Walter's Sports Bar and Restaurant owner Jeremy Gifford says losing 60 outdoor seats cost him 20% in sales on NFL opening weekend. The Navy Yard bar took down its streatery in February after D.C. ended its pandemic-era outdoor dining program.

Gifford told WUSA9 the drop came despite simultaneous events at Nationals Park and Audi Field and a full slate of college and pro football.

"Event at Nats Park, event at Audi (Field), full college football, full pro football, and still down 20% over what we did last year opening NFL weekend," Gifford said.

The streatery had sat in a right-turn lane on N Street SE for five years. When D.C.'s temporary streatery program ended late in 2025, businesses had to apply for permanent permits under new District Department of Transportation rules. Gifford said the city told him streateries are no longer allowed in turn lanes.

DDOT's published guidelines do not specifically list right-turn lanes as prohibited locations, WUSA9 reported. The agency had not responded to WUSA9's questions about the policy as of Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The permanent program carries steeper costs. Businesses must pay $15 per square foot annually, plus permit fees and the cost of renting concrete safety barriers, according to The 51st. As of April, only five streateries had been approved under the new rules. Seventy-six applications were still pending before the Public Space Committee.

A DDOT spokesperson told The 51st in April that the temporary program was never intended to allow permanent installations and that the new rules provide a framework for safe operation.

Gifford said the space where his streatery stood is now used as an illegal parking spot multiple times a day. He pointed to a tough stretch for the N Street SE corridor, saying two restaurants on the block alone have closed in 2026. Chicken + Whiskey, at 70 N Street SE, shut down in early January. Shilling Canning Company, another Navy Yard restaurant, closed in May.

Big event days are what keep a sports bar afloat on slower weeknights, Gifford said. He wants city officials to look for creative solutions rather than apply the rules rigidly.

The D.C. Council unanimously passed an emergency bill in December 2025 loosening some permanent streatery rules, according to The Washington Post. Five approved permits and 76 still waiting suggest the program has a long way to go.