(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Interior construction is well underway at Zoë’s Kitchen, a new Greek-inspired soup, salad and sandwich restaurant that’s expected to open at 4245 Fairfax Drive in Ballston as soon as this month.
General Manager Dave Cottrell said the Ballston location may open as soon as Sept. 15, if everything goes well. We suspect that it may take a little while longer for Zoë’s to obtain all the necessary permits after construction wraps up.
Founded in 1995, Alabama-based Zoë’s is a rapidly-growing chain with restaurants from Arizona to Florida. Its menu includes kabobs, sandwiches, pitas and a variety of soups and salads.
Zoë’s currently has four D.C.-area locations: Fairfax, Woodbridge, Potomac, Md. and Annapolis. Some 20 additional Zoë’s locations are planned for the Washington region, Cottrell said.
At least one Ballstonite, however, isn’t optimistic about Zoë’s ability to attract enough customers, even though it’s only one block away from the Ballston Metro.
“[The] menu is very similar to [Aladdin’s Eatery] which didn’t fare well in that location either,” said a local office worker. “Nothing in that location has done well.”
In addition to Aladdin’s, the location was also home to to do-it-yourself stir fry restaurant Flat Top Grill.
