local business

Courthouse Restaurant Summers Could Close Without Outdoor Seating Permit

By Vernon Miles

After nearly 40 years, Joe Javidara said the future of his soccer-themed bar Summers Restaurant in Courthouse (1520 N. Courthouse Road) hinges on a permit he said is being processed through Arlington County government.

The restaurant announced on Monday that it was temporarily closed until it could get a permit for outdoor seating.

Like many local restaurant owners with insufficient indoor seating to allow for social distancing, Javidara said getting one of the county’s temporary outdoor seating requests is crucial to ensuring that customers feel safe returning to local eateries.

Jessica Margarit, spokeswoman for the Department of Community Planning, Housing & Development, said the county has received 110 applications for Temporary Outdoor Seating Area permits. Of those, 75 have been approved. Four were denied while 13 remain under review. The other 17 are listed as inactive — meaning they have not followed up with staff on requests for additional information — and one was withdrawn.

Asked about it by ARLnow, Margarit said the county had not received a new TOSA application from Summers yet.

Dear Summers friends,We will TEMPORARILY CLOSE until we get an outdoor seating permit from the Arlington, County. …

Posted by Summers Restaurant & Sports Bar on Monday, August 31, 2020

It’s a process the county has worked to make easier over the last few months, but Javidara faces a critical snag: his sidewalk is too narrow. An earlier application in June was denied because staff found that putting the restaurant space on the sidewalk would not allow enough space for pedestrians to safely maneuver.

“This time, I went to county and told them we’re going to close, we’ve closed already,” Javidara said. “We got the application. Hopefully we’ll see. They’re going to send the engineer to check it out… Without the outside seating we can’t pay the rent.”

Javidara’s solution had been to utilize the on-street parking area, removing four parking spaces to make way for tables with a cleared space on the sidewalk between the seating and the restaurant for pedestrians to pass through. It’s a move that’s been implemented in places like Clarendon and Shirlington, and in other jurisdictions like Alexandria, to the benefit of local restaurants.

He tried that approach in June, arguing that no one was coming to work in the nearby buildings anyway, but was rejected.

“We tried to open anyway, but we’re losing a lot of money and paying $20,000 in rent,” Javidara said. “And there’s no sports, so it feels like everything is against us.”

It isn’t the first time Summers Restaurant has been in dire straits. In 2014, Javidara expressed similar concerns about increasing rent possibly driving the restaurant out of business.

Now, he’s been told the application could be processed sometime in the next two or three weeks. Margarit said the average application reviews for TOSA permits take 5-10 days, sometimes less.

“They’re slow these days,” Javidara said. “By the time we get it, it could maybe be the end of October. There might still be a few weeks of nice weather. We’ve been here for 37 or 38 years, but if this doesn’t go through we’re going to go.”

Regardless, the building Summers calls home may not be long for this world: the entire block is set for redevelopment.

Columbia Pike Donut Shop Has Closed Permanently

By ARLnow.com
1/3

The former Sugar Shack Donuts along Columbia Pike will not be reopening, after the restaurant’s owner filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The Washington Business Journal reports that former state lawmaker Rob Krupicka — a Sugar Shack franchisee who was in the process of rebranding his locations as an independent, plant-based cafe called Elizabeth’s Counter when the pandemic struck and forced them to close — has declared bankruptcy and shuttered the 1014 S. Glebe Road location in Arlington for good.

The store originally opened in 2016.

Krupicka’s D.C. location is also closed permanently, but he hopes to keep the now-rebranded Elizabeth’s Counter location at 804 N. Henry Street in Alexandria open with an expanded outdoor dining area, the Business Journal reports.

The nearest donut shop to the former Arlington Sugar Shack is a Dunkin Donuts inside a gas station at 3100 Columbia Pike.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s September — With a flip of the calendar, it is now September. Including today, there are 122 days remaining until 2021. There are nine weeks until Election Day. [YouTube, Wall Street Journal]

NORAD Exercises This Week — “We will conduct air defense exercise Falcon Virgo between midnight and 5:30 a.m. (ET) Sept.1-3 in the Washington, D.C. area. The exercise includes U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft, a U.S. Army C-12, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65D helicopter, and a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182T. Some portions of the exercise may involve flights at approximately 2,500 feet and may be visible from the ground.” [Facebook]

The Backstory Behind Chasin’ Tails — Cajun seafood restaurant Chasin’ Tails, in East Falls Church, along with Happy Endings Eatery in Rosslyn, are owned by two brothers who became globetrotting multi-millionaires by playing online poker. [Washingtonian]

Rosslyn Company to Be Acquired — “Arlington language learning company Rosetta Stone Inc. is being acquired by private equity-backed Cambium Learning Group Inc. for $792 million. The all-cash deal announced Monday values Rosetta Stone (NYSE: RST) at about $30 per share, about 87% higher than its closing price on July 16.” [Washington Business Journal]

