After dozens of Washington, D.C., restaurants closed last year, citing high crime rates and soaring prices, another announced its closure just days into the new year.
The nation's capital is simultaneously facing a spike in crime and soaring costs, with some businesses relocating or closing permanently. About 52 restaurants in Washington, D.C., closed last year, 48 in 2022 and 40 in 2021, according to the Washington Restaurant Association.
“After serious consideration, we have come to this difficult decision,” said Erica Godrich, owner of DC Craft Beer Cellar. While announcing Her business of seven years in the H Street Corridor will close Tuesday. “The reality is, as we look to the future, our financial projections make it wiser to close than to stay open.”
The Metropolitan Police Department has added more officers on bicycles to patrol the H Street corridor, a particularly high-crime area. Several businesses in the region have closed in the past few months alone. (Washington DC, Metropolitan Police Department)
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Rising insurance premiums, declining foot traffic and declining revenue have put a strain on some D.C. businesses in recent years, according to a survey conducted by members of the Washington State Restaurant Association between August and October. More than a third of Washington, D.C., restaurants are seeing fewer customers and less revenue than a year ago, and three-quarters are making less profit than they were before the pandemic. RAMW data display.
REX Management CEO Noe Landini previously told Fox News: “We decided not to terminate the contract because it didn't make sense from an investment standpoint for the next five years.” Due to his declining business performance and increasing crime, he was forced to close his restaurant.
Washington, D.C., ended 2023 with 274 homicides, the highest level of homicides in 26 years, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. Robberies and thefts jumped 67% and 23%, respectively, and auto thefts nearly doubled.
Businesses in Washington, D.C. experience a spate of break-ins in 2023 as crime soars. The spike in crime continues into the new year, putting some businesses at risk. (FOX News/Sophie Rychalski/Metropolitan Police Department)
Many businesses across Washington, D.C., especially in the H Street area, which was once one of the city's fastest gentrifying neighborhoods, have closed due to crime.
“Unfortunately, the challenges in the restaurant industry since the pandemic, the current economic climate, and the surge in violent crime have made our operations increasingly difficult and impossible to survive.”Brine Oyster & Seafood House co-owner said. said in november. The restaurant's Dupont Circle and H Street locations closed on November 11th.
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“It's heartbreaking,” said Adam Kerinsky, owner of Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen. told Fox News In August, the restaurant was broken into for the fifth time in five months. “It's becoming more and more difficult for us to stay afloat in each of these situations.”
According to one source, three robberies alone resulted in more than $15,000 in damages and stolen property at the H Street restaurant. Local ABC affiliate station. After nearly 10 years, the wine bar finally closed in December.
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DC Harvest also closed in December, saying, “The neighborhood has changed and no one is coming out.” The nine-year-old eatery suffered three break-ins in two months, including on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Local FOX affiliate station Reported in March 2021.
Multiple D.C. businesses have cited crime and high rents as reasons for closing. More than 50 D.C. restaurants will close in 2023, according to the city's Restaurant Association. (Getty Images)
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“It's so out of control,” Landini said. “It just didn't make sense anymore.”
He expects more D.C. companies to head to Virginia or shut down entirely.
“It’s a 15-minute drive, but it’s a much more comfortable and safer experience,” Landini said. “Our employees are safer. Our customers don't have to deal with what they currently have to deal with downtown.”
