{"id":2413850,"date":"2025-03-19T11:44:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T15:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/40-of-dc-restaurants-could-close-by-the-end-of-2025-survey-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T11:44:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T15:44:02","slug":"40-of-dc-restaurants-could-close-by-the-end-of-2025-survey-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/40-of-dc-restaurants-could-close-by-the-end-of-2025-survey-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"40% of DC restaurants could close by the end of 2025: Survey &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F40-of-dc-restaurants-could-close-by-the-end-of-2025-survey-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2413850&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">40% of DC restaurants could close by the end of 2025: Survey<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2031863\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/restaurants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">restaurants<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Washington<\/a><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\">, D.C.<\/a>, could shutte<\/span>r by the end of the year following the city&rsquo;s change in minimum wage policy.<\/p>\n<p>Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington data collected from over 200 restaurants in January and February suggested that 40% could close before the end of 2025. <a href=\"https:\/\/otr.cfo.dc.gov\/release\/otr-tax-notice-2023-03-sales-tax-additional-mandatory-charges-result-initiative-82\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">This comes after the city passed Initiative 82 in 2022<\/a>, which changed the $5.35 minimum wage for tipped workers, including restaurant servers and bartenders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3352231\/benjamin-netanyahu-strike-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-negotiations\/\">Netanyahu vows to continue strikes in Gaza during negotiations: &#8216;Only the beginning&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3352320\/judge-rejects-trump-administration-effort-mahmoud-khalil-case-new-jersey-louisiana\/\">Judge rejects Trump administration effort to dismiss or move Mahmoud Khalil case<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3352291\/sean-duffy-new-air-traffic-control-system-envy-of-the-world\/\">Duffy says new air traffic control system will be &#8216;envy of the world&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Couple years ago, Initiative 82 passed, and we&rsquo;ve seen an increase in labor costs,&rdquo; Eric Heidenberger, co-owner of D.C. Restaurant Group, said. &ldquo;You put all that together, it&rsquo;s been an extremely challenging time. We&rsquo;ve been around for 45 years. We&rsquo;ve never seen a stretch like this in our history.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>D.C.&rsquo;s base minimum wage is also set to increase on July 1<a href=\"https:\/\/does.dc.gov\/service\/office-wage-hour-compliance-0#:~:text=As%20of%20July%201%2C%202025,employer%20must%20pay%20the%20difference.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> from its current minimum of $10 an hour to $12 an hour<\/a>, a 20% increase. <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Last year<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramw.org\/articles\/blog\/dc-full-service-restaurant-workers-hit-steady-losses-2024-closures-reach-record-high\" target=\"_blank\">, <\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramw.org\/articles\/blog\/dc-full-service-restaurant-workers-hit-steady-losses-2024-closures-reach-record-high\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">74 restaurants in Washington, D.C., closed their doors, a record for the district.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think everyone is concerned,&rdquo; RAMW President and CEO Shawn Townsend said. &ldquo;These are real issues for everyone, regardless of what category of restaurant you fall in. The margins are already super thin in the restaurant industry, whether you are five-star or a sandwich shop downtown on M Street.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The possible closings could also be tied to D.C.&rsquo;s projected decrease in revenue, which comes as President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-government-efficiency\/\" title=\"\">Department of Government Efficiency<\/a> cut jobs in the federal government. D.C.&rsquo;s Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee has predicted the city could lose 40,000 jobs over the course of a few years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/3334476\/dc-blames-budget-deficit-on-federal-workforce-reductions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">translating to a $342 million annual <\/a><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/3334476\/dc-blames-budget-deficit-on-federal-workforce-reductions\/\" target=\"_blank\">revenue decline<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s proposed tariffs on nations such as Mexico and Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/washington-dc\/2025\/03\/19\/dc-bars-restaurants-tariff-sales-menus-fees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">could also affect the district&rsquo;s restaurant industry<\/a> since both countries provide the necessary goods the businesses sell to customers. Cork Wine Bar &amp; Market, for instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHMdljhv7aK\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">has conducted a &ldquo;tariff sale&rdquo; on its wine<\/a> to make room in its store so it can buy its merchandise in bulk before tariffs cause a price hike. Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tariffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">tariffs<\/a> are set to go into effect on April 2.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3351554\/bill-ending-tax-on-groceries-called-pipe-dream-by-republican-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">BILL ENDING TAX ON GROCERIES CALLED &lsquo;PIPE DREAM&rsquo; BY REPUBLICAN LEADER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The only option we have is to stock up and hope to be able to run with that wine as long as we can to ease in some pricing changes,&rdquo; restaurant co-owner Diane Gross said.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has contacted RAMW for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2031863\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2031863\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>40% of DC restaurants could close by the end of 2025: Survey Multiple restaurants in Washington , D.C., could shutter by the end of the year following the city\u2019s change in minimum wage policy. Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington data collected from over 200 restaurants in January and February suggested that 40% could close before the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2632,"featured_media":2413851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wendeys-closed-scaled.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2413850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Wendeys-closed-scaled.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2632"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}