For D.C. Bars and Restaurants, the Shutdown Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
The bar and tables at Pop Fizz in Washington, D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood are buzzing on a Tuesday night. It’s the eve of a milestone federal employees and other locals have been bracing for: the government shutdown’s third week. For at least 700,000 government employees, October 15 marks the first wave of missed paychecks, with no end in sight.
At a nearby table under metallic streamers and disco balls, eight friends, the majority of whom are federal employees, commiserate over glasses of Lambrusco, vodka sodas, and the wine bar’s signature Detroit-style pizzas. They’re taking advantage of Pop Fizz’s “Shutdown Specials,” which include discounted pizzas, bottles, and cocktails with a government ID. The group of friends clink glasses and laugh as a Washington Capitals hockey game airs on a projector screen behind the bar, and top hits play in the background.
Government shutdowns aren’t new. In fact, some federal employees used to treat them like snow days—they took long lunches without an office to return to or met friends at bars to day drink, often with guaranteed backpay. But business owners say this shutdown feels different.
“This time, it’s layered with other things,” says Pop Fizz founder and sommelier Brent Kroll while pouring a glass for a nearby customer. Kroll says the combination of Initiative 82 (I-82), the ballot measure passed in D.C. that eliminates the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, along with an increased National Guard and ICE presence in the area, has hurt the local food and beverage scene. “When you layer that stuff on top of each other, it’s heavier because you’ve already taken a couple of blows.”
A Perfect Storm of Setbacks
In August, President Donald Trump declared a “public safety emergency” and deployed 800 National Guard troops in D.C. as part of a crackdown on crime and homelessness in the city. (Statistics show city crime is lower than in recent years.)
John Mooney, a chef and partner at Bidwell in Union Market, says four of his employees have been detained this year. On an average day, law enforcement in criminal investigation vests and National Guard officers in fatigues can be seen routinely patrolling through the full-service restaurant’s outdoor patio. “There is a definite concern.”
Of course, there’s also the tariffs. The Trump administration’s taxes on imported goods have radically reshaped the wine scene, experts say. “It’s not like there’s a U.S. alternative or guidance to imported wines,” Kroll added.
Kroll, who also owns the lauded Maxwell Park wine bar and the cocktail bar Trouble Bird, says the complexities of this shutdown have made it particularly damaging to the local economy. He called government employees a critical mechanism for the area’s food and beverage industry. Now, with new orders from the Trump administration that could impact whether federal employees receive back pay or not—or if they’ll even have a job to come back to—the system is faltering.
Within the hospitality scene, shutdowns mean tightened wallets as federal employees go without pay and fewer commuters travel to D.C. on weekdays. That bleak scene, combined with an industry still reeling from severe sales drops this summer compared to previous years, creates tension for restaurateurs and bar owners, wondering how to keep customers returning or if they’ll stop coming in altogether.
A furloughed government employee, who asked not to be named citing fear of retaliation, says he organized a get-together at Pop Fizz because of the bar’s continued support for employees like him.
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“We don’t go out in D.C. a ton. So in times like these, we lean on the places we love,” he says. “It isn’t even so much for me about the discounts—as a federal employee, sure, it’s helped me feel budget-conscious. But I can also buy a bottle and feel safe here. When you’re going through this industry, at some point, you get kind of used to this. You get used to shutdown prep. This time, it just actually happened.”
Shutdown Deals and Discounts, with ‘No End in Sight’
Dozens of restaurants and bars across the D.C. area are offering discounts and promotions, either for government employees with an ID or for the entire community, citing the shutdown’s ripple effects on the rest of society.
In its initial “honeymoon phase,” the shutdown deals caused some small spikes in sales, regional restaurateurs and bar owners say.
Barrel House Cafe & Bar in Logan Circle has an $8 “Budget Blackout-tini” special, a salted caramel espresso martini. Italian restaurant Carmine’s in Penn Quarter launched an all-day happy hour. A restaurant spokesperson told Axios that the number of $8 frozen “Here We Go Again” Cosmo specials sold daily since the shutdown began surged from 85 to 575, and the number of frozen “Essential Worker” Bellinis sales increased from 40 to 250.
Tune Inn, a beloved dark bar adorned with bric-a-brac, taxidermied animals, and neon lights, operating since 1947, brought back its $4 lemon drop Shutdown Shots, $6 Budget Wings, and $7 Gridlock Nachos for federal employees.
“Unfortunately, we have been through this before,” says Stephanie Hulbert, a general manager and bartender at Tune Inn for the past 16 years. Like Kroll, she cites I-82, increasing rent, and an economy still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic as added factors impairing the hospitality scene.
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“I think the most worrisome thing for all folks involved, directly or indirectly, is that there is no end in sight. The unknown is always the worst feeling for anyone, and when you add folks’ livelihoods to this, it is incredibly daunting.”
Business owners say the specials are an effort to show solidarity, providing food and drink at deep discounts. It’s also a tactic to insulate themselves, keeping the bar stools filled, the lights on, and their own employees paid. But the longer the shutdown lasts, the less sustainable it becomes since deep discounts don’t help with large overheads or inventory costs.
“With lower revenues, the first thing we think to cut is labor,” Kroll says. “So my main concern is getting hours to people that need them.”
And business owners say the impact extends beyond just the locals.
“Tourism is a huge factor in D.C. and the Tune Inn attracts a lot of tourists,” Hulbert says. “We have had many families coming to the Tune recently, expressing their disappointment that so many D.C. attractions are closed due to the shutdown. They could not get their money back for their trip, so they are doing their best to enjoy the city. As someone who has lived here for 25 years, this is sad. The city has so much to offer and, unfortunately, those sights cannot be seen.”
Commiserating on Common Ground
To combat sales challenges, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington has launched a campaign called “Together We Dine,” which focuses on supporting restaurants facing what the group calls unprecedented challenges within the hospitality industry.
“The federal shutdown brings real uncertainty to workers, families, and businesses across our region,” the association’s president Shawn Townsend says in a statement to Wine Enthusiast. “Restaurants—already navigating thin margins—are directly impacted, yet as always, our community shows resilience.”
At the bar at Tune Inn, the employees remain hopeful, but worried.
“Tune Inn has always been a place folks come for the good vibes, the music, the people watching, and the conversation,” Hulbert says. “Right now, folks are coming in to be able to commiserate on common ground when there is so much conflict just a few short blocks away.”
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