After abandoning their short lived DC club "BBQ Iguana" Alice Despard and then husband Bill Stewart (Jr) opened Roratonga Rodeo in October 1990. By 1991, the couple had split up, and Alice took over running the Roratunga Rodeo while Bill went on to open Amdo and then Bardo Rodeos. In 1993, Alice remodeled (ie. de-stewarted) the decor of the club and renamed it Galaxy Hut. The former "tiki room" was converted into a kitchen (Roratonga had operated with only a microwave and chili pot behind the bar!).  Then-manager Paul Geary took over both kitchen and menu design and much of the decor that still exists to this day, like most of the tables and ceiling tiles. Our current main chef, Bill Kastenmeier began working in the kitchen at this time.
In 1997, Friends Lary Hoffman and Nikhil Ranade began renting an apartment above the Galaxy Hut, where Nikhil still lives and records bands. In 1998, Lary caught wind that former manager Lisa D'Angelo was leaving, and immediately started bugging Alice for the job. Alice had known Lary not only from being neighbors, but from his band who played the Hut frequently since 1994, and had seen him at work at a local coffee shop. Unable to resist his charm and handsomeness, she hired him.
In the early 2000s, Alice began to grow tired of running the place, and a number of factors led her to want to get out of the restaurant and bar business. After years of hinting at getting out of the business, she offered to sell the place to friend and employee (and pretty much the coolest guy in the world) Art Daniels in the Spring of 2005. After Art passed on it, Alice approached Lary, who said hell yeah. After working out the details over the summer, the final sale was in September of 2005.
Lary remodeled somewhat, making a more open floorplan, updating the beer and food menus, installing wood floors, re-doing the front window scheme, and painting the purple walls silver and blue. He kept his favorite parts, like the ceiling tiles, most of the tables, the wonderful staff, and (arguably) the unique vibe of the Galaxy Hut that its loyal customers cherish. Not having the patience to host rotating art shows as Alice did, Lary arranged local artist Ben Claassen to be the resident artist.
Alice still plays the Galaxy Hut frequently with her group, and is heavily involved in spiritual pursuits both personally and with her church.
I have no pictures of Roratonga Rodeo, or from Galaxy Hut's early days. If you have some, I'd love to add them to this site!!! Also, feel free to correct me or suggest historical additions.
-Lary