Restaurant reservations in Washington, D.C., were down nearly 25 percent, on average, this past week after President Donald Trump announced the federal government would largely take control of the nation’s capital to reduce crime.
Seated reservations declined 16 percent on August 11, the day Trump announced he would deploy approximately 800 National Guard members and directed local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement officials, according to data collected by OpenTable.
The pattern continued in the days after, with reservations down 27 percent on August 12, 31 percent on August 13, 29 percent on August 14, and 25 percent on August 15, compared to the same time last year.
D.C. had the most significant decline in reservations compared to any U.S. state, including nearby Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.
Over the weekend, seated reservations were down 20 percent on August 16 and 21 percent on August 17 – indicating that the heavy presence of National Guard members, FBI agents, Drug Enforcement Administration agents, ICE agents, and officials from the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Explosives appears to have reduced foot traffic.
The decline in reservations coincides with D.C.’s Restuarant Week in which some restaurants offer a three-course prix fixe menu, allowing people to try expensive or exclusive restaurants at a discounted rate.
But with a heavy presence of federal law enforcement conducting immigration raids, dismantling homeless encampments, and arresting individuals, it’s unclear if residents will be inclined to step downtown and try new restaurants.
That may be heightened if more National Guard troops are deployed to D.C. and carry weapons, displaying an intimidating image of power and control in D.C. Recent reports indicate that troops are anticipating an order from the Defense Department to carry weapons. No formal order has been given yet.
But more National Guard troops can be expected with West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio delivering anywhere from 150 to 400 troops to the nation’s capital.
Trump’s stated reason for the increased federal law enforcement presence is to curtail crime in D.C., which he has characterized as out of control and violent. However, statistics indicate violent crime has dramatically declined in the city since it hit two-decade-high in 2023.
Despite various reports indicating the D.C. crime rate is down, Trump has continued to push his narrative claiming, on Monday, that the city gave “fake crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety.”
There is no evidence at this time that the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. gave “fake” numbers.
But the president continued to assert that his decision to declare a crime emergency in D.C. has made it “the safest” city. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that there have been more than 400 arrests since last week when federal law enforcement descended upon the city,
“People are flocking to D.C. again, and soon, the beautification will begin!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
Over the weekend, hundreds of residents gathered in Dupont Circle to protest the president’s deployment of federal law enforcement.
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