‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown

[Anonymous]

“Shawn Townsend, head of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, announced that the city’s annual Restaurant Week is being extended because of the business-dampening effects of Trump’s actions, noting that “reservations were down in restaurants pretty significantly” the week after Trump launched his federal takeover. Data from OpenTable shows restaurant reservations down 24 percent from last year’s Restaurant Week, the New York Times reported.

But numbers tell only part of the story. In interviews with restaurant owners, chefs, and workers, another picture emerged: that of small businesses being harmed by a president who was elected because of his purported business acumen; of a man whose obsession with appearing tough on crime now threatens to sabotage urban economies across the country.

“People used to say Washington is recession-proof. Today Washington is a recession magnet,” Immigrant Food cofounder and “Restaurateur of the Year” candidate Peter Schechter told me. “We’re back to a very pandemic-feeling city. There are fewer people going to work, fewer people walking around, fewer cars, reservations are down, events have been canceled.”
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-is-strangling-the-life-out-of-washington-dc-restaurants

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

This. We all see them blatantly profiling people based on their skin color. I have a colleague who started carrying around her passport out of concern she'd be stopped because of how she looks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

Get meds. Literally nobody who isn't in some state of psychological crisis is scared. This is BS propaganda that US citizens or legal aliens and especially their underage kids.. are just snatched up from the streets by masked men and taken who knows where. Maybe you are confusing this with trafficking? Worrying about ICE agents accosting you in public places is propaganda induced paranoia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

This. We all see them blatantly profiling people based on their skin color. I have a colleague who started carrying around her passport out of concern she'd be stopped because of how she looks.

She has anxiety issues and so are you. The cure is stop listening to propaganda and get in touch with the real life around you and see people of all ethnic backgrounds going around their business uninundated. Unplug from whatever information channels you consume. Making people afraid is literally their business model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Shawn Townsend, head of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, announced that the city’s annual Restaurant Week is being extended because of the business-dampening effects of Trump’s actions, noting that “reservations were down in restaurants pretty significantly” the week after Trump launched his federal takeover. Data from OpenTable shows restaurant reservations down 24 percent from last year’s Restaurant Week, the New York Times reported.

But numbers tell only part of the story. In interviews with restaurant owners, chefs, and workers, another picture emerged: that of small businesses being harmed by a president who was elected because of his purported business acumen; of a man whose obsession with appearing tough on crime now threatens to sabotage urban economies across the country.

“People used to say Washington is recession-proof. Today Washington is a recession magnet,” Immigrant Food cofounder and “Restaurateur of the Year” candidate Peter Schechter told me. “We’re back to a very pandemic-feeling city. There are fewer people going to work, fewer people walking around, fewer cars, reservations are down, events have been canceled.”
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-is-strangling-the-life-out-of-washington-dc-restaurants

Ok, this is complete BS. I was in DC over the last few days and haven't seen this. Restaurants were as full as they always were, maybe even busier since it was a great weather for outdoor dining. There are tourists and students are back to classes, so this also accounts for increased street life. I did not miss many tents that used to line up around the greenways of the highways leading to DC and especially dotting every single circle intersection. Fewer panhandlers too, although not zero.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown has the most infestation of rats.

The rats in Georgetown are huge. Walk past an ally and there's hundreds near the dumpsters. I also see some store fronts with rat holes where the rats get in. We stopped eating outside at some of the places. The rats are running everywhere. Stay away from the canal and the boardwalk.

You sound like a fragile snowflake and also a lier. I go to Gtown often and I do not see rats running around or people afraid to dine outside. All tables were full at every outdoor dining place this weekend. Canal is overgrown, but is getting fixed. It's definitely not scary or more infested than any other urban neighborhood in DC or even other cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Enjoyed restaurant week on Saturday. Would not dare go to the suburbs. Food was amazing and the people were amazing. City looked just as beautiful as it did 3 weeks ago. Making a point of only eating at DC restaurants. Not interested in the close minded people who are afraid of their own shadows.

This. Exactly my experience. People lie like crazy here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

Get meds. Literally nobody who isn't in some state of psychological crisis is scared. This is BS propaganda that US citizens or legal aliens and especially their underage kids.. are just snatched up from the streets by masked men and taken who knows where. Maybe you are confusing this with trafficking? Worrying about ICE agents accosting you in public places is propaganda induced paranoia.

There are literally articles a few posts above yours containing interviews with people who are scared. Perhaps you need meds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And a lot of us who are native born want nothing to do with the harassment of masked, badgeless thugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. People are frightened, confused and irritated.

Illegals and criminals should be frightened but the good use is they have the opportunity to self deport. https://www.ice.gov/self-deportation

This has nothing to do with “illegals” or legal immigration. Everyone is afraid. Parents are scared for their children to be out driving. US citizens are worried about when Trump and Federal law enforcement will kidnap their children from the street or schools.

American is done.

Get meds. Literally nobody who isn't in some state of psychological crisis is scared. This is BS propaganda that US citizens or legal aliens and especially their underage kids.. are just snatched up from the streets by masked men and taken who knows where. Maybe you are confusing this with trafficking? Worrying about ICE agents accosting you in public places is propaganda induced paranoia.

You are not paying attention if you believe the bolded is just propaganda. It is actually happening. Right now. In our country. Wake Up.

[Anonymous]

Women don’t feel safe with groups of men loitering about. IDC if they’re in suits or cutoffs or uniforms or fatigues.

This admin has shown over and over again it hates women, POC, and LGBTQ. So, no I don’t feel safe with people who swear to this MAGA megalomaniac.