restaurant

Some see a restaurant boom in Arlington after D.C. voters end tipped minimum wage

By Matt Blitz
Dinner hour at a Shirlington restaurant (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

D.C.’s new law that phases out tipped minimum wage could potentially have significant ramifications for Arlington, local restaurateurs say.

Voters in the District last week approved Initiative 82, a measure that essentially ends an employer’s reliance on tips from customers to ensure paying minimum wage to workers.

Currently, employers can pay tipped workers a minimum wage below that of non-tipped workers, contingent on tips making up the difference. Starting next year, however, D.C. employers — primarily restaurants — will no longer be able to do that and will have to pay a gradually increasing rate until 2027, when the minimum wage of tipped workers is set to match non-tipped employees.

As a result of Initiative 82 passing, a number of D.C. restaurants are expected to pass at least some of the cost on to diners by either raising menu prices or instituting a service charge on bills.

This has some local restaurateurs thinking about the impact across the river.

Mark Bucher is the owner of Medium Rare, the steakhouse with locations in D.C., Bethesda and Arlington. He believes that the potential for higher costs in the District is going to drive a lot of diners to Northern Virginia.

“I think this is Mardi Gras,” Bucher told ARLnow. “For Virginia restaurants, in Arlington especially, this is a gift that was given from a misunderstood initiative in D.C.”

He said that while it may take a couple of years, it will likely end up being noticeably less expensive to eat and drink in Arlington compared to the District.

“Where are you going to drink? Where are you going to go to happy hour?” he asked rhetorically. “You’re going to go to Virginia, where it’s more friendly and it’s more open and it’s less expensive.”

Beyond diners, Bucher said that this might also work to Arlington’s advantage in terms of where restaurateurs are looking to open their next business. He told ARLnow that he’s spoken to a few “national chefs” recently that have scrapped plans to come to D.C.

“All the young chefs, all the young mixologists, all the young restaurateurs that would normally come to D.C. are going to be looking in Virginia,” he said. “D.C. blew it, but it’s to Arlington’s advantage.”

Bucher does believe that the initiative was a good idea in concept, but it was voted under the “flawed premise” that restaurant workers don’t make minimum wage. As the law stands now, if an employee does not pull in the equivalent of minimum wage with tips, the employer is required to pay the difference.

Nick Freshman is a little less sure than Bucher that the new law is going to push diners, employees, and restaurateurs across the river. He owns The Freshman in Crystal City and Spider Kelly’s in Clarendon, and is part of a team that owns several District businesses.

He can foresee scenarios where Arlington becomes the recipient of lost District business, but that’s not for certain.

“There’s a lot of ‘potentially’ and there’s a lot of ‘possibly,'” he told ARLnow. “What has happened to the industry across the area, a little bit of a bomb is going off in terms of the disruption. And nobody really knows how to react to it from an operational standpoint.”

(more…)

Columbia Pike taco spot popular on Instagram is now closed, likely moving early next year

By Matt Blitz
1/2

A Columbia Pike taco spot that has gained a following on social media has closed until next year and is likely moving.

Nono’s Taqueria announced last week to its nearly Instagram 61,000 followers that it was “temporarily closing” its location at 3207-A Columbia Pike, tucked between Panda Bowl and Family Kabob House. But “better things are yet to come” continued the post.

Those better things appear to be a “mini-vacation” and a move, per chef and owner Christian Ruiz.

“We decided to close because our lease was almost up and it was time for an upgrade. Our clientele is big and we think it’s time to stand out on Columbia Pike with a facility that’s modern, offers more parking, and easier access for all our customers,” Ruiz wrote ARLnow in an email. “Our previous location served its purpose and was a great starting point for Nono’s Taqueria and we are grateful for all that it came with. All that being said, we are taking a mini vacation meanwhile so that we can come back stronger than ever.”

Ruiz also said that all of this might not happen until “close to March.”

We asked where Nono’s Taqueria plans to move but have yet to hear back. The taco shop opened in May 2021 and is known for its “Tijuana-style” birria tacos.

