The Peet’s Coffee in District House will close next month after nine years of operation.
University spokesperson Claire Sabin confirmed that Peet’s declined to renew its lease with the University, which expires May 30, and a storefront employee said they will remain open through Commencement weekend. Sabin said Damor Chai Cafe will move into the space, accepting meal deal swipes and dining dollars.
“Once Damor Chai has a set opening date, it will be announced to the GW Community through GW Dining social media accounts and the Hungry Hippo Newsletter,” Sabin said.
Sabin said GW Dining is partnering with Damor Chai to employ student workers to run the cafe, just as current GW students and graduates work at Peet’s.
Damor Chai, an Afghan-American heritage-inspired cafe, currently has two locations at the University at Albany in New York and San Diego State University in California. Its menu offers various protein lattes, matchas and chais as well as bagels, sandwiches and salads.
Officials announced Peet’s would open on the ground floor of District near the I Street entrance, along with five fast-casual restaurant options in the building’s lower level, in August 2016.
Anna Krantz, a spring 2025 GW graduate who has worked at Peet’s for four years, said she and her coworkers had heard officials were looking to replace Peet’s with a GW Dining-run facility but were not expecting it to happen so soon.
“We had heard that they might not want to renew our lease, but that was kind of far in the future,” Krantz said.
Then, last week, store managers told employees the contract between Peet’s and the University was ending, and the store would be closing, Krantz said. Krantz said customers are disappointed to see the place where they got their morning coffee or afternoon pick-me-up close, adding that the response has been “validating” for employees.
“As much as we’re really sad, seeing the response and the appreciation for us is nice,” Krantz said.
Employees added a sign to their tip jar informing guests of the store’s closure and encouraging them to contribute to the “Peet’s unemployment fund.” Krantz said management told her the store will be open through commencement weekend, which is May 14-17.
Krantz said she is glad the University is not taking a student employment option away when they replace Peet’s, and she’s enjoyed working a job on campus that was not Federal Work Study, which often comes with limited hours.
She also said she will miss the Peet’s culture, adding that the storefront is where she met some of her closest friends and her boyfriend.
“I hope that whatever is there can, even if it’s GW Dining, I hope that it can harbor a similar community because it’s been really a great experience for me,” Krantz said.
At a Student Government Association meeting in November, Associate Vice President of Business Services Seth Weinshel said officials were planning to bring more dining options to the Foggy Bottom Campus in the next one to two years, including a coffee shop similar to Buff & Brew, a GW Dining-run coffee shop on the Mount Vernon Campus.
Dining and Cooking