Genki Wagyu Shabu House sets opening date in Rockville

Genki Wagyu Shabu House now has an opening date at 870 Festival Street at the Twinbrook Quarter development in Rockville. The all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant will begin accepting reservations this Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Genki promises the"finest unlimited Wagyu Shabu-Shabu, Sukiyaki, and premium Sushi experience. Savor the melt-in-your-mouth richness of high-grade Wagyu beef, meticulously sliced for the perfect hot pot in our signature Sukiyaki broth. Complement your experience with an exquisite selection of premium sushi, crafted with the freshest seafood and premium ingredients." As you can see, the dining experience is capped off with a stunning interior design.

This Armand's Pizzeria truck could be yours in Rockville auction

The sad news of the last Armand's Pizzeria closing in Rockville can be good news for the collector or aspiring restaurateur. That's because it's auction time, and everything must go! And that includes what may be the ultimate collector's item for the Armand's pizza fan: a genuine Armand's delivery truck! It's what appears to be a modified 1985 Toyota pickup truck, and Japanese Toyotas run forever, right?

Imagine the chicks you could pull tooling around the DMV in this Armand's pizza truck. And here we thought that a sign left from the Montgomery Hills Armand's was the best Armand's memento left out there! As a bonus, the doors are emblazoned with the name of the venerable "Congressional Plaza." I'mma let you finish, Taylor, but the Lakeforest Mall truck was the greatest MoCo vehicular prize of all time! But Armand's is making a "bid" for close second. And in this auction, you can make a literal bid. Current bid for the truck? Thirty cents! Hurry!

Photos courtesy Rasmus Auctions

Armand's Pizzeria latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy

Armand's Pizzeria and Grille is closing at 190 Halpine Road in Rockville. After over 51 years in business, the restaurant's co-owners announced on Instagram that they will permanently shut their doors after the close of business on June 20, 2026. This is your last chance to get a slice of Armand's pizza. But it's also another chance to see what the anti-business policies of the Montgomery County Council, and the resulting moribund Montgomery County economy, have wreaked on our business community and underfilled County revenue coffers.

WTOP reporter Luke Lukert wrote that "due to financial reasons and a struggling environment for small businesses, they will have to shut their doors." Lukert interviewed Armand's co-owner Chris Sappe, who told him,"Montgomery County is a tough place to have a family-owned business with minimum wage increasing." Along with recent hikes in ingredient and fuel costs, Sappe said, they had to make the difficult decision to close.

Let's again spin one of the greatest hits recorded by Peter Gragnano of the Suburban Washington Franchise Owners Association, when he and many other business owners and advocates pleaded with the Council not to move forward with their massive minimum wage hike in June of 2016. "That's a lot of extra Slurpees to sell," Gragnano said in the quote of the night. Did the Council heed these warnings? Nope.

Remember the Council's brilliant idea to index the minimum wage to inflation beginning in 2021? Yep, that one hasn't aged well, either. One businessman warned the Council that if inflation spiked as it did in the late 1970s and early 1980s, "there won't be a way to wash a dish in a restaurant." This is the man you should now be asking to generate your lottery numbers! Inflation spike? In America? The County Council clearly does not share that businessman's Kenny Kingston-esque foresight.

Another one of the brilliant minds in the business realm of Maryland is Maddy Voytek, who in 2016 was working at the Maryland Retailers Association. She noted that Montgomery County had already lost 2141 retail jobs between 2000 and 2016. Voytek told the Council that adoption of the $15 wage would "devastate our economy."

What we've seen most recently, as all of these dire predictions came true, are more closings of older businesses. Community institutions. Businesses like Armand's or Flanagan's in Bethesda. Businesses that have survived wars, recessions, and the 2008 "Great Recession," only to be felled now by the incompetents on our County Council. Something is rotten in the County of Montgomery. Have the smelling salts reached your nostrils yet?

Sneak peek: Koala Kreme in Rockville

Koala Kreme is moving quickly to turn around the former Marble Slab space at 100-I Gibbs Street at The Square at Rockville. As you can see below, the frozen yogurt shop's interior fit-out has progressed significantly. Yesterday, Koala Kreme promised on Instagram to open in only two weeks, so expect them to maintain or even increase the pace of work. My only question is, are the milkshakes made with frozen yogurt or ice cream?

Potbelly "temporary closure" turns into months in Rockville

Nearly four months after announcing a temporary closure, the Potbelly at 199 E. Montgomery Avenue remains shuttered in Rockville. Initially, a message to customers posted in the window provided no information as to why the restaurant was closed. That sign has now been updated to state that flooding inside their building caused damage extensive enough to require a renovation of the restaurant. It could simply be that the extent of the damage only became apparent once remediation efforts began. So the good news is that they are going to reopen eventually, but the timeframe is still not known.

