Chef and restaurateur Ashish Alfred said Monday that he will “press pause” on three of his businesses in Fells Point.

Alfred cited concerns about safety in the waterfront neighborhood as the reason for his decision to temporarily close Duck Duck Goose, Osteria Pirata and Anchor Tavern.

“Given the recent events in Fells Point, I feel it’s in the best interest of my business, my clients, and the incredibly hardworking people on my team for us to simply ‘press pause’ briefly while the city works to remedy the safety concerns of Baltimore,” the restaurateur wrote in a Monday Instagram post.

Reached by phone, Alfred said all three businesses have been closed since Wednesday. His restaurant group, Alfred Hospitality LLC, will continue to provide catering for the Admiral Fell Inn, which leases space to Osteria Pirata. The Anchor Tavern is also located within the hotel.

The chef opened Duck Duck Goose on South Broadway in 2018 after establishing a footprint in the Washington, D.C., area, where he operated another location of the French-inspired brasserie and a handful of other concepts. Osteria Pirata, an Italian restaurant, opened in 2023.

Alfred said his Baltimore restaurants have recently taken a hit, with business down 50% to 60% year-over-year. He linked declining revenues to large crowds of people gathering in Fells Point at night, with some drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana. A 16-year-old girl was shot in the wrist after midnight earlier this month.

“The businesses down there, mine included, are failing, because our success is predicated on revenue,” he said. “We can’t take in revenue if people don’t feel safe coming to where our businesses are.”

The restaurateur acknowledged other financial challenges, saying he’s had “some trouble paying vendors.” Court records show an $8,000 lien recorded against Alfred last year in Montgomery County and a 2022 lien judgment against Duck Duck Goose in Baltimore City for $31,000. Jessup-based specialty foods distributor Baldor DC LLC sued Alfred Restaurant Group in April.

The hospitality company also faces a complaint, filed in federal court, from a former assistant general manager at No Way Rosé, who alleges she was subjected to sexual harassment, a discriminatory dress code based on her gender and retaliation when she brought her concerns to management.

The Federal Hill restaurant shuttered last July after about a year in business. The original location of Duck Duck Goose in Bethesda has closed, too.

Alfred said he initially planned to close his Fells Point restaurants “very quietly” but decided he would make an announcement in an effort to “make a difference.”

“I know they’ll make it about me being a racist or me being a bad businessman and so be it,” he said. “Somebody needs to pay attention.”

Nick Johnson, the owner of Fells Point furniture shop Su Casa and president of Fells Point Main Street, said the neighborhood’s small businesses face a variety of challenges, including rising costs of labor and inventory. He pushed back on the idea that crowds alone would force a business to close.

“Generally, the small business climate right now is difficult,” he said. “Certainly, what’s going on in the neighborhood doesn’t help, but it’s not the only cause of challenges right now. If my business shuttered tomorrow, I would feel disingenuous saying that it’s because of what’s going on in the community, because there are other challenges that I feel are contributing.”

On Instagram, Alfred wrote that restaurants had weathered “riots, floods, a pandemic,” and the 2022 shooting of a Duck Duck Goose waitress.

The chef, who also has appeared as a guest host on Paramount Network’s TV show “Bar Rescue,” said he is trying to help laid-off workers find jobs at other restaurants. He hopes to reopen in Fells Point “very quickly,” but couldn’t offer a timeline, he said Monday.

“Our glasses are polished and our knives are sharp,” he wrote on Instagram.