Workers eat lunch at a restaurant along K Street in downtown Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Andrew Harnik | AP

Foot traffic falls

Gravy Analytics, a Dulles, Virginia-based firm, used anonymous location mobile data to analyze foot traffic to D.C.-area restaurants during the 35-day government shutdown. Traffic to fine-dining restaurants in the area dropped by about 33 percent compared with the same time period last year, founder and CEO Jeff White told CNBC. "When we look at it, the more discretionary the item, across the board in our data, the more of a precipitous hit it took," White said. Founding Farmers, a usually busy restaurant with locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, saw sales decline by 15 to 30 percent, co-founder Dan Simons told CNBC. Even fast-food restaurants, known for using deals and lower prices to attract customers, experienced a drop-off in business during the partial shutdown. Gravy Analytics found that the entire category saw foot traffic decline by 23 percent, while nationwide it increased by 2 percent compared with the same time last year.

Chick-fil-A takes a hit

Of the 12 fast-food restaurants it tracked, Chick-fil-A was the most affected by the shutdown. D.C.-area traffic dropped by 34 percent, while nationwide traffic increased by 9 percent. Starbucks and Arby's were the only other chains that saw foot traffic differences of more than 25 percent between D.C. and nationwide locations. Most fast-food chains that still saw traffic increase year-over-year in D.C., such as Dunkin' and Yum Brands' KFC and Taco Bell, still trailed far behind higher nationwide traffic growth.

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