Restaurants Take Cover as Trump Protesters Swarm D.C.

Other than some chilling rain, the official swearing in of 45th President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol appeared to go off without a hitch.

Pockets of unrest blossomed all around town shortly thereafter as activists determined to speak out against the new administration took to the streets to exercise their First Amendment rights.

Rioting along lobbyist-laden K Street NW prompted beer haven Brasserie Beck to close up shop out of an abundance of caution.

The Belgian-themed restaurant expected to reopen for dinner service, presumably once local authorities restore a semblance of normalcy to the surrounding area.

Chef Daniel Boulud’s outpost in CityCenterDC elected to scrap dinner service entirely rather than invite trouble.

The contrast between those who poured into town to demonstrate against the incoming POTUS versus those looking to celebrate his polarizing victory was rather striking.

An NBC reporter zooming past the official parade route found the path curiously vacant.

Those angry with the outcome of the November election were much more visible.

Some brazenly set fires downtown.

Others blocked passage out of the city.

A formidable police presence provided troublemakers few places to hide.

The good news?

At least one observer was able to find sanctuary amidst all the chaos.

UPDATE: Restaurateur Robert Wiedmaier remains hopeful he’ll be able to accommodate the 140 dinner reservations currently booked at Brasserie Beck. But he stressed that he’ll only do so if things settle down.

“It's not safe for guests nor is it safe for our staff — and that is our number one priority,” he told Eater. “We have the utmost confidence that law enforcement will take control of this situation and we look forward to reopening on this historic weekend.”