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Possible restaurant closures loom on restaurants in the country's capital.
44% of full-service casual restaurants operating in Washington reported that closing their doors was “very” or “somewhat” in 2025.
Local media outlet WJLA reported on the investigation and was conducted and published in 217 restaurants in the DC area from January 24th to February 11th. Ramw Documentation Details of the survey results.
WASHINGTON, DC-January 19: The U.S. Capitol is on display at the sunrise the day before President Donald Trump was held in Washington, DC on January 19, 2025. Donald Trump and Vice President Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) (Joe Raedle / Getty Images / Getty Images)
The risk of these restaurants closing comes with “upward revenues as costs rise and wages rise,” the study says.
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According to RAMW, the proportion of high-speed casual and suburban restaurants in the DC area surveyed was 15% and 23% of the surveyed warning of the possibility of closure.
The survey found that almost half of all types of restaurants in the area had sales declined last year. Meanwhile, 62% of respondents provided less profit.
According to a RAMW study, DC restaurants' costs have become a problem, with 68% fighting against increasing food and drink costs. More than four in five restaurants expect costs to worsen as the year progresses.
Ramw said in a published document By WJLA Overall, the survey “shown an industry struggling with the continued impact of lower sales and customer traffic, escalating food costs, major federal layoffs, and ongoing impacts of ongoing wage increases.”
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About 49% of DC restaurants have experienced fewer customers visiting the facility last year as some residents chose to eat food at home to avoid high costs.
According to Ramw, tariffs, new immigration policies and the possibility of other factors affecting businesses also place emphasis on the hearts of restaurants around the city.
The minimum wage required for DC chip workers will rise to $2 to $12 an hour to early July as the city is trying to do the same as the overall minimum wage for years to come. According to RAMW, future increases could make the number of restaurant closures much higher.
The District of Columbia also ranked high on the list of top locations for working from home. (istock / istock)
“The full-service restaurants in our district — the gathering locations that define the neighborhood and create the cultural fabric of our city — face a combination of historic pressures,” Ramw CEO Sean Townsend said. “This data shows multiple substantial burdens that converge at once, threatening not only a single business, but also the potential to potentially change DC's unique dining landscape.”
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According to the National Restaurant Association, DC has over 2,600 restaurants and 66,400 restaurant and foodservice jobs.
The city's industry generates $7.7 billion in restaurant and food service sales.
Nationally, the restaurant industry is expected to aim for $1.5 trillion this year, the National Restaurant Association estimated earlier last month.