Long-time Journalist Dies — “William R. Neikirk, an award-winning economics and political journalist who spent nearly 35 years with the Chicago Tribune and served as White House correspondent during the Clinton administration, died Aug. 27 at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 82. The cause was dementia and complications from the novel coronavirus.” [Washington Post]

Kanye on Va. Ballot — “Rapper Kanye West has qualified to appear on Virginia’s presidential ballot in November, according to state election officials. Elections officials confirmed Friday evening that West will appear on the ballot as an independent after verifying he submitted 5,000 petition signatures from Virginia voters.” [InsideNova]

Nearby: D.C. Offices Nearly Deserted — “Only 5 percent of office workers in downtown DC were in their workplaces at the end of July, according to a new report from the DowntownDC BID. Economic activity in downtown DC, it found, was 12 percent of what it was the year before.” [Washingtonian]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Allocates More Money for Rent Relief — “The Arlington County Board today approved using an additional $1.125 million from the County’s COVID-19 contingent account to fund eviction protection through December 2020 for those affected by the pandemic. The Board’s action brings the total amount allocated for eviction prevention in Fiscal Year 2021, which began July 1, 2020, to $3.5 million.” [Arlington County]

AWLA Pushes to Extend Eviction Ban — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is pushing for legislators to extend Governor Northam’s original eviction deadline of September 7, to prevent animals from being surrendered by people who can’t afford them. AWLA says they’re here to help tenants during these trying times and also urge landlords to cut back on animal restrictions and limitations.” [WDVM]

I-66 Lane Closures This Weekend — “Single-lane closures on westbound I-66 just before the bridge over Lee Highway (Route 29) at Exit 72 will occur (weather permitting) between 9 p.m. Friday night, Aug. 28 and 5 a.m. Monday morning, Aug. 31 for road repairs, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.” [VDOT]

Arlington-Based Lidl Expanding — “Discount grocery Lidl, whose North American headquarters is in Crystal City, Virginia, will open 50 new stores by the end of 2021, including 10 new locations in Maryland, and seven new stores in Virginia.” [WTOP]

Nearby: Rabies Warning in Falls Church — “The City of Falls Church Police and Animal Warden remind residents about the risks of rabid wildlife spreading rabies to pets. Police recently responded to a report of a sick raccoon in the 1200 block of Lincoln Ave. The raccoon was euthanized and later found to have rabies.  In this case, two dogs were exposed to the raccoon and are now in quarantine.” [City of Falls Church]

New Mexican Restaurant ‘Los Chamacos’ Replacing Cantina Mexicana Off Columbia Pike

By Vernon Miles
1/3

Interior renovations are underway on a new Mexican restaurant called Los Chamacos, which is planning to pick up where Cantina Mexicana left off in December.

The restaurant — which translates to “The Kids” — will offer Mexican cuisine classics, like fajitas, enchiladas, molcajete, pambazo and barbacoa, according to a sign on the restaurant window. It’s located at 922 S. Walter Reed Drive

Cantina Mexicana first opened along Columbia Pike seven years ago but temporarily closed late last year due to the owners needing time off to care for a family member who suffered a stroke.

An employee inside the storefront said the restaurant is tentatively scheduled for an opening sometime in November.

Locals were bittersweet about the change on social media, lamenting the loss of Cantina Mexicana, which also previously had a location in Crystal City.

https://twitter.com/kbutler333/status/1296801492041641986

H/t to @SRtwofourfour

After Overcoming Floods, Ballston’s SER Confronts a Pandemic

By Joseph Ramos

Ballston’s SER is no stranger to adversity.

Since its 2015 opening, the Spanish comfort food restaurant has flooded four different times.

After each flood, owner Javier Candon said SER faced temporary closure and extensive cleanup at its 1110 N. Glebe Road storefront. Through these hard times, though, Candon said he could always see light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, following a three month closure of SER’s in-person dining and with sales still down 40%, Candon sees only dark.

“With the flood, it was devastating, especially because it happened one time after the other time. But even if you are closed, you know that you are going to reopen at some point,” Candon said. “With the pandemic… not knowing when things are going to come back to normal — if they come back to normal — emotionally is very hard.”

SER shut its doors in March when Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered non-essential business to close. Restaurants were still allowed to offer takeout and delivery, but SER was only available on Uber Eats.

Candon said the eatery’s first actions were to join DoorDash, Postmates and Grubhub, where customers continued ordering popular items like paella. Additionally, liquor and wine pick-up became available on SER’s website, after being allowed by the state.

Without a need for workers to run in-person dining, Candon said SER also let go of almost all of its staff. Only a couple cooks, the chef and a couple managers were kept to manage takeout operations.

