Though relatively new to Washington, DC, four-year-old KNEAD Hospitality + Design has already introduced a number of restaurants to the capital’s most marketable areas. Founders Michael Reginbogin and Jason Berry left jobs at Hillstone Restaurant Group in 2014 with the intention of not only creating and owning restaurants, but also designing and operating them. The hope was to “seamlessly merge our interests, hobbies, and business expertise under one roof,” says Reginbogin. “We wanted the ability to walk spaces with developers and landlords and paint a full picture of the concept.”
Local architecture firm //3877 worked on all three of the firm’s latest restaurant projects, including the city’s two Southern and Asian-influenced Succotash outposts led by celebrity chef Edward Lee. Design highlights in both include elaborate architectural molding, ornate ironwork, and handsome leather seating.
The three-level District Wharf restaurant Mi Vida specializes in traditional Mexican fare. The “especially fun project” allowed Reginbogin “to push the design envelope,” he says. This was achieved through a multicolored, abstract mural surrounding the third-story bar, hacienda-style cement tiles, and the centerpiece, a 19-foot-tall clay Tree of Life sculpture adorned with 50 Oaxacan-style handcarved and painted wooden flowers.
This is just the beginning for the duo: they anticipate doubling their restaurant count by the end of 2019 with plans to eventually expand beyond DC.
A colorful mural depicting a Mexican woman in a floral dress covers a wall in Mi Vida.
At Mi Vida, diners are greeted by a wood-paneled host stand situated in front of the eye-catching Tree of Life sculpture.
Ornate chandeliers and textured walls outfit the Penn Quarter location of Succotash.
