Dozens of beloved Washington restaurants closed this year, more than in 2022, according to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
Last year, 48 D.C. restaurants shut down while in 2023, 52 restaurants went out of business.
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RAMW President Shawn Townsend attributes the closures to challenges of restaurant ownership, including the higher cost of goods, fewer patrons eating out, and, specifically, the city’s rising crime problem and Initiative 82, which will phase out the tipped minimum wage.
Townsend is hoping that “things will get back to some type of new normal,” he said.
Biergarten Haus, a longtime beer garden, struggled during the pandemic and found that many regulars stopped coming due to the crime problem in the District. Owner Aaron McGovern was also the owner of Russia House, a D.C. mainstay known for its wide selection of vodkas and caviar, which closed earlier in 2023.
McGovern reportedly lost tens of thousands of dollars to burglaries of his businesses and experienced his employees getting assaulted.
“Why am I paying for more police presence when I pay it in taxes, and I pay a lot?” he reportedly said.
Chinatown’s Bar Deco, known for its bottomless brunch, closed due to the crime problem and lack of foot traffic.
The security budgets for nightclubs and restaurants have increased the operational budget for doing business in the District. Even Dupont Circle’s Surfside taco window began to need to pay for hired guards to keep patrons safe.
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D.C. restaurateur Bo Blair said he spends $4,000 a week on hired guards for his businesses.
Blair reportedly said that he “cannot continue to pay what we’re paying for security.”
