After weeks of remodeling, the Wendy’s at 5066 Lee Highway is back open for business, with a “free food for a year” giveaway this weekend.
The fast food restaurant quietly opened earlier this week, but the grand opening celebration is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) from 9-11 a.m. The first 100 customers in line by 10 a.m. will have a chance to win free food for a year, according to a press release.
Two of the biggest non-decorative upgrades for the new Wendy’s are a new Coca-Cola Freestyle beverage dispenser — a soda machine with a lot of choices — and free Wi-Fi internet service.
“This restaurant has bold curb appeal and features a compelling design — inside and out,” said Arif Islam, Wendy’s region manager, in the press release. “It’s very different from what our customers in Arlington are used to, but we think they’ll really like the fresh look and feel of the new Wendy’s.”
The press release boasts that the new Wendy’s boasts improvements like “large windows” and “multiple seating options,” which in practice means the fast-food restaurant has been brought up to par with other renovated spots like the Taco Bell down the street and fellow renovated Wendy’s locations on Columbia Pike and King Street.
Next door, however, the former Linda’s Diner location remains virtually untouched one year after it was “soon to be replaced” by a Bob and Edith’s Diner.
Diners seemed to be excited to finally have their neighborhood Wendy’s back. Lines for the drive-thru stretched back to Lee Highway during lunch hours yesterday.
The Popeyes on Columbia Pike was sold of out chicken sandwiches Wednesday afternoon
Line at Popeyes on Pershing Drive in Buckingham
Popeyes on Pershing Drive in Buckingham
The Popeyes on Columbia Pike was sold of out chicken sandwiches Wednesday afternoon
The Popeyes on Columbia Pike was sold of out chicken sandwiches Wednesday afternoon
Popeyes at the Pentagon City mall food court
A worker prepares a chicken sandwich at the Popeyes in the Pentagon City mall food court
Line at the Popeyes in the Pentagon City mall food court
Sedaya Moore and her Popeyes chicken sandwich at the Pentagon City mall food court
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) It was poultry pandemonium at Popeyes on Pershing, the Pike and in Pentagon City today.
The fried chicken chain has been selling out of its wildly popular, critically acclaimed new chicken sandwiches nationwide, and Arlington is no exception — but one shining beacon of salty and fatty goodness in the county was still serving as of mid-afternoon today.
Spurred on by a social media war among Popeyes, Chick-fil-A and Wendy’s and lesser chicken sandwich purveyors, customers have been flocking to Popeyes restaurants and scarfing down every clucking sammy in the joint.
In Arlington today, we went searching for the coveted bread-chicken-pickles-and-mayo stack at three Popeyes locations in the county: at 4241 N. Pershing Drive in Buckingham, near Ballston; at 5007 Columbia Pike, near the Arlington Mill Community Center; and at the Pentagon City mall food court. (A fourth, right on the Arlington/Alexandria border at 4675 King Street, was left off our visit list.)
Arriving at the Pershing location around 1 p.m., the parking lot was full and a line wrapped around the interior of the restaurant. After finally advancing to the front of the line, a woman dressed in business attire and not the usual Popeyes uniform — was it the owner? — broke the news that the restaurant had sold out of the sandwich an hour earlier. She said a shipment on Friday is expected to restock their sandwich supply, and added in hushed tones that they may be restocked tonight (Wednesday) as well.
The story was even bleaker at the Popeyes on the Pike. Staff there said they’re out of the sandwiches, noted that many local Popeyes have been out for two days, and asserted they won’t be getting more until Friday at the earliest. One particularly spicy customer — the sandwiches come in classic and spicy varieties, it should be noted — said the viral online food fight is to blame.
“It’s crazy. I blame it on social media,” the customer said. “They [the Popeyes sandwiches] are good, but they’re not Chick-Fil-A good.”
Finally, at 3 p.m., the Popeyes at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City food court beckoned. Taking stock of the origin of the chain’s name — it’s supposedly named after a detective in the 1971 film The French Connection, not the spinach-swallowing cartoon sailor — it dawned on our intrepid reporter that we, too, were conducting an investigation into a dealer of addictive substances. But since chicken sandwiches are decidedly more benign than heroin, he soldiered on.
From a distance, a long line could be seen. Upon further inspection, it started at the Popeyes and stretched well past the McDonald’s. Approaching the counter, employees could be seen preparing it — The Sandwich — the most buzzworthy fried chicken fast food concoction since the KFC Double Down.
Sure enough, the chicken sandwich was still being served to hungry shoppers and office workers, pulled to the Popeyes stall at the mall at 3 p.m. as if by some magnetic force.
