the presidential election was called for Biden, Jimmy’s sold out within two hours of its noon opening.

Not that people weren’t celebrating in a more traditional way. A Calvert Woodley manager told AFP that the store sold hundreds of bottles of champagne and sparkling wine last Saturday.

Food photos worthy of Instagram: Washington Photo Safari, a Forest Hills-based business, has been taking students on a food photography tour of Forest Hills and Van Ness restaurants. The safari’s next stop is Uptown Market on Saturday, November 14th.

“Enjoy 5 courses, learning how to photograph them before devouring them!” Washington Photo Safari says. Instructor and WPS founder David Luria teaches the food photography techniques. The classes are held outside and space is limited so that social distancing protocols can be followed.

Attention neighborhood businesses: The Van Ness holiday pop-up market is going virtual this year. Van Ness Main Street is inviting registered small businesses to sign up for a free listing in its online holiday shopping guide. To qualify, your business needs to be located in Van Ness, Forest Hills or Wakefield, and offer a giftable product or service. Register here by Wednesday, November 18th.

Tenleytown

The Tenley Yeti is eternal: Covid considerations are also changing Tenleytown Main Street’s 9th annual Tenley WinterFest, but the yeti scavenger hunt endures, as do the Tenleytown restaurant promotions and the annual holiday greens sale. The holiday market and historic Tenleytown walking tour also return, in virtual form. Tenley WinterFest begins Friday, November 27th and ends on December 5th. Find the schedule, activities and a lot more information at tenleywinterfest.org.

Grants for small businesses: Tenleytown Main Street is accepting applications for the 2021 Tenleytown Main Street Small Business Grants. Businesses located within the Tenleytown Main Street district are eligible to apply for up to $5,000 for exterior renovations and storefront improvements, security upgrades, and select hard and soft costs to support business resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Complete grant and eligibility requirements are available at tenleytownmainstreet.org/small-business-grants. Applications are due by November 30th, and the grant awards will be announced on December 18th.

Cleveland Park

Sad news from Tino’s Pizzeria: