Hit “Pause”

District Dig | By Tony Tomelden | June 19, 2025

A long time industry friend reached out the other day. “What is going on? I have never seen things more topsy turvy!” He’s right. The hospitality industry in D.C. is more chaotic than I can ever remember. There are a lot of factors contributing to how things are going. Too many to easily discuss on Twitter! Of the many issues the restaurant industry is up against, Initiative 82 is one thing the city can step in and work on. 

Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked for a repeal of the “tipped minimum wage” law that essentially increases the wage restaurants pay their tipped employees. (The mayor proposes eliminating the tipped minimum wage completely by 2027.) Though emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council has paused the next pay increase for 90 days, a repeal is probably a bridge too far. So keeping the tipped minimum wage at $10 an hour would be a huge help to a lot of small businesses and family restaurants that are struggling to keep their doors open.