“It’s really good,” said Sedaya Moore, halfway through her first Popeyes sandwich experience, before continuing to chow down with her dining companions. There was nothing else to say.
Our report of Pizza Roma’s possible demise last week was a bit exaggerated.
The pizzeria, located across the street from the Ballston Metro station at 4219 N. Fairfax Drive, was indeed closed during lunchtime hours. At the time, there was no indication at the restaurant, over the phone or online that its hours had changed.
Now, a sign in the window says that until next Monday, Aug. 26, the restaurant will only open for dinner, starting at 5 p.m. Tipsters tell us Pizza Roma was open for dinner this past Friday and Saturday.
In June, ARLnow heard from another customer who thought the restaurant had closed — it turned out then, as well, that it was only open for dinner.
Though our article couched the observation that Pizza Roma “seems closed,” and we tried several ways of getting in touch with the owner during business hours, ARLnow apologizes for the insinuation that the restaurant might have closed for good without checking in person, at night to see if it was open for dinner.
Now Might Be the Time to Sell Your Home — “‘Some sellers are thinking ‘gosh, why don’t I just wait until Amazon gets into full bloom before I sell my house, because maybe values will go up even higher,” Christine Richardson, president of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, told WTOP. ‘But I’m not sure that is necessarily the right way to think about it, because often that initial exuberance is actually higher than reality turns out to be.'” [WTOP]
Local CVS Sold Millions of Opioids — “The largest recipient of pain pills in Arlington, according to the database, is a CVS Pharmacy located at 3133 Lee Highway. A total of 1,465,700 pills were shipped to this pharmacy between 2006 and 2012, which would be enough for one pill per year for each of the 106,612 people who live within five miles of the pharmacy.” [Patch]
Lots of Booze Sales in Arlington — “The eight Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) stores in Arlington accounted for 2.8 percent of total ABC purchases Virginia-wide during the state government’s last fiscal year, which saw a new statewide record set in total sales volume. A total of $29,052,507 in sales (excluding tax) were made at Arlington’s ABC stores from July 2018 to June 2019.” [InsideNova]
Cristol on Kojo — Arlington County Board member Katie Cristol went on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show on Friday. Among the topics she discussed: the federal government’s search for a new shelter for detained, unaccompanied immigrant children in Northern Virginia. [Kojo Nnamdi Show, Twitter]
Local Restaurants Coming to Memphis — A pair of local restaurants — Matchbox American Kitchen and Arlington-based Big Buns Best Damn Burger Co. — are opening new locations in Memphis, Tennessee. [Washington Business Journal]
Name scrubbed away from closed Cheesetique in Ballston
Closed Cheesetique in Ballston
Exterior of Mussel Bar and Grille in Ballston
Interior of Mussel Bar and Grille in Ballston
Stageplate Bistro in Ballston
Stageplate Bistro in Ballston
The former Bistro 1521 in Ballston, future home of Carpool (staff photo)
For some diners, Ballston ends at Glebe Road, and a handful of restaurant owners at the western end of the neighborhood are feeling left out.
As numerous businesses have sprung up in the central part of Ballston, the western edge has suffered a series of high-profile closures.
The epicenter of the new restaurant openings is the newly-redeveloped Ballston Quarter mall and the ground floor of Ballston Exchange, just across Wilson Blvd from the mall — both in the central portion of the neighborhood, where several new residential and office buildings are also under construction.
“The gathering place is on the other side of Glebe Road,” said Brian McBride, one of the owners of Mussel Bar and Grille (800 N. Glebe Road). He listed off a number of places near his restaurant that have closed.
Cheesetique, which closed in June, is the most recent example. The storefront is still vacant, with lingering signs advertising long-gone desserts. Applebee’s and Il Forno along the same stretch of Glebe Road have both also closed over the last few years.
Manny Tangle, owner of Filipino restaurant Bistro 1521 (900 N. Glebe Road), said the improvements and changes taking place across Glebe Road have had no discernible effect on his businesses — for better or worse.
Restaurateurs along the west side of Glebe Road almost unanimously agreed that the biggest challenges for local businesses all stem from traffic issues. McBride and Tangle both agreed it can be difficult for visitors to find the right places to park. The parking for Mussel Bar and Grille, for instance, is only available by making a somewhat complex set of turns behind the building.
For Bistro 1521, the big frustration is being stuck between the “No U-Turn” signs at Fairfax Drive and Wilson Blvd, so if someone misses their turn to get to the restaurant, it’s several more blocks before they can turn around and make another pass.
