D.C. Businesses Respond to Government Shutdown

An estimated 800,000 federal employees are off work today without pay, as the U.S. government shutdown continues. In Washington, D.C., many local businesses are stepping up to help out the workers they depend on. The Washington Post published a list of places that are offering free food or discounts to federal workers. ABC News has such a list, too, with offers of other services in addition to food and drink, such as theaters and fitness centers and museums that are offering free admission to make up for the closing of the Smithsonian facilities. After all, furloughed workers have time to fill, and tourists cannot easily reschedule their trips. Some of the offers come with an exclusion:

Pork Barrel BBQ Pork Barrel BBQ is also offering free food for the duration of the shutdown to all government employees -- well, every government employee except for members of Congress. The BBQ joint is serving up free pulled pork sandwiches all day, limit one per day, in Alexandria, Va.

The Washington businesses are building goodwill with their customers by being so generous, but if the shutdown lasts a while, they, too, will suffer economically from the loss of cash business.