DC Restaurant Rye Bunny Switches to Counter Service for Sustainability
8 reported
Co-owners Jill Tyler and Jon Sybert transformed their Michelin-starred Washington, D.C., restaurant Tail Up Goat into a counter-service concept called Rye Bunny after nearly a decade of operation. The shift was driven by rising costs, changing dining habits, and a desire to make hospitality careers more sustainable. Tyler said she was initially reluctant about counter service, associating it with fast-casual dining, but changed her mind after staging at a restaurant in Austin called Birdie’s. The new model reduces staff size, cutting one back-of-house worker per shift and eliminating hosts, one manager, and two servers. Rye Bunny also offers limited paid reservations for $25, with fees donated to two local nonprofit organizations: Dreaming Out Loud and Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. Tyler noted the restaurant is still in early stages, having added a sixth day of operation in June and planning a seventh in July. She said the opening has been easier than Tail Up Goat’s due to 10 years of experience and a clearer sense of priorities.
What’s reported
Tail Up Goat opened in 2016 and earned a Michelin star and James Beard Award nods.
Co-owners Jill Tyler and Jon Sybert decided to shift to a counter-service model called Rye Bunny rather than give up their Adams Morgan lease.
Tyler was initially reluctant about counter service but changed her mind after staging at Birdie’s in Austin.
The restaurant previously ran a $100,000 payroll every two weeks, which Tyler said was not sustainable.
The new model cuts one back-of-house worker per shift and eliminates hosts, one manager, and two servers.
Rye Bunny offers limited $25 reservations that skip the line, with fees donated to Dreaming Out Loud and Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.
The restaurant added a sixth day in June and plans to add a seventh in July.
Tyler said the opening has been easier than Tail Up Goat’s because she is “10 years wiser.”
Key figures
Jill Tyler, co-owner of Tail Up Goat and Rye Bunny
Jon Sybert, co-owner of Tail Up Goat and Rye Bunny
Arjav, friend and owner of Birdie’s in Austin (no last name given)
Liz Provencher, interviewer (Eater)
Sources: eater.com
