Restaurant owner Tony Tomelden, also known as “Tony T,” shared his struggles sustaining operations under the new tipped wage law, Initiative 82.
Tomelden’s restaurant, Brookland’s Finest Bar & Kitchen, was a “social gathering place” in Brookland, D.C., but it closed its doors in April, just before Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids began, according to Tomelden. The restaurant operated for 11 years.
“I know a lot of people that had [ICE] visits,” Tomelden told the Washington Examiner. “It was a little bit exhausting, [but] we had all of our paperwork up to date just in case.”
President Donald Trump’s immigration policies have affected the restaurant industry, with sweeping ICE raids in the district. While Tomelden’s restaurant wasn’t affected by ICE arrests, the Initiative 82 measure, which voters approved in 2022 and phased out the tipped minimum wage, left its mark.
“We were ringing half with the increase in prices. The wage structure changed pretty radically. It was just a combination of all of those things that really put us down,” he said.
Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington data suggest 40% of restaurants in the district could close before the end of 2025.
Although Tomelden had to close his restaurant, that didn’t stop him from becoming the owner and partner of two other D.C. establishments: The Pug and Union Trust.
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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged the City Council to repeal Initiative 82, voicing the concerns of local restaurant owners and servers who warned that the law would hurt businesses and workers’ pay.
The tipped minimum wage law survived the repeal vote, against Bowser’s push to support restaurant owners.
