Hard Times Cafe (chain restaurant)

For the restaurant in Minnesota, see Hard Times Café.

Hard Times Cafe
Restaurant information
Established	1980
Owner(s)	Jim and Fred Parker
Street address	1404 King Street
City	Alexandria
State	Virginia
Postal/ZIP Code	22314
Country	United States
Other locations	5 total locations
Website	www.hardtimes.com

Hard Times Cafe (sometimes Hard Times Cafe & Cue) is a restaurant chain serving chili and other foods, primarily in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. area. Hard Times has been recognized in several publications, including USA Today,[1] AOL's City's Best,[2] Zagat's "Top 20 Area Restaurants" from 2003 to 2008,[3] and several others.[4]

History

The first Hard Times Cafe was opened in Old Town Alexandria in 1980 by Jim and Fred Parker.[5]

On September 21, 2011, Hard Times Cafe opened at Washington DC's Verizon Center sports (now Capital One) arena, home of the Washington Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, Georgetown Hoyas, concerts and events. Hard Times Cafe operated two locations on the Verizon Center's lower level concourse—a permanent stand at section 112 and a portable stand at section 119—offering fans a chance to enjoy chili macs, nachos, veggie nachos, chili tots, wings, and chili dogs. Until closing after the 2015 season, Hard Times also had a location at Nationals Park.

Menu

Hard Times serves appetizers, burgers, and salads, but they are generally known for their chili. There are four types of chili available:[6]

• Texas Chili
• Cincinnati Chili
• Terlingua Red
• Vegetarian Chili

Locations

The original location is still in business today, in Alexandria, Virginia. There are a total of 5 locations:[7]

City	State	Type
Alexandria	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe
Fredericksburg (314 Jefferson Davis Highway)	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue
Fredericksburg (5099 Jefferson Davis Highway)	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue
Rockville	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe
Springfield	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue

Additionally, Hard Times has had former locations that have subsequently been closed at the following sites:

City	State	Type	Year closed
Clarendon	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2016
College Park	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe	2022
Fairfax	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2019
Frederick	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2017
Germantown	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2014
Hagerstown	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2017
Herndon	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2010
Manassas	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2017
Nationals Park	Washington, D.C.	Left Field Concourse	2015
Capital One Arena	Washington, D.C.	Lower Level Concourse	Unknown
Waldorf	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2018 or 2019
Woodbridge	Virginia	Hard Times Cafe & Cue	2016
Bethesda	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe	2016-ish
Bel Air	Maryland	Hard Times Cafe	1993 (fire)[8]

References

1. "USA Today, October 2005, 10 great places for chili". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
2. "AOL City's Best". Archived from the original on 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
3. YellowBook: Hard Times Cafe, Top 20
4. "Reviews from their website". Archived from the original on 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
5. "Hard Times history". Archived from the original on 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
6. "Hard Times menu - Chili". Archived from the original on 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
7. "Hard Times locations". Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
8. "The 1990's".