For many in D.C.’s hospitality industry, it’s been an uphill battle to sustain businesses since 2020, and Shawn Townsend, president of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s (RAMW), has had an up-close look at the complex nuances in the District’s food and beverage scene.

“Let’s be honest — no industry has been tested more than ours since the pandemic. Closures, staffing shortages, rising costs, and yes — the fight over Initiative 82 ( a voter-approved measure phasing out sub-minimum wage for tipped workers) — it’s been one challenge after another,” said Townsend during RAMW’s 43rd Annual RAMMYS Awards and Gala on Aug. 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest D.C.

Just days before the event, D.C.’s restaurant industry became a major topic of conve

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