Why I Launched Here

When I got out of B-school, the best job offer I got was in Columbia, Md., but being twentysomething and single and living there was not an option. So I moved to DC. When I decided to open a business, it was natural to start it in D.C.

My original company was a restaurant/nightclub in Adams Morgan. Some wealthy lawyer had to have it and offered me more money than it was worth to me. That became the funding source for the growth of the company.

In 1991, I was approached by a professor who was trying to change the law to allow beer to be brewed in D.C. He wanted me to run the business side of things. We entered into a partnership; it was an absolute gamble, but we wanted to be first out of the box when the law changed. In 1992, Capitol City Brewing Company opened. I bought the professor out, and the rest is history.

I do get requests regularly from people interested in franchising my restaurant concepts, but I think there's enough opportunity in DC for me to make enough money to be happy but still enjoy my life living in the city, not living on a plane. -Rachel Kaufman

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