Olney Update: What’s New, What’s Closed and What’s Coming Soon

Below a is a list of businesses that have recently opened, closed, or are coming soon to Olney, MD:

Now Open: Z-Burger/Maman Joon
Z-Burger/Maman Joon is now open at 181000 Georgia Avenue (previously home to Taco Bar and Jerry’s Subs & Pizza) in Olney. Maman Joon offers Persian cuisine and recently opened a location in Tyson’s Corner. Z-Burger is a local, DMV-based chain that describes itself as “a Washington DC landmark! Home to the area’s most delicious handcrafted burgers with endless toppings, fresh cut fries and 75 varieties of hand spun milk shakes and concretes made with premium Wisconsin custard.”

Closed: Olney Crab House
Olney Crab House at 18200 Georgia Avenue in Olney has gone dark. Readers informed us that the location was not open in recent weeks and Google Business lists the restaurant as “permanently closed.” The restaurant’s phone number is no longer in service.  Olney Crab House opened in May 2022 after first being announced in 2019. The restaurant’s opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then a change in ownership. It was open for approximately a year and a half.

Coming Soon: Ramen Ya
Coming soon signage is up for Ramen Ya at 16822 Georgia Ave. in Olney. The Japanese noodle and dumpling house is taking over the space recently occupied by Loyal Companion, in the same shopping center as Roots Market and Sisters Sandwiches & Such. Ramen Ya imports its flour for noodles directly from Japan and uses a “top-of-the-line noodle machine” to make fresh noodles daily. Ramen Ya has an additional location at 7938 Crain Hwy S in Glen Burnie, MD. According to its website, “Our company has been in the food business for over a decade. From distributing premium seafood ingredients to restaurants, to opening sushi stations in high-end supermarkets, we now seek our own spaces to serve guests the best authentic Japanese ramen we can offer.” We will post an update when additional information becomes available.

Now Open: Mackie’s BBQ
Mackie’s Barbecue Company is now open at 5500 Olney Laytonsville Rd (recently Umberto’s Italian). Menu items include BBQ nachos, crab dip, pulled pork, brisket, pulled chicken, ribs, mac & cheese, and Texas beans. Mackie’s currently has locations at 8547 Ziggy Lane in Gaithersburg and 325 West 7th Street in Frederick, MD.

Now Open: Ledo Pizza Corner Shoppe (Giant)
Ledo Pizza Corner Shoppe is now open inside of Giant at 18140 Village Center Dr. in the Olney Village Center. Why open less than half a mile from a Ledo restaurant? The “Corner Shoppe” offers take and bake pizza that allows customers to take home a frozen pizza to bake themselves at a later time. The store will also offer hot pizzas from the oven as well. Ledo Pizza started near The University of Maryland in 1955 with its first location on University Boulevard. Since 1955, Ledo Pizza has grown substantially from just one location to over one hundred locations throughout Maryland, D.C., Virginia, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Florida. Ledo Pizza is one of the pioneers of what we call “Maryland Style Pizza.”

Per Ledo Pizza: “You may have heard that Ledo Pizza “Never Cuts Corners,” and that has been true for over 60 years. Its famous, square pizza gives Ledo Pizza customers more pizza than the traditional round pizza. In 1955, Ledo Pizza decided to give families a fresh, enjoyable, and affordable pizza. Each pizza is made with fresh handmade dough, rolled to order, topped with high-quality smoked provolone cheese, and famously sweet Ledo tomato sauce. Ledo Pizza is famous for its thick sliced pepperoni, with its unique size, which is a result of the cooks cutting the pepperoni by hand in 1955. The thicker the slice, the faster the work was finished. The customers loved it so much that Ledo Pizza continues the thick slice today.”

Now Open: StretchLab
StretchLab is now open 18304 Village Center Dr, in to the location that was previously home to Sally Beauty Supply and Sunburst Tanning/Solar Planet before that. Founded in 2015, StretchLab is an assisted stretching brand, offering one-on-one and group stretch services for all ages and fitness levels. StretchLab offers consumers more ways to reduce their risk of injury, regain mobility, improve flexibility and range of motion, and reclaim their freedom. The company previously announced its first Montgomery County location, coming soon to 8525 Chevy Chase Lake Terrace.

