Crime in Washington is so rampant that restaurant owners and operators are compelled to implement various security measures to ensure the safety of their guests, staff and businesses.

Bo Blair owns 11 restaurants in Washington DC. He recently told Fox News that at one of his locations, the Surfside Taco Stand, he spends over 4000 dollars a week on private security.

„Think about it, private security at a taco stand. It’s like the Wild West,”

– he told the American news channel.

As we continue to see crime rates rise across the whole city, he said he is no longer just worried about being robbed, or having his guests insulted.

„We have to pay for security to make employees feel safe. Once an incident happens,” the employees leave and „we’re spending time and money on more training. It’s like a hamster wheel,” he added.

Mary Rusciano, the owner of a popular pizzeria, tackles the growing crime wave differently.

The key is that we keep barely anything in stock, and inventory is at a minimum, he told Axios D.C., a Washington-based news site. „We try not to keep too much cash on hand. I’d rather give away a pizza than risk having cash on the premises,” he added.

Aaron McGovern, a longtime operator of many restaurant locations, recently closed all of his businesses, citing crime as a top factor.

After losing tens of thousands of dollars to burglaries and having his employees assaulted, he decided that shutting down his venues is the cheaper solution.

However, according to Donna Redman, executive director of business affairs at Whole Armour Executive Protection and Security Services, the spike in violent crime has helped his business immensely.

The private security agency has built a solid reputation providing services to splashy events like the mayor’s inaugural ball, but by now, policing stores and streeteries has become the major source of their revenue.

„We went from managing crowds to preventing crime,” he said,

Whole Armor charges around $25 and $45 an hour per security officer, depending on the restaurant’s volume and whether they’re armed.

D.C. regulations restrict what security personnel can do. They can only stay inside private premises and can only „prevent” crime door checks and scanning crowds and patios for suspicious activity or inebriated guests). What happens on public streets is Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) territory. Unarmed guards may escort staff to their cars or Ubers if it’s late, but „there’s only so much we can do,” Redman says.