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As President Donald Trump’s declaration of a crime聽emergency聽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鈥檚 already slow for restaurants.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a drop by 5% for the D.C. locations across the board. So it鈥檚 been tough, no doubt,鈥� Shallal told WTOP. 鈥淲ith the margins of restaurants being so small, quite a substantial drop.鈥�
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鈥檝e been in a long time.鈥�
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.
鈥淔ear 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.”
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington told WTOP that restaurant operators surveyed earlier this year named top concerns as “inflation, tariffs, federal workforce reductions, and immigration policies.”聽
“As DC has made significant and measurable progress on crime in recent years 鈥� including through the Secure DC Act passed by the DC Council in 2024 鈥� it has not been noted as a leading concern by our restaurants, but will always be a priority. We are proud that the Nation鈥檚 Capital is safe 鈥� and our restaurants remain eager to welcome diners to experience our world-class dining scene,” the association wrote in an emailed statement.
In addition to the federal surge, the restaurant association said extreme heat and summer vacations could have contributed to lower foot traffic in some D.C. restaurants in August.
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.
鈥淚n business, if you don鈥檛 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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