[3] He and his partners were instrumental in the transformation and revitalization of the Atlas District in Washington, D.C.[1] In total, they opened 30 well-known bars and restaurants in Washington, D.C.[1] Englert was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania to William and Sylvia (Chitti) Englert.
[1] After graduating from college, in 1984, Joe moved to Washington D.C. to write for the Pentagon newspaper.
[1] In 1988, while he was a bartender and a struggling writer, Englert bet a friend that he could throw a raucous club party in Adams Morgan despite the dead scene.
In the 5 years that followed, Englert opened several themed bars: Insect Club, a creepy space slung with a gigantic spider's web; 15 Mins., a neon rock dive; the Big Hunt, with a safari theme; Zig Zag Cafe, a retro romance coffeehouse; and State of the Union, an Eastern Bloc eatery that served Cossack salads and Marx burgers (none of these was in Adams Morgan).
[6][7] Englert spent $3 million to buy and renovate the properties[6] and opened 8 restaurants: The Argonaut, The Palace of Wonders, The Rock and Roll Hotel, The Red and the Black, Granville Moore's, Sticky Rice, and The H Street Country Club.