Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT) announced today that Sodexo committed its U.S. headquarters to 915 Meeting Street, a new 276,000-square-foot trophy office building currently under construction at the award-winning mixed-use development of Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland. Sodexo’s headquarters are currently located at 9801 Washingtonian Blvd in Gaithersburg (next to Rio Lakefront).

Sodexo will be taking 52,000 square feet, along with Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), which signed a long-term lease to occupy 105,000 square feet. Sodexo is the leading global provider of catering, facilities management, employee benefits and personal home services to 100 million daily consumers in 56 countries. It will be moving from its current location in Gaithersburg to Pike & Rose in Spring 2024. Renderings below courtesy of Federal Realty:


Many Taylor Swift fans were left disappointed when the singer announced her upcoming “The Eras Tour” and didn’t include a stop in DC, coming as close as Philadelphia, PA for three shows in May. One fan, Bethesda’s Jose Andres who is considered one of the best chefs in the world, has made Swift a tempting offer to add a DC show to the tour:

.@taylorswift13 Taylor? And @washingtondc please? I’ll cook for you?🙏🥹👨‍🍳😇 https://t.co/XifaZvYtTs


Slapfish, whose only MoCo location was at 12033 Rockville Pike in the Montrose Crossing shopping center, has closed permanently, according to its Google listing and signage recently posted on the door. The restaurant opened in July 2018, when it gave away 107 lobster rolls as part of its grand opening celebration.

The “modern seafood shack” is a fast casual restaurant with locations primarily on the west coast and Southwestern United States, but has recently opened location across the country. It has been called “the Chipotle of Seafood.” The Rockville location was their first on the east coast, as it joined Cava, Honeygrow, and MOD Pizza at Montrose Crossing. The strip where the restaurant is located was constructed over the previous home of Timpano Italian Chophouse, the restaurant that was demolished to make way for the current structure that was home to Slapfish and is currently home to other fast-casual eateries and stores.


Each month, Eater DC puts together a list of the “15 Hottest New Restaurants Around DC” to make note of any buzzowrthy restaurants in the area. In this month’s list, they include recently opened MoCo restaurant, Joy by Seven Reasons. The restaurant opened at 5471 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 a couple weeks back, serving Latin cuisine, and has been a hit in the area.

Per Eater DC: “Venezuelan chef Enrique Limardo and co-owner Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger, the partners behind D.C.’s pricey Latin standout Seven Reasons, just added a casual, a la carte counterpart in Chevy Chase. The more affordable, family-friendly spinoff cracks open with refreshing ceviches, crudos, tequeños, a pile of head-on prawns punched up with guajillo chile, a “Colossal” ciabatta sandwich flanked with slow-braised short ribs, and bright ube soft serve. Eye candy is everywhere, between ceramic animal heads jutting out of a white brick wall, rainbow-hued ropes dangling over diners, and a leafy bar stocked with sake, pisco, and rum.”


Nick’s Diner at 11199 Veirs Mill Rd has announced it will re-open on Mondays beginning November 7.  The Wheaton staple had announced via social media in September that it would begin closing on Mondays and Tuesdays, citing a staff shortage as the reason.  The restaurant will continue to remain closed on Tuesdays.

Nick’s recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and serves diner classics like pancakes, French toast, omelettes, hot & cold sandwiches, chili, souvlaki, and gyros.


You can add Walmart to the list of retailers that are running promotions this holiday season by offering price discounts on Thanksgiving food staples.  Now through December 26, Walmart is offering “this year’s Thanksgiving meal at last year’s price.” According to a press release, “after all these years, we know what our customers put into their baskets for Thanksgiving. All the basics are there, like turkey, ham, potatoes and stuffing, but the convenience items are there too, like ready-to-heat mac and cheese or freshly made pumpkin pie, and we ensured that the price for the same basket of items does not cost more than it did last year. We’re proud to offer customers this year’s Thanksgiving meal at last year’s price so families don’t need to worry about how they’ll set their holiday table. We are currently rolling out the pricing, and customers can take advantage of the savings for all their holiday meals through December 26, 2022. You can shop the baskets here.” Walmart’s lone MoCo location is at 20910 Frederick Rd in Germantown.

Earlier today we reported that ALDI is running a “Thanksgiving Price Rewind”  where the grocery chain will be matching 2019 prices on holiday food items marked with a red sticker.  Aldi has MoCo locations in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Kensington, Montgomery Village, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park.


ALDI is currently running a “Thanksgiving Price Rewind”  now through November 29 at all of its locations. The grocery chain is matching 2019 prices, up to a 30% discount,  on holiday food items marked with a red sticker. “Think favorites like brie cheese, prosciutto, cornbread stuffing, award-winning wines, mini quiches, fresh brown-and-serve rolls, macarons and apple pie, to name a few. Shoppers can look for the Thanksgiving Price Rewind icon in their local ad and throughout the store for extra savings,” the company said in a press release.  Aldi has MoCo locations in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Kensington, Montgomery Village, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park.


Did you know the bar that invented the Buffalo wing has a location in Maryland? Located in nearby Frederick, Anchor Bar opened up shop at 5605 Spectrum Drive in 2019. It’s also opening another nearby location at 1610 Village Market Blvd.  in Leesburg at some point in 2023. Anchor Bar now has over 50 franchises across the United Stayes. Curious to hear the story of the original Buffalo wings? Check it out below.

Per Anchor Bar: On a Friday night in 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat. They looked like chicken wings, a part of the chicken that usually went into the stock pot for soup.


Brews & Barrels opened its first location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood in February 2020. Just over two and a half years later, a second Brews & Barrels is set to open at 9433 Common Brook Rd at Owings Mills New Town. It will be taking over the location that was formerly home to Artful Gourmet Bistro. Signage has been erected, but a specific opening date is not currently available.

The restaurant offers American fare, including crab cakes, various salads, burgers, sandwiches, and more. At the bar, whiskey and beer are featured prominently, but they carry spirits in every category. The restaurant group also owns the recently opened Creek Lodge Bar & Grill in Rockville and Vine Alley, also located in the Kentlands.


Back in May 2021, we let you know that fast food chain Cook Out is coming one step closer to MoCo, as a new location was expected to open at 8502 Centreville Road in Manassas Park– the first in the DC Metro area. The location, which was formerly home to a Roy Rogers, is now open according to a social media post by the fast food chain (seen below).

In 2020, the MoCo Show made the 60 mile trek down to Fredericksburg, VA to visit what was then the area’s closest Cook Out location. We left Gaithersburg, located in the approximate center of MoCo, at 6:14pm and arrived an hour and twenty minutes later, at 7:34pm. The Manassas Park location is a little over 30 miles from the center MoCo, about half the distance of Fredericksburg. Another location recently opened in Winchester, VA, but that isn’t considered part of the DC Metro area. There is also a location in Salisbury, MD but that is further than both of the Virginia locations mentioned.


Greek Aroma Grill is now open in the Montgomery Mall food terrace. Menu items include dolma, gyros, kababs, salads, souvlaki, and baklava. Greek Aroma has an additional location at 177 D Thomas Johnson Dr. in Frederick, MD. For a full list of recent openings at Montgomery Mall, see: What’s New and What’s Coming Soon to Montgomery Mall (November 2022 Edition)

According to Greek Aroma, “every dish is created using only the freshest and finest ingredients. We serve only the finest meats, freshest vegetables, and desserts that are baked fresh daily. Our authentic menu and atmosphere create a truly enjoyable dining experience. Every dish is made to order.”


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