More than 100 D.C. restaurants closed in 2025, according to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW). To put that into perspective, the previous year saw 73 restaurants close, and the year before that just 53.
RAMW also reported that of restaurants they surveyed, a majority reported lower sales (54%) and profitability (69%). Middle-priced restaurants, at at average cost of $21-40 per person, report the steepest average decline and account for two-thirds of the closures.
But even as closures rise, restaurant openings still outpace them. Per RAMW, last year 102 restaurants closed while 122 opened. The previous year 73 closed, but 155 opened…