Behind the scenes at Butterworth's: MAGA's haute new hangout

State of play: The grandmère-chic dining room on Capitol Hill opened in October before the election, but it was already primed to be a power player. Major investor Alex Butterworth, senior counsel for Uber, may have his name on the door. But ex-Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam, another mega-investor in the restaurant, draws a select clientele.

• Restaurant sources tell Axios that Amazon hosted their holiday party in a private room.
• One hospitality insider tells Axios people call it "Steve Bannon's restaurant," though he's not officially involved. The "War Room" podcaster lives nearby and holds court at private parties.

Inside the room: Chef/partner Bart Hutchins tells Axios the bistro wasn't a MAGA magnet upon opening. He worked for years at neighbor Beuchert's Saloon, and at first, saw many of his old regulars from all sides of the aisle.

• "There're nights when it's just another neighborhood restaurant. And then there's a random Wednesday when everyone in here has half a million Twitter followers," says Hutchins.

Inauguration weekend was the turning point when bold-faced names — Kash Patel, Elon Musk, singer Grimes — popped up along with right-wing media stars like Curtis Yarvan and George Santos. The bar poured "American Carnage" and "Covfefe" cocktails (private party hosts can name their drinks for the night).

• "People are like, OK, I went to that place 12 times in one week, it's now the place to be," Hutchins says.

Zoom out: A hospitality veteran who opened "Canadian disco-bistro" Le Mont Royal, Hutchins curated the vibe at Butterworth's.

• His inspiration: throwback power rooms like LA's Spago and Dudley in New York — "places that become a scene for that city's industry, whether it's actors in LA or models in NYC."

How it works: "We're meticulous about the reservation list every night," says Hutchins. He's moved from leading the kitchen to working the floor, armed with a fat lookbook of new appointees, congressional VIPs, and need-to-know media types and influencers.

• "Recognizing them is the big part. Having nooks and crannies to put people in when it's too busy," says Hutchins. "But if I know X-Y-Z is coming in at 8pm, and I have a full bar of celebrity watchers, I may need to set them up upstairs, turn down the lights, light some candles, and give them their privacy."
• Another golden rule: Know the room. "Who's feuding right now?" says Hutchins. "I'm trying to make sure that Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert aren't sat next to each other."

The intrigue: Butterworth's menu of fried rabbit and natty wines bucks the Trumpian stereotype of McDonald's and well-done steak. But Hutchins, who measures success by selling more head cheese than cheeseburgers, says his field-to-table philosophy jives with the RFK Jr. acolytes and MAHA crowd.

• "They're super interested in bone marrow, liver, feet," says Hutchins.

• "Before, the audience for offal was Berkley hippie types who knew who Alice Waters was. Now it's right-wing staffers showing up and asking for the same stuff."

Zoom in: While Trump Town 1.0 was famous for its Fireball affinity, the new crowd sucks down dry gin martinis — "We run out of martini glasses every night," says Hutchins — and rips through kegs of Guinness (four in one night, as of last week).

• "They're interested in low chemical, low intervention across the board," Hutchins says. Raw milk is a common request ("I wish I could, but I'd get in trouble").

Between the lines: Investors have reiterated that all are welcome at Butterworth's. The restaurant doesn't run at Inauguration fever-pitch 24/7, and private rooms are booked for Bannon brunch one day, and fantasy baseball dads the next.

• "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi will be just as welcome here as JD Vance, Steve Bannon and Mike Johnson," Butterworth told the Financial Review.

What's next: There's a nostalgia to Butterworth's that seems to jive with MAGA populism — a throwback vibe that Hutchins plans to build on with a basement speakeasy for classic cocktails and live jazz in the future. "It's the type of pre-cell phone world I want to be a part of," he says.

• As for a visit from the Big Man, Hutchins isn't sure. It's not that Trump has never dined out in a D.C. restaurant beyond his steakhouse.
• "We don't have a back door, so I don't think the Secret Service will let him come, to be honest," says Hutchins. "But I wouldn't kick him out."