BUSINESS owner Noe Landini is one of many moving his bar out of Washington, DC, due to a surge in crime.
Landini’s business Bar Deco located in Chinatown was shuttered in November after he refused to renew the lease as crime impacted foot traffic.
“We had an American Red Cross van that was supposed to feed the homeless the other day get carjacked. I mean, it’s out of control,” he told Fox affiliate WTTG.
He is not alone as 52 restaurants in the city closed last year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Association.
Also in November, the business owners Brine Oyster & Seafood House pulled their restaurants from the city due to cost and violent crime.
“We’ve both been burglarized numerous times, both of my restaurants. Numerous times,” co-owner Aaron McGovern told the WTTG last year.
“So has everyone on the block, numerous times. We started to see violence.
“Not just ‘Oh, there’s a gunshot a mile away. We could hear the bullets,’
“It’s…the restaurant I’m looking at right now had four shootings there four weeks ago.”
Washington, DC saw a two-decade high in homicides with 261 murders as of December 14, 2023, according to Metropolitan Police Department data.
In addition to this, robberies have increased by 69% and theft by 24%.
Alongside this, violent crime has increased by 39% year over year in the nation’s capital.
McGovern and Landini have appealed to local government to protect citizens and businesses.
“What’s the long game here? Like, what is the long game for mayors in D.C. or in New York to, like, completely destroy their city and not provide the resources that we need to conduct business?” Landini asked.
“I think our leadership in government, local government should really take a look at the businesses,” McGovern said.
“The safety of the citizens. The well-being of its taxpaying base and see that it’s important because people will leave.”
Landini is doing just that by moving his business out of the city after setting his sights on Virginia.
The REX Management CEO who also owns Landini Brothers Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia, hopes to establish a new Bar Deco across the river.
He cited “extremely aggressive and uncomfortable experiences with panhandlers” as a key reason for the move.
“It’s a 15-minute drive, and you have a better, safer experience,” he said.
“Employees are safer. Customers don’t have to deal with the things that they have to deal with downtown right now.”
The Restaurant Association for Metropolitan Washington told the news outlet that crime is one “of the biggest challenges before operators.”
“We have been communicating with the government, with our newly confirmed chief of police,” Restaurant Association CEO Shawn Townsend said in November.
“We just had a virtual town hall…with her and about 50 of our operators to talk about things they are doing to mitigate the crime concerns operators have.
“Keeping that line of communication open to find out things they are doing and how we can offer assistance and help resolve the crime has been what our role has been and will continue to be.
“We do understand that’s top of mind for our operators. Unfortunately, it’s not a District problem. It’s a national problem.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Restaurant Association for comment.