Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the District of Columbia Council to repeal Initiative 82, the voter-approved measure that is phasing out the tipped minimum wage.
Bowser has warned that restaurant owners are concerned about widespread closures and job losses across the district.
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“Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with restaurant workers and owners to hear directly how I-82 is affecting the DC restaurant industry,” Bowser wrote in a post on X. “Their message remains clear: We must repeal I-82.”
In an accompanying video, the mayor emphasized the human impact on small businesses and their employees.
“Why aren’t we listening to the workers in the first place, who have less income as a result of this?” Bowser asked. “The big guys can afford to open, and they can afford to close. The smaller neighborhood guys can’t do that. … You might have taken out your life savings in the process.”
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with restaurant workers and owners to hear directly how I-82 is affecting the DC restaurant industry.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) July 8, 2025
Their message remains clear: We must repeal I-82. pic.twitter.com/jzIFDwNUrt
Bowser framed the issue as economic and cultural: “If we want variety, and we want some of the grit that we love about our city, we have to fight for it.”
In early June, the D.C. Council voted to pause a $2 hourly wage increase for tipped workers that was scheduled to take effect on July 1, delaying the increase from $10 to $12 per hour. While the emergency measure does not repeal Initiative 82 outright, it signals growing momentum toward a full reversal of the policy.
Bowser requested that the council consider repealing Initiative 82, citing the possible impact on the city’s dining landscape. The initiative, passed by voters in 2022, began raising tipped worker wages in May 2023 with the goal of fully eliminating the tipped minimum wage by 2027.
A January-February survey conducted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington found that 40% of full-service casual restaurants in Washington said they were likely to close within the year. The survey included over 200 local establishments.
The main factors cited were rising labor costs, declining profits, reduced foot traffic, and federal job cuts that have emptied downtown offices.
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“Couple years ago, Initiative 82 passed, and we’ve seen an increase in labor costs,” Eric Heidenberger, a part-owner of D.C. Restaurant Group, told the local Fox station in March. “You put all that together, it’s been an extremely challenging time. We’ve been around for 45 years. We’ve never seen a stretch like this in our history.”
RAMW President and CEO Shawn Townsend echoed those concerns: “I think everyone is concerned. These are real issues for everyone, regardless of what category of restaurant you fall in. The margins are already super thin in the restaurant industry, whether you are a five-star or a sandwich shop downtown on M Street.”