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Federal police surge combines with multiple factors to leave owners apprehensive about the future.
WASHINGTON — D.C.’s restaurants and bars are hoping for a rebound as summer winds down. But after a week of record-low reservations and the federal police surge that swept into the city earlier this month, many owners say the industry still feels shaken.
According to OpenTable, reservations in the week of Aug. 11–17 were down nearly 30% compared to last year. On H Street, some owners, like The Pug’s Tony Temeldon, say the stepped-up federal police presence seems to have had a big effect on the last few days of summer.
“I’m vaguely reluctant to talk, because if you say the wrong thing, there’s a feeling that we may get visited,” Tomeldon said. “There’s a vaguely oppressive nature about it.”
By late August, reservations began to improve, thanks in part to the city’s extended Restaurant Week promotion, but the recovery is fragile.
“August is always rough. But this year, the vibe is off,” Tomeldon told WUSA9. “Is it the federal takeover? Is that why people aren’t going out as much? Or did a big chunk of D.C. get DOGEd?”
Tomeldon did say, to his eyes, the foot traffic along H Street has been noticeably quieter since the federal police presence began.
The enforcement surge is only the latest hurdle. Tomeldon said rising costs due to inflation, fear of tariffs, and D.C.’s phased increase in tipped wages have all piled pressure onto restaurant owners.
“I’d rather go to the dentist every day with no anesthesia than deal with all of the things we’ve been dealing with for the last two years,” Tomeldon said.
With Congress and staffers returning to the city after Labor Day, many in the industry are hoping fall will bring steadier business. But Tomeldon says survival now depends on constant adaptation.
“We have to figure out how to make these things work, because the old ways aren’t here for us anymore,” he said.
Restaurant owners hope that if federal enforcement scales back and customers return to the city, the slump of August won’t stretch into the fall.
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