WASHINGTON — After surviving the pandemic, a D.C. business owner says he is closing his restaurant in Chinatown due to rising crime.
Noe Landini, owner of Bar Deco, says he made the difficult decision to permanently close the location along 6th Street Northwest after sitting down with his team and listing out the cons that outweighed the pros.
"It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to close our doors permanently today, 11/19. Being a part of this vibrant and thriving community since 2015 has truly been an honor. We cannot thank our dedicated staff and loyal patrons enough for the last eight years of incredible memories," a statement posted on Bar Deco's Instagram account reads.
The closure comes days after neighboring Flight Wine Bar also announced they are closing their location at the end of the year after a decade, leaving yet another empty store front along the 700 block of 6th Street Northwest.
Landini told WUSA9 that he was at the point where he had to renew his lease for another five years and said he could not withstand waiting for things to improve along the corridor.
A report of the Chinatown corridor released this year by DowntownDC BID noted that visible drug sales, increased presence of unhoused people and disruptive panhandling created negative perceptions and experiences in the corridor.
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. He has been a critic of how the District implemented COVID-19 restrictions on businesses.
"Ever since after COVID, business went down. Definitely a lot of stores seem closing. Even coming back now it seems more empty," Chris Zhong told WUSA9. The DMV native says Chinatown holds a special place in his heart because he remembers coming to the area on the weekends with his family.
Zhong says despite the changes, he does not feel unsafe and considers Chinatown a welcoming area.
A D.C. crime dashboard shows that in a 2,000-foot radius around Bar Deco there have been nearly 800 crime incidents so far this year, that's 60 more than the same time last year. Sex abuse and theft saw significant increases, according to the data.
An employee that works at restaurant near Bar Deco told WUSA9 that they have hired their own security team amid safety concerns. The employee asked that the business not be named.
Last month, Mayor Muriel introduced legislation aimed at open-air drug markets and retail theft under the Addressing Crime Trends Now Act.
Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, introduced a series of bills that she says, "seek to increase accountability for violent crime and gun offenses, giving our public agencies the tools needed to address hiring and retention challenges, and enhancing infrastructure to make our schools, recreational spaces, and commercial and transit corridors safer."