Even at Good Company Doughnuts and Cafe (672 N. Glebe Road), which had a stronger than expected first few months, co-owner Kate Murphy said most of their customers came from the residential areas west of Glebe Road. The sparse number of crosswalks and perpetual construction meant the eatery didn’t see as much foot traffic from people visiting the Ballston Quarter area across the street, according to Murphy.
But it’s not all gloom and doom for these restaurants. Mary Marchetti, owner of Stageplate Bistro (900 N. Glebe Road), said the challenges of the west side of Glebe Road also come with some unique opportunities.
“Our side of Glebe Road tends to be more affordable to the independent restaurateur,” Marchetti said. “SER, us, Mussel, Bistro… would any of us have been able to afford Ballston Quarter? No, the rents are too high and we don’t have that kind of clout. So here we are, on our little independent strip of restaurants.”
If anything, Marchetti said the biggest challenge for the archipelago of independent restaurants is overcoming the reputation that west-of-Glebe is where eateries go to die.
“Ending that stigma will help drive businesses here,” Marchetti said. “The dining scene in Ballston has so much to offer. Ballston should be a dining mecca.”
One of two Subways in Ballston is closing, part of a widespread slimming down of the fast-food sandwich chain across the U.S. and Arlington.
The Subway at 801 N. Quincy Street will be closing on Sunday, August 25, according to an employee at the restaurant.
The location is slightly removed from the main restaurant corridors along Wilson Blvd and Fairfax Drive — where the other Subway sits directly across from the Ballston Metro station.
The nestled Subway is nestled between Urban Tandoor and the Virginia ABC store. Despite its off-the-beaten path location, it had a fairly steady lunchtime crowd, including from construction workers at nearby projects.
Clarendon nightlife mainstay Whitlow’s on Wilson is “actively negotiating” for a new lease, manager Jon Williams says.
Readers tipped ARLnow off to a commercial real estate website listing the Whitlow’s space at 2854 Wilson Blvd as available for lease starting on July 1, 2021.
Per the listing:
Total street-level, enclosed area of approximately 8,450sf; plus 350sf of sidewalk seating area; plus 500sf of outside dining area (under tent); plus 4,100sf of Rooftop area; plus 2,500sf of Basement area (storage and walk-ins); and a private driveway for storage, parking and loading.
Fans of Whitlow’s and its rooftop tiki bar shouldn’t start breaking out the hankies just yet. Williams said the listing is part of the lease negotiation process.
“We plan on being here for years to come,” he said.
Whitlow’s celebrated its 20th anniversary in Clarendon in 2016. Earlier this month the bar raised some $8,000 to benefit flood July 8 victims in Westover, according to Williams.
According to permits, the Luna space is being renovated on the first floor and the basement level, while exterior changes are being made to the storefront. There will be a new sidewalk cafe outside the restaurant and operable windows, the county permits suggest.
“After 8 years in Shirlington, Cheesetique will open a new, larger location at 4024 Campbell Avenue this autumn,” owner Jill Erber confirmed to ARLnow, following the original publication of this article. “The new Cheesetique will be home to private dining and event spaces, more generous restaurant seating, and an enhanced retail cheese and wine shop. Our current location at 4056 Campbell Avenue will close once we relocate.”
Cheesetique has locations in Shirlington, Alexandria’s Del Rey neighborhood and the Mosaic District in Fairfax County. A Cheesetique location in Ballston closed in June.
Longtime Clarendon watering hole Hunan Number One announced tonight that it is closing after this week.
The Chinese restaurant, noted for its especially deep happy hour discounts, says it will close on Monday, Aug. 12.
“It has truly been our honor and privilege to serve you, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude and thanks to all our loyal and faithful customers,” the restaurant said on Twitter. “Come join us now through Sunday for a final farewell.”
We, The Pizza location under construction at 4201 Wilson Blvd.
We, The Pizza location under construction at 4201 Wilson Blvd.
We, The Pizza is still coming to the Ballston Exchange, but a little later than originally planned.
Signs had originally been up at 4201 Wilson Blvd saying the pizza chain would open sometime in fall 2018. But fall 2018 came and passed, and the construction is still underway at the location.
Micheline Mendelsohn, Deputy CEO for We, The Pizza’s parent company, Sunnyside Restaurant Group, said no exact date has been set but the company is now eyeing mid-to-late September for an opening.
We, The Pizza will also be joined by a new CorePower Yoga near Dunkin’ Donuts on the northside of Ballston Exchange.
