History in Every Bite: An Interview with Virginia Ali, Co-Founder of Ben's Chili Bowl

In 1956, Ben Ali walked into the Industrial Bank of Washington and was served by a teller named Virginia. He came back in the next day and waited to be served by her again. On the third day, he waited for her window to become available and slipped her a note with his phone number on it. A day or two later, he called the bank and asked for Virginia by name.

"Why didn't you call me?" He asked.

"I'm not in the habit of calling men I don't know, and I don't know you."

"Well what do you want to know?" And before she could ask a question, Ben went into the whole story of his life, from his early life in Trinidad to his studies in dentistry at Howard University.

"We had many mutual acquaintances, and he brought one to my house and he met my family on our first date. We were together 51 years," says Virginia Ali. "He asked me to marry him and he asked me to partner with him on a business idea for a restaurant. I said yes."

Ben's Chili Bowl opened on August 22nd, 1958 under the leadership of Ben and Virginia Ali. "We knew we wanted to be in this area, which was called Black Broadway at the time. It was an entertainment center for the Black community, it had night clubs, music halls, theaters. We would be open from 11:00 AM to 3:00 AM, and it was busy! This building was originally a silent movie theater which turned into a pool hall.?After we signed for the rental, I knew the community from working at the bank. We found an architect, a plumber, a contractor--all Black-owned businesses, and they worked for us up until the time they all retired. If we needed them, if we called them at 2 o'clock in the morning because a pipe burst, they'd get out of bed and come down here."

Equipped with a phenomenal chili recipe and fabulous customer service, Ben's Chili Bowl gained popularity among prominent African American performers on Black Broadway. "People like Nat King Cole could perform downtown, but they couldn't eat there. So they came here," Virginia explained. "This was a segregated neighborhood, and we all supported each other. A lot of people came through here, during the Civil Rights movement. In August of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would come in and eat chili cheeseburgers and drink milkshakes. He would tell me stories about meeting with Kennedy. Those marches took a lot of effort and planning, and he would come in and eat. This was a welcoming place to be, a community place."

Ben and Virginia Ali attended the March on Washington that August of '63, and Virginia remembered it fondly. "It was a beautiful sight, that sea of colors all swirled together." Five years later, however, tragedy struck with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. "I remember, someone rushed in the door and said he's been shot, but we didn't believe them. It wasn't until later when we heard it on the radio that we understood. People were openly sobbing, and then frustration set in, and then anger."

The 1968 Riots lasted four days and caused around $175 million dollars worth of damage to the city. "We were the only place allowed to be open on this street during the curfew. Ben painted soul brother on the window so people would know we were a black-owned business. We were known in the community as a helpful place to the youth in the neighborhood. If someone came in and they were having trouble getting the money for their grandmother's prescription, we would cover it. They knew that. Nobody touched us."

The riots caused a massive amount of change in DC and resulted in demographic shifts, business turnover, and the movement of city amenities. Integration spatially altered the arrangement of DC's black population, but Ben's Chili Bowl remained a space of community with high standards of customer service and a long list of famous clientele. Today, pictures of presidents, rappers, actors, chefs, comedians, and singers cover the walls at the restaurant's original U Street location. When asked about this trend, Virginia said, "We've had prominent people coming in since day one, but we're all just people. We just treat people the way we would like to be treated. That's all."

Ben Ali passed away in 2009, but Virginia is still involved at the restaurant which is now managed by all three of her sons. "I am so blessed. All my sons came back, and two of my daughters-in-law work here too. Aren't I blessed?" Virginia says as she proudly points out memories on the walls of the restaurant. Towards the end of the interview, multiple people were pulling her aside to take photographs with her underneath the Ben's Chili Bowl sign. When DCPL staff member Shae Corey asked her if she felt famous, she simply said: "Me? No, we're all just people."