WASHINGTON — The president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group wrote an email to the D.C. government back in September threatening to shutter their Penn Quarter location if nothing was done to mitigate the rise in crime in the city, WUSA9 has confirmed with a source in the District government.
The Clyde's of Gallery Place has been open since 2005.
"We are hoping that at some point soon, there can be a return to a reasonable level of safety in the neighborhood," Clyde's President John McDonnell wrote. "Absent of that, we do not have faith that we can remain in Penn Quarter."
The email was addressed to then-Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Keith Anderson, who reached out in the days following receipt of the email to McDonnell to learn more about specific concerns laid out in the email. As a result, DC Police Chief Pamela Smith conducted several safety walks in the neighborhood with residents.
"We feel that we ... have been absolutely abandoned by the city," McDonnell had written in his email. "The crime and safety issues in that neighborhood are out of control."
In a statement to WUSA9 Friday, McDonnell said he was pleased with the city's response to his email, but now has concerns about the announcement that Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards and Capitals, could be moving their arena and headquarters to Alexandria, Virginia.
“Back in September, Clyde’s sent a letter to city councilmembers and members of The Office of the Mayor detailing the very challenging operating environment we have been facing at Clyde’s of Gallery Place," McDonnell wrote in an email to WUSA9. "Many of the recipients reached out, and we have appreciated the thoughtful responses and insights into the actions the city was already taking to restore safety in the neighborhood. In very simple terms, it was crystal clear the city was already several steps ahead with solutions at the time we reached out in September. Those solutions have worked, and we could not be happier regarding the tremendous improvement in public safety near Gallery Place. That being said, Clyde’s is heart broken by the potential departure of the Capitals and Wizards. We feel our Gallery Place location has been arm and arm with the two teams and the great arena experience over the last 18 years. Regardless of how the negotiations resolve, however, the great improvement in public safety in that neighborhood has had a tremendous impact on our long term faith in Clyde’s of Gallery Place, and we will remain cautiously hopeful and excited to be a part of the evolution of Chinatown.“
In the original email, McDonnell detailed how his employees had been punched, pepper sprayed, had guns and knives pulled on them, spit on, and had to watch as "customers have literally tried to kill each other." He added that one of their employee's sons, who worked nearby, was robbed and murdered – leaving his team distraught about the loss and about the situation in the neighborhood.
"All of the above needs to be understood in the context of the lack of police presence. There is none," McDonnell wrote. "Once upon a time there was. 911 calls, if they come at all, take 15-20 minutes. When they do arrive, it seems as if they feel they can’t do anything."
Nina Albert, the acting deputy mayor for Planning and Economic Development, plans to continue engaging with McDonnell and the restaurant about their latest statement regarding economic concerns in the neighborhood.
Clyde's of Gallery Place is not the first business to be faced with tough decisions about whether to close their doors amid a citywide rise in crime.
In one week in November, WUSA9 heard from three business owners who said they were closing due to the impact of crime: Brine Oyster & Seafood House closed both its D.C. locations, Buttercream Bakery closed in Mount Vernon Square and Harry's bar (located inside Hotel Harrington) near Federal Triangle also closed.
Shortly after, Bar Deco permanently closed its doors after eight years in Chinatown.
Owner Noe Landini – who also owns Landini Brothers Restaurant in Alexandria – says the increased crime has contributed to the decrease in foot traffic in the Chinatown corridor, which has not allowed businesses to recover from the pandemic.
A report of the Chinatown corridor released this year by DowntownDC BID also noted that visible drug sales, increased presence of unhoused people and disruptive panhandling created negative perceptions and experiences in the corridor.
The District said the the Caps and Wizards combined generate about $25 million a year in tax revenue. All of the entertainment events hosted at Capital One Arena combined with the basketball and hockey games are estimated to generate more than $300 million in sales around the arena.
Other Chinatown business owners have also been vocal about what the move could mean for their bottom line.
"For my family it's very bad news," said Lyia Deng, who married into the family business at China Express Restaurant, which has been open for 37 years.
Deng said she feels a sense of duty to keep the restaurant alive, but added its location next door to Capital One has helped them survive in recent years. If the teams move, they'll take the customers with them, for 80 to 100 nights a year between the two teams.
"There's a lot of work to be done, but right now it's a challenge because of a lot of uncertainty in the air," said Gerrin Price, the president and CEO of the Downtown DC BID. "But would I say to our business community that we're standing together in this."