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.
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.”
Back in May we let you know that the owner of popular dim sum restaurants China Garden (Rockville) and Han Palace (Tysons, Woodley Park, Barracks Row) announced that she is bringing a new restaurant to Rio– taking over the space that was previously home to Union Jack’s until June 2020. It has now been confirmed by Rio that the restaurant will be known as Han Spot.
Chris Zhu made the announcement via social media in May, “Another milestone. New baby from Han Palace coming to Rio Gaithersburg. Next to AMC theater & Guapo’s 🤗🤗🤗.” One of Zhu’s other restaurants, Han Palace, offers an all-day dim sum menu. Scallops, shrimp, pork/crab dumplings, rice rolls, barbecue pork buns, lobster sticky rice, Han-style filet mignon, and Peking duck are included on the Han Palace menu.
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.
Various MoCo restaurants that are anticipating fall openings have been included in Eater DC’s list of ‘Most Anticipated Fall Restaurant Openings.’ The upcoming Montgomery County restaurants included can be seen below:
Aventino Cucina and AP Pizza Shop (Bethesda): MoCo resident Chef Mike Friedman (Olney), Colin McDonough, Gareth Croke, and Mike O’Malley, the team behind DC restaurants All-Purpose Pizzeria, The Red Hen, and Boundary Stone Public House will be opening a new concept in Downtown Bethesda this November. Aventino and AP Pizza Shop will be located at 4747 Bethesda Ave. Additional information can be found here.
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.
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.”
Below is a list of businesses that are new or coming soon to the Montgomery Village Shopping Center: Now Open: Antojitos Salvadorenos Isabel Antojitos Salvadoreños Isabel at 19114 Montgomery Village […]
MoCo resident Chef Mike Friedman (Olney), Colin McDonough, Gareth Croke, and Mike O’Malley, the team behind DC restaurants All-Purpose Pizzeria, The Red Hen, and Boundary Stone Public House will be opening a new concept in Downtown Bethesda this November (date according to Washingtonian Magazine). Aventino and AP Pizza Shop will be located at 4747 Bethesda Ave.
Aventino will feature vibrant and traditional Roman cuisine with a menu of antipasti, pasta and more by chef Mike Friedman, and classic cocktails like a selection of spritzes and negronis, in a warm and inviting setting that can hold over 100 guests. Per Washingtonian,the menu will include “dishes like Jewish-style fried artichokes, polenta-crusted fluke, and housemade gelato.”
The first ‘Taste of Rio’ will take place on Sunday, October 15th from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm. The “foodie celebration” will take place on the lakefront featuring bites from rio restaurants, live music, craft cocktails and more.
Participating restaurants include: AMC, Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon, BurgerFi, California Pizza Kitchen, Charley Prime, Chipotle, Copper Canyon Grill, Corner Bakery, Dave & Buster’s, Donutchew, Fantasticks, FineWine.com, Guapo’s, Han Spot, Kung Fu Tea, Lanzhou Pull Noodle, Le Macaron, Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen, Muse Paint Bar, Nando’s Peri-Peri, Poki DC, Potbelly, Silver Diner, Starbucks, The Bench, True Food Kitchen, Uncle Julio’s, and Yard House.