Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

Ballston Restaurant Tech Startup Nabs $6 Million in New Investment

By ARLnow.com

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Shirlington Gateway. Say hello to the new 2800 Shirlington, which recently delivered a brand-new lobby and upgraded fitness center. Experience a prime location and enjoy being steps from Shirlington Village, a large retail hub with a variety of unique restaurants and shopping options. Spec suites with bright open plans and modern finishes are under construction and will deliver soon!

Ballston-based GoTab, a startup focused on the restaurant and hospitality business, has announced a fresh fundraising round.

The company says it has raised $6 million from a variety of investors, including restaurant, real estate and tech executives. The new funding will allow GoTab to “enhance its innovative technology and further bridge the gap between contactless dining and full-service hospitality.”

GoTab not only facilitates to-go orders, but it also allows in-person diners to place their orders without picking up a menu or talking to a server. It allows restaurant patrons to scan a QR code on their phones, order online and pay — “all without downloading an application or interacting with a server.”

The company has been on a tear since the start of the pandemic, as restaurants used to serving seated guests scrambled to fulfill a crush of takeout and delivery orders, while figuring out how to make the in-person dining experience safer. It now has hundreds of clients across 31 states, according to a press release.

“The new investment comes on the heels of a banner Labor Day weekend, when GoTab saw the highest number of transactions processed by operators since the platform’s creation in 2016,” the company said.

“We are excited for the possibilities that this new round of investment brings,” said GoTab CEO Tim McLaughlin, in a statement. “GoTab has helped countless operators adapt their hospitality model and turn a corner despite the current challenges they are facing. We are confident that further integrations and partnerships with best-of-breed technology will bring even more innovation and success to our operators.”

More from the press release:

Offering contactless ordering and payment since 2016, GoTab is helping hospitality operators rethink their service model, especially as they adapt to rapidly evolving regulations and consumer expectations. Early adopters such as Stone Brewing, Barcelona Wine Bar and Ballast Point Brewing Company have been able to leverage GoTab to optimize their servers’ time, work and interactions with customers to ensure a better guest experience. GoTab creates an efficient and hospitable environment for guests while freeing up front-of-house staff from low-impact tasks and allowing them to allocate more time to maintain proper safety guidelines which benefits both the operators and the guests.

With this new round of funding, GoTab is developing partnerships and facilitating integrations with other innovative best-of-breed hospitality tech platforms, all designed to ensure operators can optimize their business model and adapt swiftly to operational changes. Currently underway is the rollout of GoTab’s Mobile POS; i.e., contactless ordering and payment features for servers, making every guest transaction effortless, convenient and contact-free.

A market leader in features set, GoTab is currently the only self-service platform with native features for opening a digital tab, sharing and splitting the tab and calculating tips among friends, and keeping the tab open until it’s time to settle. The GoTab system is designed to be an integrated or stand-alone service, requiring minimal setup and a nominal per transaction percentage for operators, providing high-touch hospitality without the high-end price tag. It requires no additional hardware, software or support costs and works seamlessly for takeout and delivery service, providing the same ease and convenience as in-venue dining.

JUST IN: Police Called After Man Attempted to Lure Teen Girls to Car

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are investigating an incident involving two teen girls and a man who tried to lure them into his car in a 7-Eleven parking lot.

The incident happened Saturday afternoon, outside the convenience store at 5747 Lee Highway.

“At approximately 2:46 p.m. on September 19, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious circumstances,” Arlington County Police said in a crime report today. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the female juvenile victims were exiting a business when the male subject pulled up next to them in his vehicle and attempted to engage them in conversation. They declined and began to run away.”

“The subject yelled to the victims again to come back to his car, at which point a witness came to the aid of the victims and contacted police,” the crime report continues. “The subject fled in the vehicle prior to police arrival.”

On Nextdoor, a Leeway Overlee resident who identified himself as a parent of one of the 13-year-old victims further described what happened, calling it an “attempted abduction.”

