White Flint McDonald's closes on Rockville Pike (Video + Photos)

McDonald's has closed at 11564 Rockville Pike in White Flint. The loss is not permanent, however. McDonald's is relocating into a new restaurant building on the former Arby's site just up the Pike at 11710 Rockvile Pike. I had expected they might make an overnight switchover, but it looks like the transition won't be as seamless as I thought. The new McDonald's will have something this one never did: a drive-thru.

Party City closing in Rockville

Party City is closing at 1500 Rockville Pike in Rockville. A closing sale is now underway at the store. Savings range from 10-50% off. Party City is closing all stores nationwide after four decades of operation. An auction will be held for the leases of almost 700 Party City stores next month, the company announced last Friday.

Rockville Wegmans now opening "late summer 2025"

The Wegmans store in Rockville is now anticipated to open in "late summer 2025," the company said in a job announcement linked to an online banner ad Friday. It is one of three Wegmans stores expected to open in the United States in 2025. Rockville's will be the smallest of the three at 80,000-square-feet, but will serve as the retail anchor of the new Twinbrook Quarter development. It appears it will not have the Market Cafe found in other, larger Wegmans locations, including the other two opening this year on Long Island and in Norwalk, Connecticut. 

Wegmans also announced that Rockville Wegmans customers will receive 90 minutes of free parking in the underground parking garage. Signage for the garage has already been installed.

Training for the more than 500 positions at the store is apparently quite intensive. It will begin long before the store opens, and will be conducted at an off-site location through June 2025. Some potential training locations for prospective Rockville Wegmans employees include the Wegmans stores in Frederick, Germantown, Woodmore, Washington, D.C., and Tysons, the company said. The Rockville Wegmans will be located at 1590 Rockville Pike, near the Twinbrook Metro station.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue opens in Rockville

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is now open at 785-G Rockville Pike, at the Ritchie Center shopping center. "Hawaii's Favorite Plate Lunch" invites you to "slither into 2025" here during the Year of the Snake. In 1999, the founders of L&L called their restaurant "Hawaiian Barbecue," assuming their future patrons on the mainland United States would be unfamiliar with the culinary history of the Hawaiian Plate Lunch. You, dear readers, won't suffer that ignorance, as you will be armed with this knowledge before visiting.

The Hawaiian Plate Lunch was an improvised invention of the islands' plantation workers during the 1800s, using leftovers packed into tins that had multiple compartments. Because the workers were of a diverse background, and tended to share their midday meals with their colleagues, the Plate Lunch evolved into a meal that usually contained the following elements: Rice, macaroni salad, and fish or chicken. 

Other dishes available on the menu include an L&L House Special BBQ Cheeseburger, the aptly-named Loco Moco with fried egg-topped beef burger patties, and a BBQ Beef Bowl. Hawaiians' love for SPAM is also well-represented, with the sushi-like SPAM Musabi and hearty SPAM Saimin noodle soup. Perfect for this weekend's weather. Another great addition to the dining lineup at Ritchie Center!

7-Eleven closes in Rockville

7-Eleven has closed at 1701 A-16 Rockville Pike, at The Shops at Congressional Village in Rockville. Windows are covered, and signage has been removed from the storefront. 7-Eleven opened at this location ten years ago. Can we blame this closure on Montgomery County's moribund economy? Yes. 

This past fall, 7-Eleven announced it would be closing 444 stores nationwide. However, it also stated that the locations getting the axe would be "underperforming" stores. So business at this location must have been below expectations, which would certainly reflect Montgomery County's stagnant economy and declining income levels. 

Inflation continues to hit those of lower incomes the hardest, and that is now the fastest-growing demographic in Montgomery County. The combination of moribundity and inflation has created stagflation in MoCo, and a longer drive to the remaining 7-Elevens north and south of here on the Pike.

Chateau de Rockville "coming soon" to Rockville Pike

Chateau de Rockville is "coming soon" to The Shops at Congressional Village at 1701 Rockville Pike. Signage posted in its future storefront describes the business as a bakery, and a dessert and coffee shop. Property owner IVEA had promised a new focus on attracting overseas restaurant chains to the shopping center, with the initial group largely representing Asian cuisines. Now Francophiles may also find themselves lured to the retail center, to visit the Chateau de Rockville. Incroyable!

Nothing Bundt Cakes sets opening date in Rockville

Signage has been installed over the future storefront of Nothing Bundt Cakes at 1032 Rockville Pike in Rockville. The bakery is now scheduled to open on January 6, 2024, according to Google. Nothing Bundt Cakes is currently featuring a candy-inspired Andes Peppermint Chocolate Chip cake for the holiday season. The shop will be located next to Uptown Cheapskate at the Edmonston Crossing shopping center.

PayMore opens in Rockville

PayMore has opened at 800 Rockville Pike, at the Golden Arcade shopping center. PayMore is a retail business that buys your old electronics - even if they are damaged - for cash. They will also wipe your data from the device to protect your security. This is PayMore's first Montgomery County location.

Chili's demolished on Rockville Pike (Photos)

The Chili's restaurant at 11428 Rockville Pike has been demolished. Demolition of the adjacent Woodglen Park property is still underway. The site is being redeveloped with a mixed-use residential apartment building, branded for now as North Bethesda Market II. Montgomery County has already approved that project.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe targets January opening in Rockville

The sign is up at Tatte Bakery & Cafe at 12232 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza in Rockville. Inside, the interior fit-out appears nearly complete. Furniture, and kitchen and counter equipment, are in place. Tatte is now working toward a target opening date of January 29, 2025 for the Rockville store. The chain recently opened a second Bethesda location at Westbard Square.