Family blames Dems for cafeteria eviction

The family that operated a cafeteria in the Ford House Office Building for the last 14 years is criticizing House Democrats for its eviction from the space.

Members of the Skenteris family argue they never got a chance to put in a bid that would have allowed them to stay in the Ford building. They also accuse Democrats of being hypocrites for kicking them out in favor of Restaurant Associates (RA), the New York-based corporate company that now operates all of the House cafeterias.

{mosads}“The Democrats are known to be for the small businessman,” said Artemis Dimopoulos, who runs the cafeteria with her family. “We are not only a small business, we are a family business. And the proof is in the pudding. When the Republicans were in power we were still there. The Democrats came in and this is what happened.”

Some House Democrats offered their sympathy for the Skenteris family, and are criticizing the Chief Administrative Office (CAO), which awarded the contract to Restaurant Associates.

“There was no other restaurant like this one, and they threw it away,” said Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), who remains puzzled as to why the CAO would award the contract to a large company over a small business that had been there for years.

“It makes no sense. This is a family-owned business that had been in business here for years. We have got to be out of our minds closing them down and putting a food service in that isn’t even a tenth as good.”

The Skenterises moved their food service down the street to the basement of the Voice of America building over the weekend.

The CAO cited poor customer approval ratings last year when it announced that RA would be replacing the family restaurant. The CAO also disputes the notion that the Skenteris family did not get an opportunity to bid on the contract.

“We are pleased to learn that the Skenteris family was able to secure a similar contract at Voice of America and continue their operations,” said Jeff Ventura, spokesman for the CAO.

“It is, however, unfortunate that they have changed their position — with regard to the contract extension we offered them and their recent departure — from what they said to a local media outlet on Nov. 19, when Artemis Dimopoulos was quoted as saying: ‘This was very fair to us, and it takes away from being terminated … That’s the biggest key right there that makes the whole difference.’

“Still, we appreciate their service to the House and wish them well.”

When the CAO, which is appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), initially put out a request for a company to take over all of the House food operations, the Skenterises assumed they would be exempt from whatever deal was made.

The family had worked under a separate contract when the previous contractor, Guest Services Inc., operated the House eateries.

They were surprised when they received a letter and a phone call from the CAO last August saying that RA had been chosen to run the Ford cafeteria and they had until February to move out.

{mospagebreak}“There was a bid process,” said Christopher Skenteris, who helps run the cafeteria with his sister, Dimopoulos. “We knew that the other ones [House cafeterias] were up for bid, but not for us — we had a separate contract.”

Restaurant Associates was chosen because after a two-year study, they were seen to be the most viable option for food services in the House and would bring a unionized staff to the Hill, according to the House Administration Committee.

But the Skenterises said they feel used by the CAO.

“I believe that they used my sales and my customer account to lure a new company,” said Dimopoulos, who changed her name from Skenteris when she married.

{mosads}The CAO decided last November to extend the family’s departure deadline six months, from February to September, to give them more time to make the transition.

The CAO has paid RA a 3 percent commission fee taken from the Skenterises’ commission sales for the last six months because the company was initially told it could move into the location in February.

The Skenterises say the survey results the CAO cited as part of the reason for their removal were not accurate. After their departure from the Ford building was announced last year, they received an outpouring of public support.

More than 650 people signed a petition within an eight-hour period in November of last year to compel Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Administration Committee, to keep them on as a food service contractor. The Skenterises say Brady did not offer them any assistance over the last year as they fought to keep their location in the Ford building.

But Brady’s office says that he did try and help the family.

“Chairman Brady is committed to supporting small businesses and has a special place in his heart for family businesses,” said Kyle Anderson, spokesman for the House Administration Committee’s Democrats.

“He supported the generous compromise that was negotiated by the CAO. Under that compromise, RA was persuaded to forgo some of their contract rights and allow the Skenteris family an extended transition period.”

A loyal supporter of the Skenteris family, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is still peeved at CAO’s decision to move them out of the Ford building.

“Everyone that took advantage of their restaurant service has the highest of praise for them,” Moran said. “I doubt that [CAO Dan] Beard has ever been over there; he was just making a macro decision irregardless of the consequences. I don’t think he paid much attention to the impact on the people affected. I guess he figures he’s in charge, regardless of what the members really want.

“It’s nice to see a family who works hard, that provides a service that everybody respects — and they knew the majority of their clientele by name. That’s the kind of hometown restaurant that you like. And instead you give out a contract to a big impersonal firm based upon the bottom line as well as politics.”