“Our daughter and one of her friends walked up to 7-Eleven next to Sloppy Mama’s BBQ yesterday, they walked past a small white car when the driver yelled out ‘I will buy you Slurpees if you get in,'” he wrote. “They ignored, bought their goods and left, again walking by the car, he opened the door and yelled at them to get in, they ignored and proceeded towards Lee/Lexington intersection, the man drove out of the lot to that intersection and again yelled once again.”

According to the poster, the witness who intervened was the manager of the nearby District Taco restaurant. The company’s founder and CEO confirmed to ARLnow today that the restaurant’s general manager was on her break and jumped into action upon seeing what was happening.

“Lashelle Mason was there at the right spot and time,” said Osiris Hoil. “Thank God.”

Hoil, who lives in the neighborhood and has three children, added that he’s being more cautious after the incident.

Also quick to intervene, according to the Nextdoor post, was Joe Neuman, founder of Sloppy Mama’s, who provided security camera footage to police.

“We immediately went to our cameras and helped Arlington PD as best we could,” Neuman confirmed. “We had the incident on our cameras but the car had [a] license plate cover on it so we were unable to get a plate.”

“The investigation is ongoing,” ACPD said in today’s crime report.

UPDATED: World War II Flyover Postponed

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Update at 11:15 on 9/25 — The flyover has been postponed due to weather, according to the event’s livestream. The flyover is being rescheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the event’s Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/ww2flyover/posts/2808358272779753

Earlier: This coming Friday, the sound of freedom will roar over the Potomac River, as the skies are filled with dozens of vintage World War II aircraft.

The Arsenal of Democracy Flyover is scheduled to happen around 11:30 a.m. this Friday, Sept. 25. The aircraft will fly down the Potomac from the north, over the Key, Roosevelt and Memorial bridges, and down the National Mall.

“Approximately 70 World War II aircraft will take to the skies over Washington D.C.,” the event’s website says. “These historically sequenced warbird formations will fly over the Washington Mall in two minute intervals. The formations will represent the War’s major battles concluding with a missing man formation.”

“The first formation is estimated to be over the Lincoln Memorial
 at 11:30 a.m.,” the website says. “The Arsenal of Democracy aircraft will proceed to a holding point about 10 miles west of Leesburg where they will begin the flight down the Potomac River towards D.C. As they approach the Lincoln Memorial, they will turn East and proceed down Independence Avenue. At the completion of the flyover of the WWII Memorial, the aircraft will turn south and begin their flight down the Potomac River and back to their original airports.”

This year’s flyover commemorates the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, on May 8, 1945. A similar flyover took place in 2015, in honor of the 70th anniversary.

Aircraft participating in this year’s flyover include P-40 Warhawks, F4U Corsairs, P-51 Mustangs, B-25 Mitchells, B-29 Superfortresses and C-47 Skytrains.

https://www.facebook.com/ww2flyover/photos/a.1550899878525605/2803077453307835/

As Flu Season Approaches, New COVID-19 Cases Continue to Fluctuate

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County has seen three consecutive days of coronavirus cases below the seven-day moving average.

The relative reduction in cases over the weekend is welcome news, but the county is — like much of the rest of the country — continuing to see a baseline of new cases as colder weather and the flu season approach.

The seven-day moving average of new daily cases currently stands at 15.7, and has remained within a range of 12 to 21 since the beginning of the month.

As of Monday morning, Arlington had recorded 32 new cases, one new COVID-related death and two new hospitalizations since Friday, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. The cumulative totals for all three currently stand at 3,851 cases, 493 hospitalizations and 147 deaths.

The case fatality rate — the percentage of deaths compared to reported cases — has continued to fall over the past couple of months, and is currently 3.8%. Arlington’s test positivity rate is also currently 3.8%.

Virginia Hospital Center ER chief Mike Silverman, in a weekly update posted to social media, said on Friday that healthcare providers have been getting better at treating COVID patients since the start of the pandemic, using steroids, the antiviral drug Remdesivir, and other treatments and techniques to bring down the death rate — though there’s no silver bullet yet.