Birria tacos at Nono’s Taqueria (image via Instagram/Nono’s Taqueria)

The Columbia Pike corridor is gaining a bit of a reputation for being home to popular taco spots.

Up until this time last year, the La Tingeria food truck was also serving birria tacos on weekends on S. Courthouse Road right off the Pike before moving to a permanent space in Falls Church.

Last month Tortas y Tacos at 2911 Columbia Pike, next to the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse, announced that it would be extending its hours to 24/7, at least for delivery.

Chopt in Rosslyn moving a door down to a smaller, ‘eco-friendly’ space

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Chopt in Rosslyn is moving a door down from its original location on N. Lynn Street to a smaller space and “eco-friendly” store model.

The fast-casual salad purveyor announced yesterday that the current Chopt in Rosslyn will close on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and shift over to a smaller space next door. That new location at 1735 N. Lynn Street will open six days later on Monday, Nov. 28. It will be open Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 pm.

Chopt is moving into space that was once a Starbucks, which closed early last year.

The reason for the downsizing, a restaurant spokesperson told ARLnow, is that the new store model is “designed specifically to reduce their environmental and spatial footprint.” It will be about half the size of the current Chopt in Rosslyn.

The location will be a “completely contactless experience,” per the spokesperson. In other words, you’ll order from an electronic kiosk rather than placing an order with a person.

The new “sustainability-focused and contact-free storefront” is set to mimic the Ballston location, which opened in July.

More from a press release:

As a testament to Chopt’s dedication to improving customer experience, the Rosslyn restaurant features new QR code tableside ordering and delivery, and three self-serve kiosks to offer guests a completely contactless ordering process. The latest ordering technology makes in-store pickup and delivery easy, quick and convenient for guests to ‘chop’ the line. Reflecting the newest store model, as seen in Ballston, V.A., the restaurant significantly reduces Chopt’s environmental impact with a smaller spatial footprint that cuts square footage down by over 55%, streamlined operations, energy-efficient kitchenware and HVAC system to lower energy consumption by 30%, and GHG emissions by 21%. To fall into stride with all Chopt locations in sustainability and sourcing efforts, all menu offerings are served up in 100% compostable bowls made from sugar cane, which are capable of naturally breaking down without creating any new waste.

In addition to the Rosslyn and Ballston Chopt locations in Arlington, though there are additional locations in McLean, Vienna, Fairfax, and D.C.

Rhodeside Grill and Il Radicchio buildings could be razed for new apartments

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

A long-dormant plan to redevelop an aging office building and two restaurants between Rosslyn and Courthouse has been revived.

D.C.-based The Fortis Cos. has filed a conceptual site plan application to build a seven-story, 85-foot-tall apartment building at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Rhodes Street.

It would replace an office building at 1840 Wilson Blvd belonging to a nonprofit organization, the National Science Teachers Association, as well as Il Radicchio (1801 Clarendon Blvd) and Rhodeside Grill (1836 Wilson Blvd).

In November of 2005, the Arlington County Board originally approved a site plan that would have retained the NSTA building, demolished the restaurants and replaced them with a new, six-story office building with nearly 62,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.

Three years later, the County Board granted an extension on the project until 2011. A state statute in the wake of the 2007-2009 Great Recession automatically extended the validity of the site plan amendment until July 1, 2020. The County Board has since granted another extension until July 1, 2023.

Fortis intends to file a site plan amendment in the first quarter of 2023 seeking another extension of the site plan until 2026, according to the application.

“It is anticipated that the property’s nonprofit owner NSTA will remain as a tenant on the property until the redevelopment occurs,” the application says.

Meantime, the applicant is seeking feedback from the county on a number of aspects of the plan, including the building’s proposed height.

Land use attorneys who filed the application say the proposed seven-story building complies with the maximum 16-story height limit for apartments developed in this zoning district, but it is taller than recommended in the Rosslyn-to-Courthouse Urban Design Study.

“While the Study recommends 5 stories/55 feet at this location, the proposed height will provide a visually appropriate bookened for this block in a manner that is in character with the surrounding development and helps meet the county’s development goals,” the application says.

The study allows for height flexibility in exchange for affordable housing commitments, community facilities, special design considerations and new streets, it continues.

