DC restaurant owner slams Initiative 82 and ‘exhausting’ ICE raids
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.