DC gov giving $50,000 to restaurants "to remain operational"

[Anonymous]

It won’t change the trajectory. Demographics are changing and the jobs picture is completely different now. Also doesn’t bode well for this huge investment they are planning for the new stadium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s just so odd that DC voted well over 90 percent for Harris yet every time there’s a thread started on DCUM about something related to DC politics the thread is hijacked by rapid Republicans who insist they all actually live here and often say they have for decades. Either they’re full of shit or every Republican in the city gets a DCUM news alert.

I’m a DC native, and I was never polled on who I voted for. I didn’t vote because democrats are at this point fully unable to govern large urban localities, as we see here, Baltimore, Chicago, LA, etc. This is just a fact. I also didn’t vote because republicans push stuff I don’t like in national politics. In a perfect world we’d have a moderate democrat federal government and republicans running DC, Chicago, LA, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't about I-82.

It is about the decimation, between COVID and trump layoffs, of downtown DC.

+1 I think this is a half-baked idea, but trying to tie it to "progressive ideals" is pretty far-fetched. Was it progressive to bail out the banks or auto manufacturers? Why is it only a problem if the money goes to a non-billionaire?

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It’s just so odd that DC voted well over 90 percent for Harris yet every time there’s a thread started on DCUM about something related to DC politics the thread is hijacked by rapid Republicans who insist they all actually live here and often say they have for decades. Either they’re full of shit or every Republican in the city gets a DCUM news alert.


I’m a DC native, and I was never polled on who I voted for. I didn’t vote because democrats are at this point fully unable to govern large urban localities, as we see here, Baltimore, Chicago, LA, etc. This is just a fact. I also didn’t vote because republicans push stuff I don’t like in national politics. In a perfect world we’d have a moderate democrat federal government and republicans running DC, Chicago, LA, etc.

You're where I am in terms of thinking, though I still do go vote. What I most want is a return to the idea of true negotiation between Rs and Ds---politics is the art of compromise and that has been lost since Newt Gingrich on the federal level. And unfortunately in DC it is a one-party world so the negotiation is between left and far left. We used to have Carol Schwartz and David Catania keeping fiscal watch on the DC Council---we need that again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s just so odd that DC voted well over 90 percent for Harris yet every time there’s a thread started on DCUM about something related to DC politics the thread is hijacked by rapid Republicans who insist they all actually live here and often say they have for decades. Either they’re full of shit or every Republican in the city gets a DCUM news alert.

Huh? This makes zero sense. There are essentially no Republicans in DC. Hardly anyone outside of DMV has any idea what this Web site is. And likely the vast majority of Democrats in DC, which is to a vast majority of the citizens of DC, think much of what the DC government does is crazy. Our government, especially the city council, has long been captured by fringe leftists who subject the city to their endless parade of dumb ideas of which this is only the latest. If *you* actually lived here for more than five minutes, you would know this. The reason the city adopted ranked choice voting is to try to make it harder for these kooks to get reelected.

[Anonymous]

There are tons of fairly good restaurants in the 'burbs. You can eat pretty well in Rockville or Arlington. And not have to deal with parking issues. Or crime or harassment issues. If you are coming from the suburbs, a DC restaurant has to make it worthwhile. An event restaurant. And there are very few to make it worth the hassle. Plus all the surcharges DC restaurants often add to the check. It's generally not worth it on a Thursday evening.

And 20 and 30-somethings in DC aren't going out like they used to. For lots of reasons. Price being the big one. But also they don't drink much these days. And they have their online whatever communities and very cheap weed and gummies. Much more affordable than a $20 dirty martini at a mediocre restaurant with questionable vibes.

Where is the value of going to most DC restaurants? They are not competing with food, price, ambience, service, vibe, or convenience. I really can't think of much of a reason to go downtown for dinner unless for a special restaurant. Of which there are not many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just so odd that DC voted well over 90 percent for Harris yet every time there’s a thread started on DCUM about something related to DC politics the thread is hijacked by rapid Republicans who insist they all actually live here and often say they have for decades. Either they’re full of shit or every Republican in the city gets a DCUM news alert.

I’m a DC native, and I was never polled on who I voted for. I didn’t vote because democrats are at this point fully unable to govern large urban localities, as we see here, Baltimore, Chicago, LA, etc. This is just a fact. I also didn’t vote because republicans push stuff I don’t like in national politics. In a perfect world we’d have a moderate democrat federal government and republicans running DC, Chicago, LA, etc.

You should take another look at Baltimore - Brandon Scott is a pretty good mayor. Recently lowered the property tax rate, crime is down, and when Trump threatened to send in the national guard because Baltimore is some sort-of hellhole of crime, Scott calmly defused Trump by stating that the crime rate in Baltimore is down, but if the president wants to make some federal investments in the city, that investment would be welcome. Trump moved on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are tons of fairly good restaurants in the 'burbs. You can eat pretty well in Rockville or Arlington. And not have to deal with parking issues. Or crime or harassment issues. If you are coming from the suburbs, a DC restaurant has to make it worthwhile. An event restaurant. And there are very few to make it worth the hassle. Plus all the surcharges DC restaurants often add to the check. It's generally not worth it on a Thursday evening.

And 20 and 30-somethings in DC aren't going out like they used to. For lots of reasons. Price being the big one. But also they don't drink much these days. And they have their online whatever communities and very cheap weed and gummies. Much more affordable than a $20 dirty martini at a mediocre restaurant with questionable vibes.

