DC Restaurants Fear Closing Due To higher costs, according to survey
“Don't be alarmed by the top lines of this survey,” said Shawn Townsend, the president and CEO of Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
Townsend said the survey of about 200 member restaurants, most of them locally owned and operated, showed there is concern about higher food costs, higher rent and higher labor costs.
“We want every worker to have a fair and decent living wage in this city and in this region we
think that that is the only way that we can thrive and prosper collectively across the board,” he said. “However, I do think this is an opportunity to take a pause, take a look at the impact of Initiative 82 on the increase in labor to ensure that we are going down the right direction.”