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Boston Globe
11 hours ago
- Boston Globe
‘The city is dead': D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown
This August has been particularly tough on D.C. restaurants, numerous operators told The Washington Post. They were already dealing with a number of destabilizing issues — rising labor and ingredient costs, soaring rents, federal worker layoffs, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement audits — when the president announced last week that he was sending in troops and federal agents to deal with a city where crime is 'totally out of control,' despite local and federal statistics showing otherwise. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It's like drowning and then someone throws a 100 lb weight to you,' texted one D.C. restaurateur who asked that his name not be used because, he said, he was 'just focused on keeping my businesses alive (this week).' Advertisement Agents from Homeland Security and the FBI patrolled along U Street in northwest Washington, on Friday. Alex Brandon/Associated Press It's difficult to get an exact read on the state of D.C. dining since the federalization of local police. On the day of Trump's announcement, the number of online reservations in Washington dining rooms dropped by 16 percent from the same date the previous year, according to OpenTable. Since then, reservations have dipped almost every day, falling as much as 31 percent in a single day compared to the same period in 2024. But on Monday, the first day of Restaurant Week, OpenTable reservations were up 29 percent compared to the same day the previous year. Some of the decline in reservations could be attributed to timing: The first week of the takeover, Aug. 11 to 17, ended one day before Restaurant Week began. Those same dates in 2024 fell during Restaurant Week, when presumably reservations were increasing as diners scrambled to secure the discounted three-course meals. Townsend with RAMW, which organizes the biannual promotion, says that none of the 380 restaurants involved in this year's event — a record number — have reported a drop in reservations for the seven-day run. But at least two participating restaurant proprietors told The Washington Post that their numbers are well below last year's bookings. 'Reservations are low, low, low' compared to last year, said Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, co-owner of El Secreto de Rosita on U Street near 16th Street NW, across the street from a police station where he said federal troops have often assembled before fanning out across the city. 'The city is dead,' Fraga-Rosenseld said. " If you walk on the street, there's no feeling. People are scared … You don't see any Latinos on the street." Advertisement Nick Pimentel, co-founder of Elle in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, said he's seen a significant drop in walk-in traffic and reservations since January. But the bottom fell out this month. 'Compared to last year's Summer Restaurant Week reservations — and even Winter Restaurant Week in January — it's looking like we dropped more than 50 percent,' Pimentel said. Washington Metropolitan Police officers and military police soldiers with the District of Columbia National Guard, as activists protested President Trump's federal takeover of policing in D.C. on Saturday. Alex Brandon/Associated Press The numbers suggest, he added, that this will be the slowest August in Elle's seven-year history, including during the pandemic-affected summer of 2020. 'Seeing law enforcement — armored and plainclothed — in the neighborhood, casing our building and looking into our windows definitely put guests and staff on edge,' Pimentel said. Mount Pleasant and The president and White House are disputing the numbers. During a Tuesday call in to the 'Fox & Friends' morning television show, Trump said his orders have transformed Washington into 'just an incredible place in literally four days.' 'Did you see what's happening with the restaurants? They're bursting,' Trump said. 'They were all closing and going bankrupt.' On Monday, Trump disputed local and federal statistics that show crime is declining in the city, claiming in a social media post that 'D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety.' A White House spokeswoman sent a statement to The Post, along with a Fox News story indicating that 52 restaurants closed in Washington in 2023, in part due to crime. Advertisement 'Dozens of DC small businesses, restaurants, and local shops have closed their doors due to the violent crime that has plagued the city. President Trump's bold leadership will restore our nation's capital by creating opportunities for businesses to flourish without fear of criminals looting and destroying their property. President Trump is delivering on his promise to make DC safer, which will inherently make D.C, more prosperous,' spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement. Members of the National Guard were delivered lunch at an entrance to the Smithsonian Metro station in Washington, on Tuesday. TIERNEY L. CROSS/NYT Busboys and Poets, a chain of community-oriented cafes, has seen a small collective drop in August sales among the five locations in Washington while its three suburban outposts are enjoying an uptick, said founder Andy Shallal. 'The streets seem to be a little bit thinner in certain parts of town,' said Shallal. 'There's a little bit of a malaise in the city. I think people are just frustrated and just not in a good mood ." Shallal and others say federal checkpoints are scaring some people from visiting Washington, regardless of their legal status. The unexpected traffic stops may also be preventing workers — particularly back-of-the-house cooks and dishwashers who often hail from Latin American countries — from showing up to shifts. 'I think people would much rather stay where they are and not have to deal with this,' said Shallal. 'A lot of our customers are immigrants that have either newly immigrated to America or have been naturalized Americans. ... In general, they'd rather not expose people or expose themselves to those kinds of conditions or situations that may put them in harm's way ." Related : Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) has spoken to nearly a dozen restaurant owners in his district, which includes Capitol Hill and the NoMa neighborhood, and said they're telling him the same thing: In the last week, they're seeing less foot traffic. Reservations are being canceled. Employees, especially back-of-house staff, are not showing up for work, leaving restaurants shorthanded for evening shifts. Some restaurant owners are hesitant to complain publicly for fear of being targeted by federal agents. Advertisement 'I haven't heard a single restaurant say 'this is great for business,'' Allen said. 