PRESS RELEASE: DowntownDC Had 192 Sidewalk Cafes in 2016

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Tues. September 6, 2016

Washington, D.C.- There were 192 sidewalk cafes with 5,921 seats in DowntownDC in 2016, according to the DowntownDC Business Improvement District’s (BID) annual sidewalk cafe survey released September 8.

A total of 14 new cafes opened in 2016 including Dangerously Delicious Pies (675 I Street), Beef N’ Bread (750 6th Street), Flight Wine Bar (777 6th Street), Pennsylvania 6 (1350 I Street) and Buredo (825 14th Street).

[Click here to explore the BID’s complete online Sidewalk Cafe Map.]

The average number of sidewalk cafe seats in 2016 was 31. Taking center stage once again for the largest sidewalk cafe in the DowntownDC BID’s 138-block area was the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center’s Woodrow Wilson Plaza (1300 Pennsylvania Avenue). More intimate seating was available at Joy Luck House (748 6th Street NW),  Roasted (1301 K Street NW), Sip of Seattle (1120 G Street NW), West Wing Cafe (300 New Jersey Avenue NW) or Jimmy John’s (1101 14th Street NW), which had the smallest cafes.

The BID’s first sidewalk cafe survey in 2009 identified 95 cafes in the BID. Since then, the number of cafes has risen each year, with an average annual growth of 10.9 percent.

The DowntownDC BID’s Public Space Operations department conducts a sidewalk cafe survey each summer, dividing the BID’s 138-block area into eight zones and canvassing each zone during the 11am-2pm lunch rush.

The DowntownDC BID actively supports the growth of sidewalk cafes, which significantly contribute to the vibrancy of urban streetscapes and enhance the quality of life for all Downtown residents, workers and visitors.

About the DowntownDC BID

The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) is a private non-profit organization that provides capital improvements, resources and research to help diversify the economy and enhance the Downtown experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 buildings from Massachusetts Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west. As a catalyst, facilitator and thought leader, the DowntownDC BID promotes public/private partnerships to create a remarkable urban environment. For more information, visit DowntownDC.org or follow us on Twitter @downtowndcbid.