Photo by Maryland Route 5.
By DCist Contributor Victoria Finkle
D.C. is an expensive place to live, and feeding yourself is no exception. Follow Capital Cheapskate each month for a look at the cost side of the ledger, and for tips to enjoy the city’s burgeoning dining scene without breaking the bank.
After more than seven years of living in D.C., I confess I’ve become accustomed to many things: The intractability of escalefting; un-ironic seersucker; and paying $8 for a beer, often without thinking twice about it.
The city has undergone a transformation over the past several decades, and the rise of the restaurant industry along with it has been well documented. But what’s been less explored is the cost associated with the new dining boom, particularly when so many people are already feeling squeezed by steep housing prices and other expenses.
If you feel like you’re spending more to eat out these days, or if you don’t know where your paycheck has gone at the end of the month, the available data suggests you’re not alone. In the coming months I’m hoping to explore more facets of this issue, along with wallet-friendly ways to navigate the District’s popular food scene. But first I thought I’d try to offer a clear-eyed view of the problem at hand.
A recent survey by Zagat estimates that D.C. diners pay about $38 per person at dinner. When I first read this, I admit I dismissed the finding, figuring that I’m probably not part of the Zagat crowd. I’ve never been to Komi, 1789, or any of the other very expensive (and presumably very tasty) spots around town. I eat a lot of sandwiches.
But then I got to thinking about what a typical night out looks like, even at what we’ll call a “$$” kind of establishment. By the time you’ve ordered an entrée, a drink or two, and maybe even shared an appetizer, $38 starts to look pretty reasonable, especially accounting for tax and tip.
Zagat also reports that D.C. restaurant-goers eat lunch or dinner out more than four times per week on average. That’s going to add up fast, even if you’re dropping less than $38 on each meal.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells a similar story. A look at the agency’s consumer expenditures data finds that diners in the broader D.C. metro area pay roughly $4,100 eating out per year—more than $340 a month. That’s a whopping $1,500 more than the national average.
Capital dwellers also spend 47% of their total food dollars away from home—at restaurants and on takeout—compared to an average of 40 percent nationally.
And the BLS says our spending is on the rise: Even adjusting for inflation, Washington residents are shelling out $600 more to eat out per year than they did two decades ago.
Still, it’s worth noting that consumers aren’t the only ones facing cost pressures in an expensive city. Rising food prices across the country and the globe have hit shoppers in grocery stores as well as restaurant owners themselves, who must also contend with fuel-price surcharges on deliveries and other variable costs.
“A lot of the time, what the consumer doesn’t realize is that when food costs spike, the restaurateur has to eat it—no pun intended. You can’t nickel and dime your guests,” said Al Goldberg, founder of Mess Hall, a D.C.-based food incubator that helps budding entrepreneurs.
Skyrocketing property values across many neighborhoods affect businesses too, Goldberg added.
“If you’re dining on 14th Street, and you’re paying more than you think you might in an area such as Brookland, for example, you’re indirectly paying the owner of the building,” he said.
The story of the District’s food renaissance also reflects larger national trends around inequality. D.C. is one of the wealthiest areas in the country, but also one of the most unequal. While the middle class is stretched too thin, the poorest remain shut out altogether.
There are still just a handful of sit-down restaurants east of the Anacostia River in Wards 7 and 8, compared with the dozens that now populate 14th Street NW alone.
“This food revolution in D.C. has sort of overlooked the needs of low-income families,” said Alexandra Ashbrook, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions, a local non-profit. “It’s been very much geared toward certain areas of the city—and certain areas that have income that they can put toward eating out.”
Local restaurant chain Busboys and Poets recently made plans to open a location in Anacostia next year, and I’m hoping that effort and others can be a part of the Capital Cheapskate conversation.
To kick things off, I’m also curious what questions or concerns you have about eating around Washington—that is, without forgoing retirement one day. I’d welcome any suggestions in the comments below.