This is the latest proposal to switch from a proposed office building to an apartment building, as office vacancies deepen and developers continue pursuing housing developments.

And this is not the only long-dormant project Fortis has reprised this year. The Washington Business Journal reported in September that the company is taking on a stagnating apartment project at 2025 Fairfax Drive, a half-acre parcel in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood.

Fortis has seen to completion other apartment buildings in Clarendon, Rosslyn and Pentagon City, as well as the Residence Inn in Courthouse.

Falls Church restaurants to hold crawl fundraiser for Four Courts staff

By ARLnow.com
Ireland’s Four Courts boarded up on 9/15/22 (staff photo)

The Falls Church restaurant community is coming together to raise money for the employees of Ireland’s Four Courts.

The Courthouse mainstay was heavily damaged on Aug. 12 when a rideshare driver, who was apparently suffering a medical emergency, slammed into the front of the pub during a Friday happy hour. Three people were seriously injured and a raging fire sparked by the crash charred much of the interior.

Arlington County police announced yesterday that the driver will not face criminal charges. A Four Courts co-owner told ARLnow that the first step of rebuilding, a partial demolition, will start soon, followed by construction “in a couple of months.”

In the meantime, fellow restaurants have been banding together to support Four Courts employees while the pub remain closed.

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub in Shirlington held a fundraiser last month and, in early November, a number of prominent Fall Church restaurants are holding a fundraiser dubbed the “Crawl for the Courts.”

“Clare and Don’s Beach Shack and Ireland’s Four Provinces are organizing this Falls Church effort to support the staff of Ireland’s Four Courts,” said a press release for the event.

Three employees were reported to be among the 12 who suffered injuries not considered serious.

More on the event, from the press release:

On Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the local Falls Church restaurant community is coming together to host a Crawl for The Courts to benefit the employees of Ireland’s Four Courts. To participate, one will need to buy a voucher. The vouchers for the restaurant crawl will be available for purchase at each participating restaurant, on the day of the event. The cost is $100 per person and 100 percent of the proceeds raised will be presented to Irelands Four Courts. The patrons who come out to support this community effort will show their voucher to enjoy a bite and a drink special at each of the six participating restaurants.

A half dozen restaurants are participating, including:

Clare and Don’s Beach Shack
130 North Washington Street

Ireland’s Four Provinces
105 West Broad Street

Liberty Barbecue
370 West Broad Street

Northside Social
205 Park Avenue

Dogwood Tavern
132 West Broad Street

Harvey’s
513 West Broad Street

Crawl for the Courts poster (via Clare and Don’s Beach Shack)

Ghin Na Ree Thai currently closed, sold to a “new family”

By Matt Blitz
Ghin Na Ree Thai at Lee Harrison Shopping Center (photo by Jay Westcott)

Ghin Na Ree Thai is currently closed at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center, having been sold to a “new family.”

The two-decade-old Thai food restaurant near the Yorktown neighborhood shut down within the past few days, with both its website and phone message announcing its closure.

“Thank you for 21 years of great food! Ghin Na Ree has been sold to a new family and will reopen under another name in the future,” reads the restaurant’s website.

Ownership began telling regulars of the impending closure several weeks ago, saying in a note that “our parents are retiring and we’ve made the decision to sell the restaurant.”

The note also says that a “wonderful Thai family will be taking over in the next few weeks” while asking customers to “please continue to support this restaurant.”

ARLnow was in touch with the now-former owners last week — when the restaurant was still open — but they have so far declined to share who that new family might be.

The restaurant was generally popular with locals, earning 4 out of 5 stars on Yelp, with recent reviews calling the owners “beyond nice” and mentioning how large the portion sizes were.

Bread & Water has closed its Pentagon Row location

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Bread & Water has closed its standalone “cube” location in Pentagon City after four-and-a-half years in business.

The outpost of the Fairfax County-founded artisan bakery — which in addition to baked goods also offered coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads — first opened in February 2018 at what was then Pentagon Row (now Westpost). It was generally well reviewed online.