As the pandemic progressed, SER began to reopen in line with the state. Phase 1 permitted 50% outdoor occupancy with tables placed six feet apart, so Candon opened the restaurant’s patio space and started rehiring workers to staff it.

He also applied for a Temporary Outdoor Seating Area permit to expand patio seating.

Now that Phase 3 allows for indoor and outdoor seating with tables six feet apart, Candon said SER can seat about 70 people inside, or about 50% of its capacity, and around 80 people in its expanded patio space. He added that nearly all original staff members have been brought back.

Customers have been returning on Friday and Saturday nights, but Candon said SER’s overall business is still taking a sustained hit.

“Where we have been affected the most has been lunch business, since people are not back to the office,” Candon said. “Monday through Thursday night, we are down a lot because we used to have a lot of business in terms of happy hour and company parties and events. That’s not happening now and it’s not going to happen for a long time.”

SER received a PPP loan to help with rent, payroll and utility payments, but now has higher operational costs from spending on personal protective equipment, sanitizers and more staff to clean the building.

After the floods, SER’s insurance paid for income losses during the subsequent closures. Candon said the costs of staying open during the pandemic are not subject to the same relief, so SER is on its own if it hopes to stay afloat.

Several Restaurants Burglarized in Crystal City Area

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Someone smashed their way into several restaurants in the Crystal City area, at a time when many are struggling as a result of the pandemic.

The break-ins happened between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, in and around Crystal City. Among the victims was Bozzelli’s. The Italian restaurant and pizzeria, which has five outposts in D.C. and Northern Virginia, had the glass door of its 2600 Crystal Drive location smashed in, and cash and other items stolen.

“Bozzelli’s was the target of a burglary in a late night string of heists,” the company said in a statement to ARLnow. “[At least] three restaurants were burglarized in and around Crystal City… Police are working to collect security footage from surrounding buildings to identify the perpetrators. They are also working to find any witnesses.”

“The timing is very unfortunate because like most restaurants we are just trying to survive the pandemic,” said owner Mike Bozzelli.

“If the culprits would have stuck around until the cops came we could have made them a pizza,” he joked.

More on the Bozzelli’s burglary from an Arlington County Police Department crime report this morning:

BURGLARY, 2020-08200039, 2600 block of Crystal Drive. At approximately 5:46 a.m. on August 20, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary just discovered. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 9:00 p.m. on August 19 and 5:46 a.m. on August 20, an unknown suspect(s) forced entry to a business, causing damage, and stole items of value and an undisclosed amount of cash. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

The crime report lists three other business burglaries from around the same time, though the names of the businesses are not revealed.

BURGLARY, 2020-08200024, 2900 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 2:50 a.m. on August 20, police were dispatched to the report of vandalism. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 12:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., an unknown suspect(s) forced entry to a business, causing damage. Nothing was reported stolen. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

BURGLARY, 2020-08200037, 1400 block of S. Fern Street. At approximately 5:45 a.m. on August 20, police were dispatched to the report of vandalism. Upon arrival, it was determined that at 2:56 a.m., an unknown suspect forced entry to a business, causing damage, and tampered with items. Nothing was reported stolen. The suspect is described as a male, unknown race, wearing a gray hoodie, gray mask, and khaki pants.

BURGLARY, 2020-08200051, 1200 block of S. Eads Street. At approximately 8:17 a.m. on August 20, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary just discovered. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 5:00 p.m. on August 19 and 8:05 a.m. on August 20, an unknown suspect(s) forced entry to a business and stole an undisclosed amount of cash. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

Photos courtesy Bozzelli’s

Ballston &pizza Open Again, but More Closures Coming for ‘Operational Changes’

By Vernon Miles
1/3

Update on 8/18/20 — The &pizza in Ballston is now open, but will be closed again next Monday. Darien Bates, head of technology at &pizza, explained that the location had been closed Monday and would be closed again next Monday to make changes to accommodate the store’s increased takeout demand.

Earlier: The &pizza at 3924 Wilson Blvd has been closed for more than a week, with company representatives saying the closure is temporary.

“[The Ballston location] is temporarily shut down due to operational changes,” an &pizza representative told ARLnow.

The fast-casual pizzeria opened near the intersection with N. Quincy Street in late 2017. The &pizza rep said there is no additional information on when the regional pizza chain will reopen the Ballston outpost.

The pandemic has caused financial pain for many local restaurants, including those that serve lunchtime office crowds like &pizza. A number of restaurants and local businesses in Arlington have closed permanently since the epidemic started in March.

Though an &pizza rep said the Ballston location was still closed today, a couple of readers tell us they dined there over the weekend.

https://twitter.com/andpizza/status/1293333732951236614

Arlington Firms Make Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing U.S. Companies List 

By Joseph Ramos

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, StartupMonday 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!

