Compliance & Enforcement
The Commonwealth is paying more to inspect a Northern Virginia restaurant than three out of four Washington-area restaurants pay the manager running it. The General Assembly funded 17 new special agents this year, and the reason is the permit that takes effect October 1.
Operations & Costs
The minimum wage steps to $13.75 in January and $15.00 in 2028. Tips are now statutory wages with treble damages attached. The non-compete ban now covers anyone eligible for overtime. Paid sick leave arrives in 2027.
Policy & Legislation
The session is usually summarized as the food-to-beverage rewrite plus a list of defeats. Against the legislature's own bill file, several of those defeats are attached to the wrong bill numbers, and one subject widely reported as dead became law on a different bill.