D.C. Restaurants Face Challenges Based on Ward Economies and Location

By Alejandra Mora Ortega

Washington D.C. restaurants face economic and staffing problems depending on the Ward they reside in with the United States economy fluctuating throughout 2025 and 2026. 

“There used to be five of us in this kitchen, 14 years ago,” said Sergio Lobo, the owner of Mario’s House Pizza in Anacostia. “Now it’s just me, one staff worker, and my wife”.

The restaurant has been around since 1936, serving sandwiches and pizza by the slice. It sits in Ward 8, next to the bridge that connects Anacostia to the rest of D.C. Lobo worked in the restaurant as staff for over a decade before moving to Nevada in search of job opportunities. When visiting D.C. two years ago, the owner of Mario’s offered to sell the restaurant to Lobo, leaving him as owner. 

“Everything right now is expensive. Especially meat. We only buy ribeye. Since people are so used to us using ribeye, I can’t change the cut”, said Lobo. “Vegetables are expensive too, sometimes tomatoes fluctuate in price”.

Tariffs and inflation have affected various businesses throughout D.C. ABC News reported that in 2025, 92 restaurants throughout the city were closed. The number went up from 2024, where 73 restaurants shut their doors. “If the trend continues, the city could surpass 100 closures by the end of 2026,” said ABC. 

“The majority of the tourists that come to D.C. are downtown. We don’t get a lot of them down here,” Lobo said. “We’ll sell around 60 pizzas on a good day. On a bad day, we will sell 10”. 

Lobo points out the neighborhood’s lack of security, pointing at a bullet hole on the main door of the restaurant. 

Anacostia is regarded as one of the least safe neighborhoods in D.C. CrimeGrade.org reports Anacostia to be in the 7th percentile for safety, meaning it is less safe than 93% of average U.S. neighborhoods. 

The Urban Institute, a D.C.–based nonprofit research organization reported in 2023 that there is a disparity in capital and funding distribution within Washington, with lower-income Wards like Ward 8 being less likely to receive funding. 

“DC’s neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, as well as much of Prince George’s County, received relatively low investment per household,” the authors of the report said. “In the Washington region, in general, the greater the share of white residents in a neighborhood, the more investment that the neighborhood receives. On average, neighborhoods with the largest shares of white residents (more than 80 percent) receive 2.3 times more overall investment than neighborhoods with the smallest shares of white residents. These trends are largely the reverse for majority-Black and majority-Latine neighborhoods”. 

Lobo mentioned the current political climate under the Trump administration. “The Hispanic business owners are dealing with the worst of it right now, due to the political situation,” said Lobo. 

A Reuters article reported that after the continuous ICE raids that have occurred within the U.S. throughout the Trump administration, Hispanic people are more likely to stay at home and do shopping online. The authors of the article said that small businesses have suffered the most from this, as those with small online presences lose a chunk of their market. This same thing is happening in D.C. to the restaurant business. 

Seventeen minutes away from Mario’s House Pizza is Barcelona Wine Bar, a Spanish restaurant known for serving tapas. It has two locations within D.C. Established near Logan Circle in 2013 and later expanded into Tenleytown, the restaurants are funded by private equity. They lie within Wards 2 and 3, two of the most affluent Wards in D.C.

“We have never had to worry about closing. We have expanded to other states. The restaurants here on 14th Street are the busiest ones for the whole business. It’s really popular, we have some customers that come by every day,” said Bryan Alas, the manager for the Ward 2 location of Barcelona Wine Bar. 

“Our location helps a lot. When tourists come, they are near our location and our restaurants always appear on recommendation lists. People come from so many places, increasing our popularity,” said Alas. “I attribute the success to our location and team. All the team we hire gets a lot of preparation to become good servers, line cooks, and bartenders and to give the best service. Our (low to medium) food prices help us too”. 

On a good week, the Logan Circle location of Barcelona Wine Bar sells around 30,000 to 40,000 plates. 

“I go about twice a month,” said Abagael Smith, a Barcelona Wine Bar frequenter. “It’s a cool atmosphere and offers something different than other bars. There’s just more options, and it feels a bit more upscale and safe”.

Barcelona Wine Bar sits a short distance walk away from important D.C. landmarks like the National Mall and the White House.