He said that the hospital has seen other positive trends lately.

Masks and social distancing remain our best strategies and I think we’re seeing the benefits. Our overall hospital positivity rate continues to trend down. In the [Emergency Department], we’re definitely see less COVID than a month ago. We have less symptomatic patients presenting to the ED week over week for about a month and their test positivity rate continues to trend down. Our overall testing rate in the ED is also trending down. We also have less hospitalized COVID patients than we’ve had in the recent post. All of these metrics are good news for today, though we continue to plan for whatever COVID and the flu bring us later this fall and winter.

Silverman continued to urge people to get flu shots, though there’s some hope that the fast-approaching flu season might not be as bad as once feared.

Flu season is just around the corner. If you haven’t already gotten your flu shot yet, please do so over the next couple of weeks. We always look to the Southern Hemisphere to see what their flu season is like since theirs precedes ours. The good news is that flu appeared mild in many countries that we track. This is most certainly related to mask wearing and having a flu season that occurred during times of significant social distancing. I’m relatively optimistic that mask wearing and social distancing will reduce flu transmission this year. On the other hand, if kids return to school and increase their social activities, and people become complacent with masks and social distancing, we could have a bad winter.

Report: Bed Bath & Beyond to Close at Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com

The Bed Bath & Beyond store at Pentagon Row is set to close by the end of the year.

USA Today reported Friday afternoon that the store is on a list of 63 Bed Bath & Beyond locations that will shutter by the end of 2020. The store first opened about 20 years ago, shortly after the opening of the shopping center itself.

The parent company is retrenching amid a difficult business climate for bricks-and-mortar retailers, the paper reported.

Bed Bath & Beyond also owns the World Market retail chain; World Market closed its Pentagon Row store last year.

Photo via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Boat Catches Fire Near Gravelly Point — “Update boat fire Gravelly Point. Vessel is well involved. #DCsBravest Fireboats in active attack on burning vessel. The 11 occupants are being transported to Fire/Police pier for evaluation.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Flags at Half Staff in Va., U.S. — “Per an order from @GovernorVA, the Virginia flag is to be lowered to half staff at all federal, state and local government facilities across Virginia in memory of U.S Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday. Flags are to remain lowered until burial.” [Twitter, White House]

AMC Shirlington Temporarily Closed — The AMC Shirlington 7 theater appears to have suddenly, temporarily closed over the weekend. AMC’s website shows no planned showtimes at the theater. The reason for the closure was not given. The theater reopened on Aug. 27 at a reduced capacity after closing at the beginning of the pandemic. [Twitter]

Beyer Still Pushing for Rosslyn Boathouse — “The seemingly interminable planning process for a new boathouse facility in Rosslyn already has outlasted one of its champions in Congress, and while U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) is not planning on departing any time soon, one wonders if it might outlast him, too. Not if Beyer has anything to say about it. ‘It’s moving very slowly, but it will be done,’ Beyer vowed.” [InsideNova]

Local Startup’s Return to Office Normalcy — “Phone2Action’s first step toward that elusive new normalcy appears to be going as planned. That’s the latest word from Jeb Ory, CEO and founder of the advocacy platform, who said those employee volunteers the company selected to be the first workers back into Phone2Action’s headquarters at 1500 Wilson Blvd. seem to adapting well to the workplace changes.” [Washington Business Journal]

County Board Approves New Bonds — From last week: “The Board [voted] to authorize the sale of up to $172.32 million in General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds for new projects and the refunding of existing bonds to lower interest rates and save taxpayer money.” [Arlington County]

Arrest Made in Eden Center Nightclub Homicide — “City of Falls Church Police identified Geovanny Alexander Mejia Castro as the homicide victim in the September 11, 2020 shooting at the Diva Lounge (6763 Wilson Blvd.). Mr. Castro, a security guard at the nightclub, died from multiple gunshot wounds.” [City of Falls Church]

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com
1/3

For much the this week, the sun was obscured behind a haze of smoke wafting in from the West Coast wildfires.

