Possible restaurant closures are looming over eateries in the nation’s capital.
Forty-four percent of full-service casual restaurants that operate in Washington, D.C. reported shutting their doors was “very” or “somewhat likely” in 2025, a Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) survey indicated.
Local media outlet WJLA reported on the survey, conducted among 217 restaurants in the DC-area from Jan. 24 to Feb. 11, and published a RAMW document detailing its findings.
The risk of those restaurants shuttering comes as “rising costs and tipped wage increases outpace revenue,” the survey said.
Smaller proportions of surveyed D.C.-area fast-casual and suburban restaurants warned of possible closures this year, at 15% and 23%, respectively, according to the RAMW.
The survey found nearly half of restaurants of all kinds in the area saw their sales drop last year. Meanwhile, 62% of respondents brought in smaller profits.