By Allison Keyes, WTOP
WASHINGTON — When D.C.’s first sidewalk cafe opened on Aug. 8, 1961, city officials predicted its failure, saying such eateries would hurt pedestrian traffic and create a health hazard. A new survey finds there are more such cafes than ever.
The latest DowntownDC Business Improvement District’s annual survey found 190 sidewalk cafes in the 138-block downtown area alone, with nearly 5,700 seats — that’s double the number of cafes since the survey was first conducted in 2009.
“This is a remarkable indicator of the vibrancy and livability of the public space in downtown,” BID Executive Director Richard Bradley said in a news release.
The number of cafes is up 6.7 percent since 2014, and the number of seats increased 9.6 percent.
There’s been a net gain of 12 cafes since 2014, and seven of them opened in the CityCenterDC development on 10th Street NW, including Fig & Olive and RareSweets.
The largest sidewalk cafe recorded this year was at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center’s Woodrow Wilson Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, with 232 seats.
BID’s annual summer survey divides the area into eight zones and canvasses each one during the 11 a.m.-2 p.m. lunch rush.
Below is a map with the locations of the cafes:
