December 27, 2023 |
Kevin Haggerty |
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Capitol restaurateurs are lamenting exorbitant costs for security as others are forced to close due to soaring crime: “It’s like the Wild West.”
With only days remaining in 2023, the year continued a trend of losing businesses as owners sought safer climates beyond the borders of the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C.. Tuesday, the DCist/WAMU
reported that restaurant closures had surpassed the 48 in 2022 at 52 and, along with inflation, blue state crime was a leading factor.
In early December, restaurateur Bo Blair spoke with Axios about the exorbitant costs surpassing $450,000 for the year for his Washington, D.C. venues “all impacted by crime, some on a daily basis.”
This included spending $4,000 a week for security at a 24-hour taquería to which he
said, “Think about it, private security at a taco stand. It’s like the Wild West.”
Hardly a unique case, fellow D.C. restaurant owner Aaron McGovern had explained to DCist/WAMU that he had to shutter his Biergarten Haus over the summer and he “said his business struggled for a number of reasons, including never fully recovering from the COVID pandemic. He also said he had many regulars from the suburbs who stopped coming to H Street NE because of their perception of crime in the District.”
The proprietor owned several establishments in the capital, “but by the end of 2023, he will own none.”
McGovern told Axios in early December that he had looked into Reimbursable Detail Officers (RDO) from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to act as security after burglaries and assault of employees had cost him tens of thousands, but the losses could not be justified.