The business told customers in an email this morning, below, that it was closing in Pentagon City “effective immediately.”

Hey Bread and Water friends…we just wanted to let you know that effective immediately our CUBE – Pentagon City location will be closed.

We’re so grateful for all the support from our amazing customers here. We have loved our time at the Row, but we’ve got big things planned for our Alexandria location and sister restaurants (shout out to Bun Papa & BeeLiner Diner). We look forward to serving you at our other locations.

See you soon.

Reached by ARLnow, the business said it simply declined to renew its lease.

“Lease was just up,” said company founder Markos Panas. “Bread & Water and the team are doing better than ever and we’re focusing on bigger things… We are moving full speed ahead!”

It’s unclear what, if anything, is planned to replace Bread & Water in the small, standalone space at 1201 S. Joyce Street, near the shopping center’s plaza that hosts the ice rink during colder weather months.

Hat tip to Paul W. Matt Blitz contributed to this report. 

Local favorite 24-hour spot Bob and Edith’s cuts hours on Langston Blvd

By Matt Blitz
Bob & Edith’s Diner on Langston Blvd, at night (file photo)

(Updated, 10/18) Bob and Edith’s Diner, known for being open 24 hours a day, has cut its hours at the Langston Blvd location.

Late last week the diner announced on social media that the hours at its 5050 Langston Blvd location were being reduced “temporarily” to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

When the restaurant first opened in 2020, it was initially 24 hours but has since gradually reduced hours due to a “lack of staff” a Bob and Edith’s spokesperson told ARLnow, and getting cooks and servers to work overnights have “proven to be a challenge.”

The evening shift “wasn’t doing much business” another employee shared with ARLnow, and keeping it open those hours was wasting “money and energy.” The diner will be open for breakfast and lunch, though the whole menu will continue to be available.

This change is considered temporary for the moment, but it could become permanent.

The Bob and Edith’s on Langston Blvd opened just over two years ago. It was a bit of a long road to the opening from when the restaurant announced it had purchased the building that was formerly Linda’s Cafe back in the spring of 2018. When the two-decade-old restaurant finally closed in July, Linda’s had earned a reputation for “excellent burgers” and a spicy Twitter account.

The building was knocked down in late 2019 to make way for a gleaming, modern glass and steel Bob and Edith’s. Construction took a bit longer than expected due to the pandemic, but it finally opened in August 2020.

There are six Bob and Edith’s locations in total in Northern Virginia, but the burgeoning, homegrown chain hopes to keep expanding.

Most of the other Bob and Edith’s — including the flagship on Columbia Pike — remain open 24 hours. The Crystal City location is open 24 hours Wednesday through Sunday, 6 a.m to 10 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesday

Arlington asks: should Covid-era outdoor dining be a permanent fixture?

By Jo DeVoe

Arlington County is asking locals if they like Covid-era outdoor dining and want it to stay post-pandemic.

One central question in a recently-posted survey is where permanent outdoor dining areas would go. Top contenders appear to be streets, parking spaces and parking lots, according to the survey, which asks respondents if they’re comfortable ceding some parking to outdoor dining experiences.

This feedback form, available online through Friday, Oct. 28, is part of Arlington’s Future of Outdoor Dining Study — appropriately dubbed the “FOOD Study.” The study, first discussed last fall, is the latest step forward for the open-air eating movement, which gained traction during the pandemic.

“The FOOD Study will look at lessons learned from [temporary outdoor restaurant seating areas] and identify recommended amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and Outdoor Café Guidelines to strike an appropriate balance between commercial resiliency and public and community interest,” the webpage said.

In 2020, the Arlington County Board approved a temporary way for restaurants to circumvent the normally lengthy bureaucratic process for getting an outdoor dining permit. Many restaurants debuted these Temporary Outdoor Seating Areas (TOSAs) to make up for lost revenue due to social distancing requirements and diners skittish of indoor spaces, giving guests an arguably safer dining experience in the process.

Since then, the County Board has expanded and molded the ordinance to changing circumstances.