As the week has gone on, the haze has dissipated. Despite the calamities the world has faced this year, it is good to know that, with due time, the sun will always come back out eventually.

Here are the most-read articles this week on ARLnow:

  1. County Board Votes to Discontinue Sidewalk Crowding Ordinance
  2. French Pastry Shop Now Open in Rosslyn
  3. Purple Lounge Back in Business After Liquor License Restored
  4. New Rosslyn Development Marks Construction Milestone
  5. County Board Expresses Support for Changing County Logo
  6. Board Approves Gun Ban in County Buildings and Parks
  7. Neighborhood Spotlight: The Best Tacos in Arlington
  8. First Day of Early Voting Attracts Long Line in Arlington
  9. County Board OKs New $14 Million, Amazon-Funded Park in Pentagon City

For those celebrating tonight, Shanah tovah.

Also: RIP summer of 2020. Hello, fall.

Feel free to discuss any of the above, or anything else of local interest, in the comments. Have a nice weekend!

New Italian Restaurant in Clarendon Nears Opening

By ARLnow.com

The Italian restaurant that’s coming to the former Alto Fumo space (2909 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon is a few weeks away from opening.

Mazaro is the name of the new restaurant, which was first touted in window coverings declaring that “Italy is Coming!” The coverings are now off and interior work has largely wrapped up, according to Aziza Naji, a partner in the restaurant and 14-year veteran of the industry. She said her partner is a local commercial property owner with no prior restaurant experience.

Naji described Mazaro as a modern Italian restaurant that will offer classic Italian cuisine and Neapolitan pizza baked in specialized, wood-fired ovens imported from Italy. The restaurant will have both indoor and outdoor seating when it opens, we’re told.

Mazaro just applied for a Virginia ABC license to serve beer, wine and cocktails, and expects to open once the application is approved — perhaps later this month or in early October, according to Naji.

The restaurant does not yet have a working website, though one is currently under development.

After Holding Steady All Week, A Bump in New Cases Today

By ARLnow.com

For the past two weeks, the seven-day moving average of new coronavirus cases in Arlington has kept a fairly tight range. Today, however, it is seeing something of a bump up.

Twenty-eight new cases were reported overnight, the highest one-day total since Aug. 28, bringing the seven-day average to 17. The seven-day total is now 119, after hovering around 100 all week.

Since Monday, one new COVID-related death and four new hospitalizations have been reported in Arlington. The seven-day total of new hospitalizations currently stands at 10.

The cumulative total of cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the start of the pandemic is now 3,819, 491, and 146, respectively, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

Over the past month, meanwhile, the age of new COVID-19 cases in the county has continued to skew younger, with the 0-9, 10-19 and 20-29 age groups showing the highest proportional increase since Aug. 19.

First Day of Early Voting Attracts Long Line in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington residents were lined up down the block in Courthouse this morning, on the first day of early voting in Virginia.

The county’s elections office said on Twitter that 200 people cast ballots in the first hour this morning, after voting opened at 8 a.m.

Any registered voter who wants to vote early can do so through Oct. 31, at designated early voting locations. Currently, voting is taking place at the former Wells Fargo bank (2200 Clarendon Blvd) near county government headquarters in Courthouse. Four community centers will also open for early voting on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Voters who don’t want to show up to the polls in person, for fear of COVID-19 or otherwise, can request mail-in ballots through Oct. 23. The first of the ballots are being sent out today. As of early August, about 17,000 Arlingtonians — 10% of active voters — had requested mail-in ballots, according to the elections office.

More information on how to vote in the upcoming general election is available on Arlington County’s 2020 Voter Guide website.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3

More views of the line via social media:

https://twitter.com/marbygirl/status/1306930297079058435?s=21

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