Where is the value of going to most DC restaurants? They are not competing with food, price, ambience, service, vibe, or convenience. I really can't think of much of a reason to go downtown for dinner unless for a special restaurant. Of which there are not many.

Yet another poster who doesn't live here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are tons of fairly good restaurants in the 'burbs. You can eat pretty well in Rockville or Arlington. And not have to deal with parking issues. Or crime or harassment issues. If you are coming from the suburbs, a DC restaurant has to make it worthwhile. An event restaurant. And there are very few to make it worth the hassle. Plus all the surcharges DC restaurants often add to the check. It's generally not worth it on a Thursday evening.

And 20 and 30-somethings in DC aren't going out like they used to. For lots of reasons. Price being the big one. But also they don't drink much these days. And they have their online whatever communities and very cheap weed and gummies. Much more affordable than a $20 dirty martini at a mediocre restaurant with questionable vibes.

Where is the value of going to most DC restaurants? They are not competing with food, price, ambience, service, vibe, or convenience. I really can't think of much of a reason to go downtown for dinner unless for a special restaurant. Of which there are not many.

Yet another poster who doesn't live here.

I think the only people who still go downtown are tourists and National Guard troops. I avoid going because there's nowhere to park and all the bike lanes have made traffic terrible. It's kinda depressing down there. There's so many empty storefronts and so many great restaurants have closed.

[Anonymous]

What a waste of money. A giveaway, but no actual changes to make the industry more sustainable.

This is absolutely a problem created by government over-regulation. I-82 and DC just not being an easy place to get into and park due to necessity and cost of safe off-street parking. I am in NoVa and used to go to DC at least once a month for restaurants and entertainment, but it is just no longer worth it.

And if you insist that all of this regulation is needed, the natural consequence is fewer restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are tons of fairly good restaurants in the 'burbs. You can eat pretty well in Rockville or Arlington. And not have to deal with parking issues. Or crime or harassment issues. If you are coming from the suburbs, a DC restaurant has to make it worthwhile. An event restaurant. And there are very few to make it worth the hassle. Plus all the surcharges DC restaurants often add to the check. It's generally not worth it on a Thursday evening.

And 20 and 30-somethings in DC aren't going out like they used to. For lots of reasons. Price being the big one. But also they don't drink much these days. And they have their online whatever communities and very cheap weed and gummies. Much more affordable than a $20 dirty martini at a mediocre restaurant with questionable vibes.

Where is the value of going to most DC restaurants? They are not competing with food, price, ambience, service, vibe, or convenience. I really can't think of much of a reason to go downtown for dinner unless for a special restaurant. Of which there are not many.

Yet another poster who doesn't live here.

Who cares if they live in DC or not? Many restaurants are or were dependent on customers coming in from outside of DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are tons of fairly good restaurants in the 'burbs. You can eat pretty well in Rockville or Arlington. And not have to deal with parking issues. Or crime or harassment issues. If you are coming from the suburbs, a DC restaurant has to make it worthwhile. An event restaurant. And there are very few to make it worth the hassle. Plus all the surcharges DC restaurants often add to the check. It's generally not worth it on a Thursday evening.

And 20 and 30-somethings in DC aren't going out like they used to. For lots of reasons. Price being the big one. But also they don't drink much these days. And they have their online whatever communities and very cheap weed and gummies. Much more affordable than a $20 dirty martini at a mediocre restaurant with questionable vibes.

Where is the value of going to most DC restaurants? They are not competing with food, price, ambience, service, vibe, or convenience. I really can't think of much of a reason to go downtown for dinner unless for a special restaurant. Of which there are not many.

Yet another poster who doesn't live here.

Who cares if they live in DC or not? Many restaurants are or were dependent on customers coming in from outside of DC.

I think all restaurants are highly dependent on customers who don't live in their immediate vicinity. Even in DC, there's not enough people who live close by to support them, unless you think everyone in the neighborhood is going to *constantly* go to their nearby restaurants. I dont want to always go to the same place. This is why parking matters. Restaurants need to be able to attract people who don't live nearby.

[Anonymous]

Maybe VA and MD should chip in to keep these restaurants open for them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe VA and MD should chip in to keep these restaurants open for them

This is very Trump-y, creating a problem and then, instead of undoing the problem, coming up with absurd workarounds to try to offset the effects of the problem you created. How about we just get rid of I-82? And stop making traffic terrible? And giving people places to park? We don't need to put restaurants on the public payroll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are tons of fairly good restaurants in the 'burbs. You can eat pretty well in Rockville or Arlington. And not have to deal with parking issues. Or crime or harassment issues. If you are coming from the suburbs, a DC restaurant has to make it worthwhile. An event restaurant. And there are very few to make it worth the hassle. Plus all the surcharges DC restaurants often add to the check. It's generally not worth it on a Thursday evening.

And 20 and 30-somethings in DC aren't going out like they used to. For lots of reasons. Price being the big one. But also they don't drink much these days. And they have their online whatever communities and very cheap weed and gummies. Much more affordable than a $20 dirty martini at a mediocre restaurant with questionable vibes.

Where is the value of going to most DC restaurants? They are not competing with food, price, ambience, service, vibe, or convenience. I really can't think of much of a reason to go downtown for dinner unless for a special restaurant. Of which there are not many.

Yet another poster who doesn't live here.

Who cares if they live in DC or not? Many restaurants are or were dependent on customers coming in from outside of DC.

Because it’s not your tax dollars being spent. You don’t get a vote. We don’t care what you think about how our money is spent.