Hot Shoppes
By 1960, there were 70 Hot Shoppes restaurants in seven states and the District of Columbia. Arlington boasted a number of locations, including Crystal City, Shirlington, and Columbia Pike.
If the phrases “chicken box for two” or “pantry pack” sound familiar to you, then it is probably safe to assume that once upon a time, you were a customer at a Hot Shoppes restaurant.
A classic slice of Americana, the first Hot Shoppes was established in Washington D.C. in 1927 by J. Willard Marriott, best known for founding the Marriott Corporation. By 1960, 70 Hot Shoppes restaurants were in seven states and the District of Columbia. Arlington boasted several locations, including Crystal City, Shirlington, and Columbia Pike.
The Columbia Pike location, in particular, became a venerable Arlington institution, providing a loyal clientele with “Southern Home-style” cooking at affordable prices for 32 years.
There were two located on Columbia Pike. One is at 2820, and the other is at 4707 Columbia Pike in the Barcroft neighborhood. Hot Shoppes offered quality food and served as a neighborhood gathering place where customers felt like they were treated as family and seniors could take advantage of special discount prices.
As time passed, the rise of fast-food restaurants put increasing pressure on cafeteria-style establishments such as Hot Shoppes. The Marriott Corporation began converting most locations into Roy Rogers restaurants in the mid-1970s, and the Barcroft location was no exception, changing around 1978. 4070 Columbia Pike also served as the future site of the second location of Bob & Edith’s Diner and Sauca. The building was torn down in 2017 for a new mixed-use development.
Some Hot Shoppe trivia:
- The first Hot Shoppe started as a curbside food stand selling A&W Root Beer and tamales in 1927.
- In 1967 Hot Shoppes officially changed its name, becoming the Marriott Corporation.
- Jazz musician Duke Ellington and his band recorded seven versions of the Hot Shoppes theme song aired on radio as part of an advertising campaign in 1967-1968.
- The last Hot Shoppes restaurant in a Marlow Heights shopping mall in Washington D.C. closed on December 2, 1999.
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