Rick’s Dessert Diner Has New Location

Rick’s Dessert Diner should open Oct. 1 in its new location at 24th and J streets.

The move from the current location at 2322 K St. will allow the 1950s-themed pastry, pie, cookie and cake shop to serve more customers, said Ken Turton, broker with Turton Commercial, who represented the building’s new owner as well as Ahmed Eita, the owner of Rick’s.

Rick’s Dessert Diner has been in its cozy 1,900-square-foot location since it was opened in 1986. It will be taking 2,900 square feet in the 2401 J St. building.

“He was turning away a lot of business because he didn’t have enough room in the kitchen … and he didn’t have enough room in the dining room for customers,” Turton said.

The three-story J Street building was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the new owners — O Street Partners — plan to renovate the exterior with a 1950s revival theme, Turton said. O Street Partners bought the building in October.

“It’s a perfect fit. It’s from the right era,” Turton said. Rick’s desert diner looks like a set from a 1950s movie with its white checkerboard floor tile and its booths. The decor is filled out with portraits of 1950s icons Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

Turton had been looking for a new location for Eita for several months. The existing Rick’s will be open through the summer.