It’s “bottom’s up” on the first day of the government shutdown, as restaurants and bars across D.C. are offering food and drink specials for furloughed federal workers facing uncertainty as to when they will receive their next paycheck.
Scroll through social media, you are likely to find a growing list of .
Franklin Hall in Northwest D.C. is one such business, and furloughed workers-turned-patrons told 7News they are grateful for the discounts.
“It’s nice. They don’t have to do anything, but they do. It’s almost sad where it feels like an annual – it happens often and at this point it’s kind of old hat, I think, for a lot of these places,” said one federal worker who asked only to be called Andrew.
One federal worker also said these shutdown specials help him and his colleagues cope with the difficult news together.
“It just encourages us to come out, be social, don’t just be upset about what’s happening and keep everything locked in. It’s a good way to not only get out and be with people, which is always good for you, but then you can be with like-minded people, explain the things that are going on, a chance to de-stress,” said Drew Childs, a federal worker.
The general manager at Franklin Hall said this most recent shutdown comes at an already tough time for so many residents in the District.
“It’s a shame grown men and women can’t get their stuff together to keep a federal government open,” said Nathan Kazaitis, the general manager at Franklin Hall. “People feel the crunch. It was tough already. A lot of D.C. is already on edge not knowing if they’re going to walk into the office and have a job or not.”
However, Kazaitis said he did not hesitate to lend a helping hand.
“At the end of the day, it’s the people of the city who support us. These folks pay my mortgage. They pay my life, so it’s good to give back. I’ve got to give back to them. It’s unfortunate they’re struggling. If at any point in time we’re struggling, they’re right here to help us, too,” Kazaitis said.
This shutdown comes as food banks in the region are .
The Capital Area Food Bank recently released their annual .
It revealed 41 % of households impacted by federal job cuts reported difficulties getting enough food, which is more than double the 17 % for similar households not experiencing job loss.
In the meantime, furloughed federal workers said taking advantage of food deals makes dollars and sense.
“All of a sudden, your source of funding to make payments you just expected to have are out the window,” Andrew said.
Childs added: “When I think about the next time I’ve got my mortgage payment coming through or just any bills, and you are actually running those numbers down to the dollar, just to know you can make your next payment and you know you have in the hundreds of dollars to feed yourself for the next month, it can make a world of difference.”