Panera Bread closes permanently in Rockville Town Center

Panera Bread has permanently closed at 219 E. Middle Lane in Rockville Town Center. Customers are being directed to "other Rockville locations," including the Fallsgrove Village Center. I broke the news about Panera's shocking exit from this prime location back in February, when the property owner began marketing the restaurant's space for lease. The chain is closing underperforming locations as it undergoes a corporate reorganization.

Wonder sets opening date in Rockville

Wonder now has an opening date for its newest Washington, D.C.-area location at 12240 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza in Rockville. The food hall that will allow you to mix and match dishes from more than 15 celebrity chef dining concepts will open on Thursday, June 4, 2026. If you can't wait that long, sign up for their soft opening sneak preview from June 1 to June 3. Wonder features dishes from chefs like Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Jonathan Waxman, Marc Murphy, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson. 

HEYTEA "coming soon" to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Eight months after I first reported that HEYTEA was looking into opening its second Montgomery County location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, the chain has posted coming-soon signage at its future space on Level 1. It will be in the former Luggage Plus space, between L'Occitane en Provence and Vydration. Where is Luggage Plus? It has moved upstairs in the same wing, to a space right outside of Macy's Home.

Now, you may be saying, do we need another tea shop in Montgomery County, or even at the mall? Yes, you do, because HEYTEA is one of the most innovative and popular tea chains in the world. When they opened their first Maryland location in Rockville, the line was out the door.

What is the secret of HEYTEA's success? In 2012, in a small alleyway called Jiangbianli in Jiangmen, China, its young founder invented cheese tea, the product that would become the company's signature beverage. The brand's other signature is its worldwide popularity on social media, stimulated by the company's effort in creating Instagram-ready store interiors and packaging, and drinks that have as much appeal to the camera eye as to the taste buds. 

Tropical Smoothie Cafe opens in Rockville

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is now open at 835-F Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza. The cafe will host a special Grand Opening event this weekend to celebrate their arrival on the Pike. If you are one of the first 50 guests to enter the cafe this Saturday, May 9, 2026, you will win free smoothies for a year. Everybody will get one free 24 oz. smoothie with in-store ordering of any food or bowl from this Friday, May 8 through Sunday, May 10. 

Shiki Fusion now open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Shiki Fusion is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Asian fusion restaurants are experiencing a revival in Bethesda, or maybe they just never went out of style. Bethesda just got a Chinese-Thai fusion gastropub in Six Ways to Sunday. Now here is a Japanese-Thai menu at Shiki Fusion. 

The restaurant is celebrating the opening by offering a complimentary appetizer or dessert to all dine-in customers through May 14, 2026. Look for Shiki Fusion on Level 3 of the mall, right across from the entrance to the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex. Just take the escalator up from the Dining Terrace food court. You can't miss the Trumpian gold letters on the side, with an arrow pointing the way up. Even the Montgomery County Council would be able to find it!

Molly Tea sets opening date in Rockville

Molly Tea announced yesterday that it will open its Rockville tea shop on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. It is located at 860 Festival Street at the Twinbrook Quarter development along Rockville Pike. What a long road it's been, as Molly Tea first posted coming-soon signage here way back in December 2024. The opening date was first reported by The MoCo Show.

Update on Wonder food hall under construction in Rockville (Photos)

Construction is moving quickly on the Wonder food hall, opening this month at 12240 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza in Rockville. The sign is up over the storefront. Inside, you can see a pick-up window and touchscreen devices. I "wonder" if it would be more accurate to call this a ghost kitchen than a food hall, however. Much like the short-lived Ensemble in Bethesda, the concept is more about pick-up and delivery meals mixed and matched from multiple well-known restaurant brands, as opposed to wandering through a large space and stopping at individual stalls. 

Update on Molly Tea in Rockville (Photos)

Signage is being installed on the future storefront of Molly Tea, opening soon at 860 Festival Street at Twinbrook Quarter in Rockville. See a sneak peek at the interior below, as well. Molly Tea specializes in jasmine tea. 

"Inspired by the Four White Flowers of the East, we select the best mountain tea leaves and scent them with fresh flowers, with focus on Jasmine aromas and Chinese tea," the company's US franchise website states. "Molly Tea aspires to explore all things Jasmine, allowing everyone to see the beauty of Chinese tea culture in their daily lives." Their specialties are Fresh Milk Tea, Snowy Whipped tea beverages topped with jasmine-infused whipped cream, and Fresh Oat Milk Tea.