Permanent signage has been up for a few months at the upcoming Shake Shake location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. A representative from the Potomac location previously let us know that the Kentlands location was scheduled to open at the end of April, but the burger chain has posted a notice on the door of its upcoming location stating that it will open on Wednesday, May 3 (photos below). Shake Shack has additional MoCo locations at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and Cabin John Village in Potomac.

Background: On July 8, 2021, Shake Shack was granted approval for the construction of a 4,700 square foot building with outdoor seating as the second of three commercial infill sites totaling 16,000 square feet along Kentlands Square Place. The burger chain was granted its license to sell beer and wine on the premises during its Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) hearing on January 6th of 2022, and prepared to break ground in February. Construction began in March, but stalled after flooding that occurred over the summer. The approval was for the first of three infill sites was granted for the construction of a 2,100 square foot Starbucks building with drive through and outdoor seating. Starbucks opened in January of 2021, a little over two years ago.


In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, Goldfish Swim School is raising awareness about the increased risk of drowning for children on the autism spectrum and the heightened need for water safety education among kids in this group and their families. Goldfish Swim Schools in Winter Park, Florida, where the foundation is based, and Gaithersburg, Maryland (801 Center Point Way), will award three-month swim lesson packages to 10 local children through the Alijah’s Swimmers Scholarships program. The program was launched in 2021 and has provided swim lessons for dozens of children.

Local residents in Gaithersburg and Winter Park can submit themselves or nominate a child from April 1 through April 30 by visiting https://bit.ly/AlijahsSwimmers. According to a Goldfish Swim School press release, children with autism are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than the general pediatric population, according to a study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, due to their increased tendency to explore and wander away from parents, teachers or caregivers and the affinity for water that many autistic kids share. Children on the spectrum can be highly focused, and if they slip away from a known adult, their curiosity can be life-threatening near any water source.


Kentlands Baby Bar is planning a Spring opening, according to its website. It Will open at 375 Main St. in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The space will offer “food, fun, and socializing” where “you enjoy a coffee and a bite, while your little ones get yummy food and a baby-friendly place to play!” Baby Bar Kentlands will offer fresh fruits and veggies and will have options for babies (puréed or chopped), food for kids like grilled cheese, egg bites, croissants, and more, and food for adults like bagels, muffins, fruit bowls, and more.

More about Kentlands Baby Bar: “Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am the queen of forgetfulness. I say  I have something, only to find out that it slipped my mind. This led to the Baby Bar concept. I was running around and forgot my daughter’s food. I went to the nearest cafe and grabbed a banana before running to my next business appointment (I take my little ones everywhere for work – I am an event planner by trade!).


Permanent signage is now up at TaKorean, a Korean taco grill that is taking over the recently-closed Nalley Fresh location at 261 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg. The restaurant offers Korean style tacos and bowls. This will be TaKoreans first location outside of D.C and the company is aiming for an early May opening.

The line-style restaurant was operating five locations at once, a few years back, but now there are just two TaKorean locations open in Washington, D.C. According to RestaurantDive, TaKorean is currently looking to open one restaurant at a time with future franchisees, and wants to ensure success at its initial franchise locations to create a strong base for a burgeoning franchise program. The company is open to multi-unit deals, but isn’t seeking them out. TaKorean is currently casting a wide net for potential markets, and once it sees brand recognition and franchisee interest in a particular market, it expects to build up that area, Lenard said. TaKorean is flexible on potential restaurant sizes, depending on a market’s real estate conditions.


Permanent signage has been up for a few months at the upcoming Shake Shake location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. A representative from the Potomac location let us know that the Kentlands location is currently scheduled to open at the end of April. Shake Shack has additional MoCo locations at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and Cabin John Village in Potomac.

Background: On July 8, 2021, Shake Shack was granted approval for the construction of a 4,700 square foot building with outdoor seating as the second of three commercial infill sites totaling 16,000 square feet along Kentlands Square Place. The burger chain was granted its license to sell beer and wine on the premises during its Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) hearing on January 6th of 2022, and prepared to break ground in February. Construction began in March, but stalled after flooding that occurred over the summer. The approval was for the first of three infill sites was granted for the construction of a 2,100 square foot Starbucks building with drive through and outdoor seating. Starbucks opened in January of 2021, a little over two years ago.


Privai Spa has closed its Kentlands location at 62 Market St, an associate from the Pike & Rose location confirmed (Pike & Rose location remains open). The 7,425 SF space, which is now listed as available for lease by Saul Centers, was previously home to Mynd Spa and Red Door Spa. The associate informed us that the location has been closed for “at least a couple weeks.”

In October 2021, Privai Spa announced the expansion of its brand the debut of Privai | Spa + Salon. At that time, the company announced they would open a Pike & Rose location followed by a Gaithersburg location at 62 Market St. in the Kentlands neighborhood. Per Privai, “Founded upon the belief that everyone deserves “spa in a bottle” skincare products that provide accessible luxury and rejuvenation, Christina Stratton and Ilana Alberico developed the Privai line following the success of their spa and wellness management company, Innovative Spa Management (ISM SPA). This next evolution of the Privai brand brings their passion about self-care and personalized wellness to life in order to better serve individuals’ body, mind, and sense of self.”


CVS has recently opened locations at 311 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg and at 22701 Gosnell Farm Dr in Clarksburg. CVS is also expected to open a location in the new Westside at Shady Grove Metro development, in the area across from the strip that contains Starbucks, Inspire Nails, Kids Ground, and more (Crabbs Branch Way and Gramercy Blvd).


Brio’s Chicken has announced it will no longer be opening its location at the Kentlands in Gaithersburg.  Signage for Brio’s Chicken first went up at the location back in 2020 but the restaurant was delayed several years due to issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We were told by the restaurant back in February that construction had finally began but financing fell through. Brio’s Chicken previously had a location in Aspen Hill in the Aspen Manor shopping center, where Outback is located, but that location is under new ownership and is now known as Gio’s Chicken. The owner of the restaurant tells us that they are looking to sell the restaurant equipment they have already purchased. You can reach Jose at 240-342-0067.

Potomac Cookie Co: Potomac Cookie Co is coming to 109A Market St in the Kentlands Square shopping center in Gaithersburg, near Moby Dick and the upcoming Poke Bros. Potomac Cookie is known for its “giant size” 4oz cookies.  Flavors include Choco-delight, Da Fudge, Dorothy’s Slippers, Double Dutch,  Peebee ‘n’ Yay!, and S’more Love. No opening date for Potomac Cookie Co has been announced.


Brew House Kentlands at 325 Main Street in Gaithersburg will open this Saturday, March 4. Per its logo, it touts itself as being the “best coffee shop in Kentlands.” Brew House Kentlands is taking over the previous home of Clear Skies Meadery, which has opened its new meadery at 15201 Display Ct in Rockville. In addition to coffee, the menu also features beer, wine, and cocktails, as well as breakfast and lunch options. The full menu can be seen below.


F45, which has been opening locations across Montgomery County with recent openings in Potomac and Olney, is coming to Gaithersburg with an upcoming Kentlands location. The company had pre-Covid plans to make a move into Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront, which fell through, but has signed on to take over the space that was recently closed for a few years and previously home to Subway (between Caspian House of Kabob and the recently closed Edible Arrangements).

F45 offers consumers functional 45-minute workouts that are effective, fun and community-driven. F45 utilizes proprietary technologies including a fitness programming algorithm and a digitally-enabled delivery platform that leverages a rich content database of thousands of unique functional training movements to offer new workouts each day and provide a standardized experience across F45’s global franchise.


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