Jeremiah Langhorne on the Dabney’s rooftop garden. | Courtesy of Andrew Cebulka

The Dabney, a Washington,DC-based restaurant, has tried many unorthodox things to survive — and is now back to table service.

When Jeremiah Langhorne, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind the celebrated Dabney restaurant in Washington, DC, first adapted to the pandemic in March, his refined kitchen began to fill takeout orders on a mass scale. Langhorne, who co-owns the Dabney, was in survival mode, and customers were hungry for the comfort food he was serving. However, after an initially enthusiastic reception, orders dried up.

He realized the fixed $45 price might be too much for some, so he added a new option: “meat and threes” Wednesdays. For $20, people could order some catfish or fried chicken with collard greens, mac and cheese, and another side. But that concept fizzled quickly, too.

Even