DC restaurant dining plunges as Trump's crime crackdown continues, data shows

Trump says DC restaurants are "busier than ever." But data shows otherwise

The number of patrons dining out in D.C. has plummeted since President Trump deployed federal troops across the city, according to research conducted by OpenTable.

WASHINGTON - The number of patrons dining out in D.C. has plummeted since President Trump deployed federal troops across the city, according to research conducted by OpenTable. 

By the numbers:

The data shows that restaurant attendance was down every day last week compared with the same week in 2024. Beginning Monday, Aug. 11, seated diners in the District dropped by 16%. The largest drop off was last Wednesday, when the number of diners dipped by 31%. This was just two days after Trump ordered the National Guard to patrol the streets of Washington. 

Notably, last year’s Summer Restaurant Week began on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. This year’s event kicked off six days later, amid the heightened security presence and public unease.

The president claims that Washington has been "overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people," despite the fact that violent crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low. More specifically, total violent crime in the city was down 35% in 2024 from the year prior, according to Justice Department data. 

Prior to the federal takeover, D.C.'s restaurant industry had seen 11 consecutive months of year-over-year improvement in reservation numbers, the data shows. Additionally, as of Aug. 17, D.C. is the only city among the 20 largest in the country tracked by OpenTable that's experienced a decline in reservations from August 2024. 

Trump contradicts the data 

What they're saying:

Despite these figures, Trump made mention of the state of D.C. dining during a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Monday, saying that restaurants in the District are more crowded than they've been in a long time. 

"The press says, ‘He’s a dictator, he’s trying to take over.’ No, all I want is security for our people. But people who haven’t gone out to dinner in Washington, D.C., in two years are going out to dinner, and the restaurants the last two days were busier than they’ve been in a long time," the president said. 

Trump also claimed that he has friends who feel safe enough to have dinner in D.C. again since the federal takeover. 

"Friends are calling me up, Democrats are calling me up. And they’re saying, ‘Sir, we want to thank you. My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years, and Washington, D.C., is safe and you did that in four days,’" Trump added. 

Khalid Pitts, co-owner of Cork Wine Bar in Northwest D.C., said that with the "firing of federal workers" and the "uneasiness in the city," his business has seen numbers go down in recent weeks. 

"Hospitality is about welcoming people," he said. "I can't welcome people through my doors if (they're) afraid to go out of (their) doors." 

He says his guests feel like they're "living in a police state." 

"That is what we are hearing from guests," he said. 

Daniel Kramer, owner of Duke's Grocery, said he hasn't seen much of a difference in customer traffic within his business. 

"Last week, the streets were a bit quieter but again, it's mid-August, it was kinda hot," he said. "So, I can't put my finger on that one factor (the federal takeover), but certainly I understand where guests are coming from." 

Big picture view:

The timing of the takeover couldn't be worse for the city's restaurant industry, as hundreds of eateries kick off Summer Restaurant Week, which began on  Aug. 18. OpenTable's data did not immediately include to what extent that may have factored into the year-to-year drop.