There were 31 Arlington-based companies included in Inc. Magazine’s annual list of America’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies.

In all, 204 Northern Virginia companies made the list. According to Inc., these companies saw a median 3-year growth of 162%, generated $12 billion in total revenue and added 16,118 jobs.

The highest ranked Arlington company was Royce Geospatial Consultants, a geospatial intelligence government contractor based out of Clarendon.

“Our experts leverage the harvesting and combination of a variety of datasets,” the company says on its website, “to include emerging open and dark web data with foundational geospatial data to provide true value added Intelligence and GIS data resources used for deeper analysis.”

Other Arlington companies on the list include transportation and defense contractor Objective Area Solutions, biometric identification company Secure Planet Inc., medical data and records contractor Capitol Bridge.

“We are a growing, Arlington-based company that exclusively focuses on public sector aviation programs and we have developed a reputation for being able to quickly respond to our client’s dynamic environment,” said J.J. Stakem, CEO of Objective Area Solutions. “The complexity of these aviation programs in areas such as drones, cybersecurity, environmental programs, surveillance, and many other areas requires consulting companies to have a highly specialized understanding of the technical, organizational, operational, and policy considerations.  OAS uniquely fills that need for our clients.”

Stakem said the company has worked to support the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA.

“Moving forward we will be continuing our work to provide holistic support to public sector aviation programs,” Stakem said. “Over the next 12 months we are focused on growing our engineering support capabilities as a component of our overall solution and we are also expanding our client base to include a wider range of aviation clients within the US Government as well as state, local, and international public sector aviation domain.”

Courthouse startup DivvyCloud also made the list at number 471 with 970% growth. The company said in a press release that its recent acquisition by cybersecurity company Rapid7 meant it was the last year the company would be eligible for the list.

“My co-founder, Chris DeRamus, and I are honored to be included on this prestigious list and ranked among the most innovative and forward thinking companies shaping our nation today,” said Brian Johnson, co-founder and senior vice president of DivvyCloud. “This announcement further validates that we are fulfilling our mission to help enterprises accelerate innovation without loss of control.”

The following list includes the Arlington companies, their ranking on the Inc. list, and their 3-year growth rate.

Photo courtesy DivvyCloud. Vernon Miles contributed to this story.

New Clarendon Smoke Shop Replacing Classic Cigars and British Goodies

By Vernon Miles
1/3

Long-time local store Classic Cigars and British Goodies in Clarendon (2907 Wilson Blvd) is closed for good, but a new smoking accouterment vendor is planning a move into the same location with an inventory that will pay respect to the late Anglophile establishment.

“Smoke Source Tobacco and Vape is excited to open their fifth location on the highly populated Clarendon Blvd,” Kelsey Sharp, a spokesperson for the regional chain, told ARLnow.

Smoke Source Tobacco and Vape has other locations in Northern Virginia, including in Manassas, Chantilly and Fairfax, but the new store will be a little different in an homage to Classic Cigars and British Goodies, which closed in March and never reopened.

“Not only will the new store provide tobacco and vape products and accessories but also offer a variety of cigar brands including Padròn, Montecristo and Davidoff and continue to stock specialty British goods as well as an assortment of craft beer and wine,” Sharp said. “The store is under new ownership but, in an effort to please the current customer base, Smoke Source Tobacco and Vape will continue to stock the British goodies as well as expand their inventory.”

The store is currently still stocked with the remaining Classic Cigars and British Goodies supply — including bottled drinks, teas, biscuits and candies imported from the UK — but that could change over the new few months.

“The new store is currently undergoing a full refresh and hopes to be open by the end of this summer,” Sharp said.

Morning Poll: How Much Are You Spending at Local Businesses?

By ARLnow.com

A lot of local businesses are hurting during the pandemic.

Any business that relies on people congregating inside is having a tough time — restaurants, gyms, events organizers, etc. The economic hardship has hit ancillary businesses as well: dry cleaners, for example, are struggling due to few people going to offices and formal events.

Arlington has fared better so far than some other places. While there have been some business closures, it’s been more a trickle of closures than a flood.

That is partially due to Arlington being an affluent place with plenty of government-connected jobs that come with a steady paycheck even during a recession. But it is also, at least in part, due to Arlingtonians going out of their way to support local businesses.

The popular Arlington Neighbors Helping Each Other Through COVID-19 Facebook group regularly hosts discussions about ways to support locally-owned businesses, for instance, including a “Takeout Tuesday” thread where members say which restaurant they’re ordering from that night.

Making an effort to support more local businesses is certainly laudable, but we wonder whether on balance Arlington residents are spending more or less than they did before the pandemic. After all, you might be ordering more takeout, but perhaps when you used to go out in person you’d spend more on drinks, offsetting any increase.

Take a look at your spending habits and let us know where you stand.

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