D.C. tax officials seized two upscale restaurants last week run by Michelin-starred chef Matt Baker because of hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes, city officials said.
The D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue on Thursday closed Gravitas, a restaurant with one Michelin star in the Ivy City neighborhood, and Michele’s, which operates in the Eaton Hotel on K Street, following years of tax liens.
The government said Gravitas NW LLC owed more than $287,000 in unincorporated business franchise tax, as well as $222,000 in sales and use taxes dating back to 2021, according to city tax lien records.
Michele’s Eaton LLC did not pay nearly $200,000 in sales taxes accrued during 2023 and 2024, tax lien records show. The seizure is not affiliated with or operated by the Eaton Hotel, officials said.
“As a result of this enforcement action, both entities are currently closed and prohibited from operating until further notice,” said Brianna Jordan, an agency spokeswoman.
City officials declined to comment on any further details.
In a phone interview, Baker said that he had been working with the city to resolve the tax liens and was on a payment plan, but that he missed the November and December payments because of “a downturn in business.”
“We are actively working with their offices now to come to a resolution to get the restaurants reopened as soon as possible,” Baker said.
Baker has faced troubles in recent years. In addition to tax liens, he shuttered some locations for his cafe and market Baker’s Daughter, which he called a “strategic decision.” Early last year, Baker also received criticism online for retweets that supported the efforts of DOGE and X.com owner Elon Musk. He declined to address the social media comments.
Baker won a Michelin star in 2019 at Gravitas, which he opened eight years ago, and followed up with Michele’s Eaton three years later, he said. His restaurant group, 101 Hospitality, also runs Baker’s Daughter at the Eaton, which remains open.
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