Restaurant

Latest Update on Upcoming Outback Steakhouse in Silver Spring

By Patrick Herron

“Coming soon” and “now hiring” signage is up at the upcoming Outback Steakhouse location at Ellsworth Place in Downtown Silver Spring. The Australian-themed casual dining chain will be located in the space that was previously home to Not Your Average Joe’s at 8661 Colesville Rd. An opening date is not yet available, but it will be the chain’s third Montgomery County location, joining existing restaurants in Aspen Hill and Germantown.

While Outback Steakhouse is an international chain, one of the founders has strong local ties. Chris T. Sullivan, one of the founders of Outback Steakhouse, is a Blair High School alumnus. Sullivan attended the school, and Takoma Park Middle School before that, in the 60s before heading to the University of Kentucky to study business and economics.

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2023 Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival Takes Place This Saturday, September 23

By Patrick Herron

The 2023 Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival will take place this Saturday, September 23rd from 10am until 4pm at Rockville Town Square. The event is being held by Taiwan Sister Cities, an organization “dedicated to promoting, educating, and fostering intercultural understanding and cooperation among the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan.”

Participating vendors include Tiger Sugar, Cuppa Tea, ShareTea, Kyo Macha, Blowfish Poke & Grill, and more.

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Red Ribbon Bakeshop Opens This Weekend; First 20 Customers to Receive Free Cakes for a Year

By Patrick Herron

Red Ribbon Bakeshop, a Filipino bakery chain, is opening its new Wheaton location this Saturday, September 23 at 9am. The bakery is located at 2501 University Blvd W, right next to the Anchor Inn sign that still stands.

According to Red Ribbon, “COME EARLY and win One Year of Sweetness. The first 20 customers get Mango Supreme Cakes every month for an entire year. The first 100 customers on day 1 (Sep 23) and the first 50 on day 2 (Sep 24) who spend over $50, receive bundles of assorted mamon pastries FREE.”

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Opening Information for MoCo’s First Wiseguy Pizza

By Patrick Herron

Wiseguy Pizza will open it’s first Montgomery County location in the Wheaton Mall food court on Wednesday, September 20.  The restaurant will be located in the space that was previously occupied by Angel’s Pizza.  Wiseguy serves stone-deck oven baked pizza by the slice that’s made with imported ingredients from Italy, homemade sauces, and dough using a special water filtration system. Pizza options include Cheese, Pepperoni, Paneer Tikki (House Masala, Paneer, Mozzarella, Onions, Tomato, Green & Chili Peppers, Cilantro, Jalapeño Sauce), Nashville Hot Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, and Whitestone (Garlic, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmigiano, Oregano, Oil from Tuscany Italy.)

Wise Guy currently has four locations across D.C. and Virginia and this will be its first Maryland store.  Thompson Hospitality Group, which is behind restaurants like Matchbox (Bethesda, Rockville, and Silver Spring locations in MoCo), Willie T’s Seafood Shack (Silver Spring), Austin Grill and American Tap Room (both previously in MoCo), acquired all Wiseguy locations in 2022. According to Wiseguy’s website, the restaurant is scheduled to open this summer.

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Restaurant Association of Maryland Releases Statement Strongly Opposing Proposed Bill to Increase Wages for Tipped Employees in Montgomery County and Eliminate Tip Credit

By Patrick Herron

A bill that would increase wages for tipped employees will be introduced at the Montgomery County Council meeting on Tuesday, September 19. Bill 35-23, County Minimum Wage – Tipped Employees would adjust the calculation of the minimum wage for tipped workers and phase out the tip credit amount under the Montgomery County’s minimum wage law. Currently, businesses are required to pay servers $4.00 per hour; if a server does not make the current minimum hourly wage ($15-16.70) per hour, employers are required to make up the difference.

A statewide tip credit repeal bill considered in the Maryland General Assembly failed to pass earlier this year because of strong restaurant industry opposition and scores of servers who urged lawmakers to reject it because they make significantly more money under the current tipping system. Like all workers, restaurant tipped employees must earn at least the full applicable minimum wage per hour in base wages plus tips. There is no subminimum wage for restaurant tipped employees. Under federal, state and local minimum wage laws, employers are required to make up any deficiencies if a tipped employee does not earn enough in base wages plus tips to make at least the full minimum wage.

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Bill to Increase Wages for Tipped Employees in Montgomery County to be Introduced

By Patrick Herron

A bill that would increase wages for tipped employees will be introduced at the Montgomery County Council meeting on Tuesday, September 19. Bill 35-23, County Minimum Wage – Tipped Employees would adjust the calculation of the minimum wage for tipped workers and phase out the tip credit amount under the Montgomery County’s minimum wage law. Currently, businesses are required to pay servers $4.00 per hour; if a server does not make the current minimum hourly wage ($15-16.70) per hour, employers are required to make up the difference.

The bill’s lead sponsors are Councilmembers Will Jawando and Kristin Mink. Per Montgomery County, “The tip credit represents an amount of the minimum wage a worker is expected to receive in tips. The current amount of the credit is the hourly minimum wage minus four dollars or a lesser credit if the employee or representative of the employee satisfies the Executive Director of the Office of Human Rights that the employee receives a lesser amount in tips. The limit and phase-out of the tip credit would be staggered over multiple years as proposed in the legislation.”

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Chopin Noodle House Now Open

By Patrick Herron

Chopin Noodle House is currently holding its soft opening at 12123 Darnestown Rd in the Shops of Potomac Valley shopping center, in the location that was home to Pho City for 15 years until the restaurant closed at the end of July.

Chopin Noodle House offers a variety of hand pulled noodle soups, including Lanzhou beef noodle soup, traditional beef noodle soup, crispy fish noodle soup, cold noodles, and many others. The menu will also offer appetizers such as cucumber salad, chili oil cabbage, mutton chops and more. A variety of milk teas and iced tea/lemonades are also available. The restaurant opened its first location in Catonsville earlier this year.

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Where to Celebrate National Cheeseburger Day (September 18) in MoCo

By Patrick Herron

National Cheeseburger Day falls on Monday, September 18, and restaurants across the country are offering big discounts for the “holiday.” Below you’ll find a list of participating restaurants, as well as information on some of Montgomery County’s most famous burgers. Note: This listing will be updated when we hear of additional restaurant promotions.

Back in June, the Washington Post released its “10 Best Burgers in the D.C. Area” list and Montgomery County’s very own Steeze Burger was ranked the #1 burger in the area. Laytonsville resident Hunter Karametos, owner of Steeze Burger, started the pop-up burger business in 2022 after spending the better part of a year consuming over 150 different burgers for research.  According the article, “Topped with steamed onions, pickles and American cheese, it’s a burger that sends your needle into the red zone on first bite. Your brain cannot begin to process the experience, so it just goes along for the ride — delirious over this buttery and rewarding burger, the best around these parts.” Burgers from Soko Butcher (Takoma Park) and Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring) were also listed in the article as “honorable mentions.” You can read the full top ten at www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/best-burgers-washington-dc. Follow @SteezeBurger on Instagram to find out where he’ll be popping up next.

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