Now Open: Hallmark 
Hallmark opened at 18217 Village Center Dr (formerly My Little Gym) in the Olney Village Center back in September. Hallmark previously had a location a few doors down at 18305 Village Center Dr. that closed in 2017. Hallmark was founded in 1910 by teenage entrepreneur J.C. Hall, and remaining a private company with family members on the board of directors today, Hallmark’s businesses employ more than 20,000 people worldwide. “While there are many ways to experience Hallmark, the experiences that matter most to the company are the ones our customers are able to share with their friends and loved ones. We strive each day to help those experiences – and those connections – come to life. In each of our businesses we aim to be good community partners, we believe embracing diversity and inclusion is the best way to understand and serve our employees and consumers, and we strive to be environmentally responsible. This all helps to fulfill our purpose of inspiring meaningful relationships and enhancing lives.”

Olney Ale House Update:
Back in March we let you know that the 100-year old building that is home to the Olney Ale House was sold to Two Sibs LLC, led by Selim Kantar, for $1.45 million. Olney Ale House, located at 2000 Olney Sandy Spring Rd (Rt. 108 and Doctor Bird Rd.), operated in the space until a kitchen fire caused the restaurant to shut down in 2019. We spoke with new owner Selim Kantar today, who told us that they are still chipping away and anticipate a late spring/early summer 2024 opening. Photos taken of the restaurant’s exterior on Wednesday, November 29 can be seen below.

The restaurant will keep the Olney Ale House name and operate with an updated menu and new cocktails. We will have updates for you as the restaurant continues with renovations and moves closer toward opening.  Below we share with you the restaurant’s rich history, courtesy of the previous Olney Ale House website:

In 1923, Richard Bentley Thomas and Ethel Farquhar Thomas purchased the five acre triangular shaped piece of property from the estate of Sam Owens. The property had a four room log cabin in the middle of what is today’s parking lot. The corner was known as Davis Corner. Almost immediately construction began on a hipped-roof, pavilion-type building that would contain a kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms. This building was completed in 1924, and opened for business as “The Corner Cupboard.” They served homemade ice cream, breads, cookies, pies and cakes, as well as, sausage, scrapple and ham sandwiches from hams that were cured in their smokehouse. Garden vegetables were also grown and sold. The Corner Cupboard was a unique establishment and drew many loyal followers.

In 1930, a large addition was added to the original structure. This included bedrooms in the rear and a second floor with more sleeping quarters. At this time, heat was installed making it a year-round operation. The log cabin was torn down at this time.1930 also saw the addition of the stone fireplace in the dining room. It was built by Adolphus Gordon. The rocks came from a factory building at Triadelphia. The left over rocks were used to build the bell tower at Sherwood High School.Two famous visitors of this time were Herbert Hoover, perhaps visiting the area because of his Quaker background and Dean Acheson, who owned a summer home in the area.

In 1937, the business was sold and became the Francis Lattie Inn. Miss Lattie operated the business as a tea room and carried on many of the former owners’ traditions. The business has changed hands many times and operated under a variety of different names. “The Anchorage” had a retired naval officer Harold Hilliard at the helm, a Maggie Levesque purchased it but little is remembered of her time, then Mrs. Cramer bought it and named it the “Country Corner Inn.” In the late 50’s, Irma Turnbull purchased it, she kept it until 1962 and then sold it to the McKenzie’s. Mrs. McKenzie had been one of her waitresses. Both of these owners operated under the “Country Corner Inn.” Mr. McKenzie was an engineer at WTOP and when they remodeled the station he brought out the large windows that were being discarded from a sound booth. They are currently installed in the bar room.

Sometime in 1970, the Matney’s purchased it. They added what is now known as the Beer Garden. They operated as a steak house and sold liquor. Two years later, they sold it to George, Fred and Anita Virkus and the “Olney Ale House” was born. In 2000, it was purchased by the current owners. Among some of the reported famous visitors are Burl Ives, Eve Arden, Tyrone Powers, Talulla Bankhead, Harry and Bess Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Milo O’Shea, Chris and Susan Sarandon and Jason Miller.