'Our businesses are suffering by what they're doing here,' the council member added. 'It's an unwarranted, absolutely ridiculous, unnecessary step that federal government's doing. It sure is more than just immigration issues. This is impacting bread-and-butter local businesses.' Med Lahlou, founder of an eponymous hospitality group operating neighborhood restaurants throughout the city including Lupo Verde on 14th Street NW, said the police presence and public arrests have been demoralizing. Federal agents and local police placed a man under arrest in D.C. on Monday. ERIC LEE/NYT 'It has been heartbreaking to watch my hometown of 40 years feel like it's coming apart,' the restaurateur said. He said the takeover is 'devastating businesses to an unimaginable degree' — including the service industry. 'People are scared to go out, regardless of whether they are U.S. citizens or not. That fear alone is enough to damage restaurant week and the livelihood of countless workers,' Lahlou said. Oji Abbott had been expecting an uptick in sales at Oohh's and Aahh's, his soul food restaurant on U Street, as Howard University students returned to campus last week, preparing for the start of a new semester. But the uptick never arrived. Instead, Abbott says, he has experienced a decline — a small but noticeable one. He pinned some of the blame on the presence of federal law enforcement officers. Advertisement 'We got losses because some people are not coming out and dealing with that,' Abbott told The Post. 'They say, 'You know, I heard they were at 14th Street, they were in U Street. I'm not going.'' Abbott is fortunate compared to other businesses on the U Street corridor, he says. Oohh's and Aahh's has two other locations. If diners don't feel safe — or just don't want to deal with the hassle of navigating the neighborhood with all the extra vehicles on the streets — they can go to one of Abbott's outlets on Georgia Avenue NW or in Alexandria, Virginia. But the chef and owner also worries about the impact of 30 straight days of federal agents and officers on the streets. 'We have to operate within this 30 days, and do you have enough wherewithal to be able to have a week or month of short money coming?' Abbott says. 'Most small businesses, I'll say no. Small businesses, you don't have money to say, 'Oh, yeah, I'll just take the short money for 30 days and I'll still be able to pay the rent and my electric bill and my water bill and my gas bill.' Department of Homeland Security Investigation officers paused at the intersection of 14th and U Streets in northwest Washington, while on patrol on August 13. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press Townsend with RAMW is more bullish on the restaurants that his group represents. They will make Restaurant Week work, regardless of how many staff no-show for a shift. Owners will roll up their sleeves and pitch in. But Townsend is also concerned about the federal takeover of Washington's streets as restaurant week revs up. 'There's a sense from the restaurant community in D.C. that folks who live in Maryland and Virginia will opt to dine in Bethesda or Tysons or Falls Church,' Townsend said, 'as opposed to trying out a new restaurant in D.C. this week.'
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Metro bus ridership continues to dip. Are fears over ICE raids partly to blame?
Ridership across Metro's transit system plunged in June after federal immigration authorities conducted dramatic raids across Los Angeles County, sowing fear among many rail and bus riders. Last month, the transit agency's passenger numbers on buses continued to dip, although the reasons are not fully clear. Ridership on rail crept up roughly 6.5% in July after a decrease of more than 3.7 million boardings across the rail and bus system the month before. Bus ridership accounted for the bulk of the June hit, with a ridership drop of more than 3.1 million from May. In July, bus boardings continued to decrease slightly by nearly 2%. While it's possible that concerns over safety have persisted as immigration raids continued to play out in the Los Angeles region, a drop in bus ridership from June to July in years past has not been uncommon, according to Metro data. A review of the number of boardings from 2018 shows routine dips in bus ridership during the summer months. The agency said 'there is a seasonal pattern to ridership and historically bus ridership is lower in July than June when schools and colleges are not in regular session and people are more likely to take time off from work.' June saw a roughly 13.5% decline from the month before — the lowest June on record since 2022, when boardings had begun to climb again after the pandemic. The reduction in passengers was not felt along every rail line and bus route. Metro chief executive Stephanie Wiggins noted during a board of directors meeting last month that the K Line saw a 140% surge in weekday ridership in June and a roughly 200% increase in weekend ridership after the opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center. Metro has struggled with ridership in recent years, first when the pandemic shuttered transit and then when a spate of violence on rail and buses shook trust in the system. Those numbers started to rebound this year and before June's drop, had reached 90% of pre-pandemic counts. But financial challenges have continued. Metro, which recently approved a $9.4 billion budget, faces a deficit of more than $2.3 billion through 2030. And federal funding for its major Olympics and Paralympics transportation plan to lease thousands of buses remains in flux. Maintaining ridership growth is critical for the the agency. More than 60% of Metro bus riders and roughly 50% of its rail riders are Latino, according to a 2023 Metro survey. The decline in June's ridership was due in part to growing concerns that transit riders would be swept up in immigration raids. Those fears were magnified when a widely shared video showed several residents apprehended at a bus stop in Pasadena. Three of the men who were arrested at the stop by federal agents are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They spoke earlier this month at a news conference in favor of the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals decision to uphold a temporary restraining order against the immigration stops and arrests. Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, a day laborer, said he was taken by unidentified men while waiting at the bus stop to go to work like he did every day. He said that he was placed in a small space without access to a bathroom or adequate food, water and medicine. Vasquez Perdomo said the experience 'changed my life forever' and called for 'justice.' Closures at stations during the raids and D Line construction beneath Wilshire Boulevard also affected June's numbers, according to Metro officials.
