[1][2] Every President from Harry S. Truman to Gerald Ford ate at his restaurant, Jimmy Carter sent his son Jeff with an autographed picture to the location.
[3] Zeibert was born in 1910 in Troy, New York, and as a young man drifted into the restaurant business, working his way up from busing to waiter and eventually landing in Washington on K Street for many years and later at Connecticut Avenue and L Street, a prime downtown location in Washington, just four blocks from the White House.
[1] People started calling him Duke in Miami in the 1940s, when he showed up for work as a waiter in white silk pants.
[1] The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) has named an annual award after Duke Zeibert, who was its first recipient in 1994.
The Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award is presented at the Annual Restaurant Awards Gala, THE RAMMYS to a member of the community whose dedication and leadership have contributed to the success of Washington's vibrant restaurant industry.