In December, the Board granted restaurant and bar owners the ability to set up TOSAs in common areas, such as plazas. When capacity restrictions were lifted in the spring of 2021, the County Board gave restaurants a way to request temporary certificates of occupancy for their TOSAs so they could operate the seating areas while operating at full capacity indoors.

Now, the county is examining whether it should allow local restaurants to expand their outdoor dining areas on both private and public property permanently, according to the county website.

For instance, the study will look at how much private parking space and public right-of-way cafés should take up, and whether those on private property could continue operating with administrative approval, while those operating in public spaces would need County Board approval.

“Given the public interest, outdoor cafés in public rights-of-way generally face stricter requirements,” the website says. “This approach helps ensure sidewalks continue to serve mobility needs of the public or recreation needs of those enjoying public spaces and aims to protect other community interests and avoid adverse impacts.”

Permanent outdoor dining areas may end up in competition with another in-demand amenity: private parking provided by the restaurant. Currently, county zoning ordinances require one parking space for every six seats in restaurants that are more than 1,000 feet from a Metro station.

A dent in parking might not impact the majority of TOSAs, many of which are concentrated in Metro-accessible areas, such as the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and in Crystal City and Pentagon City, per a map of existing TOSA locations.

A map of temporary outdoor seating areas (TOSAs) (via Arlington County)

But parking spaces have enough potential that the survey asks respondents what safety features would encourage them to eat in street parking zones or in a parking lot, such as traffic barriers, planters, reflective features and tents.

(more…)

Arlington Restaurant Week starts Monday with 40 restaurants participating

By Matt Blitz
2022 Arlington Restaurant Week (image via Arlington Chamber of Commerce)

Arlington Restaurant Week starts next week, with 40 eateries across the county participating.

Organized by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the fourth annual event will run this year from Monday, October 17 through Monday, October 24. The Chamber held its first restaurant week in 2019 and it has continued for the last several years, even through the pandemic, with restaurants providing to-go options. Once again, Amazon is a major sponsor of the event.

As of now, 40 restaurants are participating this year but more could be added in the coming days.

What separates Arlington’s restaurant week from others across the region is that all restaurants in the county are given the opportunity to participate in their own way, Arlington Chamber of Commerce President Kate Bates tells ARLnow.

“Arlington Restaurant Week was deliberately designed in a format that allows restaurants to set their own price points and menus. This gives every restaurant an opportunity to participate, from fast-casual to fine dining,” Bates wrote. “This is important because all of our local restaurants need support as the industry faces staffing shortages, increased food costs, and supply chain issues. Our diverse restaurant industry is part of what makes Arlington a great community, and we need to support our restaurants this week and always, to help them thrive.”

The list of participating restaurants includes:

A map of the restaurants is below.

Salt Pot Kitchen in Ballston has closed, new tenant unknown

By Matt Blitz
1/3

The sun has set on the British-inspired Salt Pot Kitchen in Ballston Quarter Market.

The “upscale British street food” eatery closed down its Quarter Market stall back in early August, co-owner Wendy Salt confirmed to ARLnow. Salt Pot first opened there in May, making its run rather short.

“Our contract was only ever for 3 months as a trial run/pop-up. There was always going to be an option to extend, which we would have been happy to consider but it just never got busy enough,” she wrote ARLnow. “Other opportunities came our way, and we have been busy exploring those since August.”

Salt also noted that they are not completely gone from Ballston, keeping a presence at the weekly farmers market on Thursday evenings until mid-November.

“This has been very successful, and we have many repeat customers every week,” Salt said.

The restaurant also continues to sell its food online.

Salt Pot Kitchen is from the Loudoun County-based mother-son team of Wendy and Charlie Salt and the mall stall was their first brick-and-mortar location. It served traditional English fare, like sausage rolls, meat pies, soups, and Wiltshire plaits.

The stall where Salt Pot Kitchen was, near the escalator and across from Bollywood Bistro, is currently dark, as it’s been since August. There’s no word as of yet on what new tenant might move in.

Prior to the British eatery, the stall was the home of Rogi. That pierogi pop-up, which replaced Italian spot Cucina al Volo, closed early this year, making way for Salt Pot Kitchen in the spring.

View More Stories