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Immigration crackdown, tariffs blamed by some for tourist slowdown in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, with resorts and convention centers reporting fewer visitors compared to last year, especially from abroad, and some officials are blaming the Trump administration's tariffs and immigration policies for the decline. The city known for lavish shows, endless buffets and around-the-clock gambling welcomed just under 3.1 million tourists in June, an 11% drop compared to the same time in 2024. There were 13% fewer international travelers, and hotel occupancy fell by about 15%, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Mayor Shelley Berkley said tourism from Canada — Nevada's largest international market — has dried up from a torrent "to a drip." Same with Mexico. "We have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren't so keen on coming in right now. And that seems to be the prevailing attitude internationally," Berkley told reporters earlier this month. Ted Pappageorge, head of the powerful Culinary Workers Union, called it the "Trump slump." He said visits from Southern California, home to a large Latino population, were also drying up because people are afraid of the administration's immigration crackdown. "If you if you tell the rest of the world they're not welcome, then they won't come," Pappageorge said. Canadian airline data shows fewer passengers from north of the border are arriving at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Air Canada saw its passenger numbers fall by 33% in June compared to the same time a year ago, while WestJet had a 31% drop. The low-cost carrier Flair reported a whopping 62% decline. Travel agents in Canada said there's been a significant downturn in clients wanting to visit the U.S. overall, and Las Vegas in particular. Wendy Hart, who books trips from Windsor, Ontario, said the reason was "politics, for sure." She speculated that it was a point of "national pride" that people were staying away from the U.S. after President Donald Trump said he wanted to make Canada the 51st state. "The tariffs are a big thing too. They seem to be contributing to the rising cost of everything," Hart said. At downtown's Circa Resort and Casino, international visits have dipped, especially from Canada and Japan, according to owner and CEO Derek Stevens. But the downturn comes after a post-COVID spike, Stevens said. And while hotel room bookings are slack, gaming numbers, especially for sports betting, are still strong, he said. "It's not as if the sky is falling," he said. Wealthier visitors are still coming, he said, and Circa has introduced cheaper package deals to lure those with less money to spend. "There have been many stories written about how the 'end is near' in Vegas," he said. "But Vegas continues to reinvent itself as a destination worth visiting." On AAA's annual top ten list of top Labor Day destinations, Las Vegas slipped this year to the last spot, from number six in 2024. Seattle and Orlando, Florida — home to Disneyworld — hold steady in the top two spots, with New York City moving up to third for 2025. Reports of declining tourism were news to Alison Ferry, who arrived from Donegal, Ireland, to find big crowds at casinos and the Vegas Strip. "It's very busy. It has been busy everywhere that we've gone. And really, really hot," Ferry said. She added that she doesn't pay much attention to U.S. politics. Just off the strip, there's been no slowdown at the Pinball Museum, which showcases games from the 1930s through today. Manager Jim Arnold said the two-decade-old attraction is recession-proof because it's one of the few places to offer free parking and free admission. "We've decided that our plan is just to ignore inflation and pretend it doesn't exist," Arnold said. "So you still take a quarter out of your pocket and put it in a game, and you don't pay a resort fee or a cancelation fee or any of that jazz." But Arnold said he's not surprised that overall tourism might be slowing because of skyrocketing prices at high-end restaurants and resorts, which "squeezes out the low end tourist." The mayor said the rising cost of food, hotel rooms and attractions also keeps visitors away. "People are feeling that they're getting nickeled and dimed, and they're not getting value for their dollar," Berkley said. She called on business owners to "see if we can't make it more affordable" for tourists. "And that's all we want. We want them to come and have good time, spend their money, go home," the mayor said. "Then come back in six months."
