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As Trump’s declaration of a crime emergency in D.C. comes to an end, one restaurant owner is hoping the change will help reverse a drop in business.
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DC restaurant owner hopes end of crime emergency will bring diners back
As President Donald Trump’s declaration of a crime emergency in D.C. comes to an end, one local restaurant owner is hoping the change will help reverse a drop in business.
Andy Shallal, founder of Busboys and Poets, said his D.C. locations saw a 5% decline in revenue during the federal law enforcement surge, which is an especially tough hit during August, a month that’s already slow for restaurants.
“We’ve seen a drop by 5% for the D.C. locations across the board. So it’s been tough, no doubt,” Shallal told WTOP. “With the margins of restaurants being so small, quite a substantial drop.”
However, Trump has said that diners have voiced how safe they feel going out to eat during the surge, saying in mid-August that restaurants have been “busier than they’ve been in a long time.”
Shallal gave a differing stance. He said since the surge began, his suburban locations saw an uptick in business, while the city locations struggled.
“People are opting not to travel to come into D.C. is what it seems like. It puts fear in everybody’s mind,” he said.
While the White House has said the emergency helped reduce crime and encouraged more people to visit restaurants, Shallal believes it also created fear and uncertainty.
“Fear is created among customers that may want to come into the city,” he said. “It creates anxiety. It’s not good. These types of things are not good for business in general.”
Though the end of the crime emergency declaration may not immediately reduce the number of National Guard troops or federal officers on the streets, Shallal hopes the optics of it being over will help restore confidence and bring people back to D.C.
“In business, if you don’t know how to pivot, you die,” he said. “This will come out of the other side, I’m sure, stronger and better.”
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Mike Murillo
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