Pollo Campero is taking over the location that was home to KFC until December 2020 at 426 N Frederick Rd in Gaithersburg, according to the Gaithersburg Office of Economic Development.
The fried chicken chain, which originated in Guatemala, opened its first location in 1971 and has grown to over 400 locations worldwide, including over 70 in the United States.
Over the summer, Federal Realty announced that the popular Roaming Rooster will open in Fall 2021 at North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose.
We spoke with representatives from the restaurant over the weekend who informed us that the new location will now likely be opening in late April/early May. They cited permits taking much longer than anticipated as being the reason for the delay.
Rebel’s Hot Chicken, a new “virtual restaurant” , is coming to Old Town Pour House in Gaithersburg. The online only menu is scheduled to launch on February 2 and will be available through Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash.
You can see the full menu here.
Eyewear brand Warby Parker, which does most of its business online, will be opening its third brick and mortar location in MoCo this summer. It will be located on Grand Park Avenue, taking over two different locations that will be moving- Olive & Loom and a neighboring storefront. Last month Olive & Loom announced a move to Kensington.
Warby Parker opened its first MoCo location at Bethesda Row in 2017, and its second this past November in Downtown Crown (Gaithersburg). The stores carry the brand’s full optical and sun eyewear offerings including its first brand of daily contact lenses. The store will offer eye exams and children’s glasses that are only available in store.
Back in June of 2020 we let you know that Ela Mesa Taste of Greece would be coming to the Spectrum Town Center in Gaithersburg. After speaking with the owners earlier this week, we were told that the hope is to open in next month (February).
The new Greek restaurant is located at 109 Paramount Park Drive in the Spectrum Town Center in Gaithersburg, which is currently home to restaurants like Barking Made Cafe, California Tortilla, Hot Pot Hero, and Firebirds. The pandemic coupled with permitting issues have delayed the opening, by nearly a year but the restaurant is almost ready to roll. The restaurant will offer traditional Greek fare and will also have a full bar that seats 10 people.
Ebisu Life Store is now open at 836 Rockville Pike, the former location of Shah and Patel Grocery. The store features Japanese food/snacks, beauty products, household supplies, and baby products. The chain’s flagship store is located in Flushing, New York. About Ebisu, translated from their website:
Foodies who like Japanese snacks, please come here, the three brothers of French fries, Shiroi Koibito, Meiji chocolate, and even drinks have been brought over for you, and you can get as many pounds of meat as you want!
Last January we let you know that Java Nation would be moving in to 121 Market Street in the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg, which was formerly a Starbucks. Starbucks opened a new Kentlands location at 160 Kentlands Blvd at the beginning of this year that features a drive-thru.
We have been told there were material and equipment delays by manufacturers, initially pushing the opening timeframe from August to October, then November, and more recently January. Yesterday, we spoke with representatives from the Rockville and Kensington locations, who told us that the Kentlands location has been pushed back to late February or early March.
Back in January we told you that Planta, an upscale plant-based restaurant featuring a menu by Chef David Lee, would be coming to 4910 Elm St at Bethesda Row, in the location formerly occupied by Cafe Deluxe (Cafe Deluxe closed permanently back in March of last year). We spoke with a representative from Planta last night who told us that the restaurant is expecting to open early next month (February).
Planta was founded in 2016 and currently has several locations in Florida, New York, and Toronto. Planta has been notable for serving a long list of different celebrities who aren’t plant-based like Rob Gronkowski, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and more, pushing that the restaurant was created for everyone.
The Joint, an affordable chiropractic care center, is coming to the Montgomery Village Center and will be located between Dollar Tree and the soon-to-be open Moe’s Southwest Grill.
The Joint Corp., a Scottsdale, Arizona based operator and franchisor of chiropractic clinics, opened 130 new clinics across the country in 2021 to bring its national count up to 706. It was originally founded in 1999 by a Doctor of Chiropractic with “a vision to transform the traditional, often misunderstood concept of routine chiropractic care by making it more convenient, friendly and affordable.” In March 2010, The Joint was re-founded with the acquisition of the original eight franchised clinics.
Yesterday we let you know that Loft is closing its Congressional Plaza location in Rockville. We now have confirmation that a J.Crew Factory storee will be its replacement at 1637 Rockville Pike.
“We’re excited to welcome yet another favorite brand to Congressional Plaza. J.Crew will join a robust retail line-up including most recent additions Athleta and Lands’ End. J.Crew is expected to open in summer 2022, and will be located between Ulta Beauty and Appalachian Springs.”
Below are updates on several businesses coming soon to Montgomery Village:
Moe’s Southwest Grill at 19222 Montgomery Village Ave in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center will hold it’s grand opening on February 3.