Ssong's Hotdog closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Ssong's Hotdog has permanently closed in the Dining Terrace food court in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Korean hot dog vendor was closed last evening, and the menu screens had been removed. A calendar behind the counter is still set on March. A Ssong's Hotdog spokesperson confirmed this afternoon that the Bethesda location has closed. Their other Maryland locations remain open, he said, including Columbia, The Hub Asian Food Hall in Catonsville, and Towson. Disappointing news, as these were great hot dogs, and the design of the branded packaging was well done.

Contents of Rockville restaurant to be auctioned off

The contents of Super Bowl Noodle House at 785-G Rockville Pike at the Ritchie Center in Rockville will be auctioned off starting tomorrow, April 26, 2024. Super Bowl Noodle House has permanently closed, and all equipment, furniture and fixtures are being liquidated. Among the items up for bid are a rice cooker, flat screen television, neon "OPEN" sign, various sinks, and multiple refrigerators. Equipment will have to be removed from the premises on Monday, April 29, between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM, according to the auction listing.

Dunkin' Donuts temporarily closed at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville (Photos)

The Dunkin' Donuts store at 865 Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza is temporarily closed. An extensive renovation project is now underway inside the space. A reopening date has not been announced yet. Customers are being directed to the Dunkin' Donuts locations nearby at 11530 Rockville Pike, and 2006 Veirs Mill Road. However, I'm going to add the store at 15180 Frederick Road at College Plaza to that list, which seems like it might be closer to Wintergreen Plaza than White Flint.

7-Eleven cleared out at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

7-Eleven closed in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda at the end of last month, as I reported January 30. Inventory was mostly cleaned off of shelves by February 7, but a lot of equipment and displays remained inside the darkened space. Now it has been cleared out and sealed off, in addition to the retractable metal barrier that could still be seen through last week. It's unclear why this location closed, as many have noted it was well-patronized during its short run at the mall, but the convenience store chain did close 184 stores nationwide last year.

February 7, 2024

February 7

February 7

Now sealed off

Sheepskin Gifts closes, Relax Station kiosk opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too has cleared out of its space on Level 1 at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Like See's Candies and other seasonal stores, this was to be expected after the holiday shopping season ended - - although you'd think the temperatures outdoors would keep them in business through the spring. Meanwhile, massage spa Relax Station from the Old Navy wing of the mall has set up an auxiliary kiosk to serve shoppers in the center of the mall. Look for it on Level 1 outside of J.Jill. 

Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too

Popeyes, The Children's Place officially closed at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

It's official: Popeyes has permanently closed in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. So has The Children's Place, an apparel store for kids. Both spaces have been cleared out, and signage removed. Chicken-loving mall walkers will have to turn to Chick-fil-A, McDonald's or (soon) Pollo Campero in the food court.

Popeyes

The Children's Place

Popeyes closed again at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda...is it the end this time?

Popeyes has been closed in recent days in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Yesterday, it was indeed closed during normal operating hours, as seen here. Popeyes has closed for short periods in the past, only to reopen for business. 

One reader reports that the owner has retired, and that this closure is for good; Google is also stating that this Popeyes is "permanently closed." What's certain is that Montgomery County is in desperate need of a Popeyes with a drive-thru.

Eko House to close in Rockville

Eko House, the African restaurant and lounge at 150 Gibbs Street at Rockville Town Square, will cease operations "effective Sunday, January 14th, 2024." The business is citing "misalignment with our landlord" as the reason for closing. Owners Yomi Ajao and Francis Odiase say they are actively seeking a new location for Eko House, and hope to reopen soon in that new space. Eko House opened two years ago at the struggling Rockville Town Square, which has a number of vacant storefronts.

J. Chow's closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

J. Chow's as seen on December 27, 2023

It was certainly suspicious when J. Chow's Chicken, Ribs & Salads was closed during normal operating hours on December 27, 2023. The eatery in the Dining Terrace food court hasn't reopened since. Their equipment is still there, but someone has now unplugged the beverage cooler. Store Reporter and The MoCo Show both report that J. Chow's has closed. Sad news indeed for this family business that managed to survive both Lerner's plug-pulling on the much-missed White Flint Mall by relocating here, and the pandemic.

December 27

This weekend

See's Candies closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Nothing says Christmas is over like the departure of See's Candies at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. In recent years, they haven't lingered for long, clearing out right after Christmas. See's still hasn't subscribed to the idea that Christmas officially ends on January 6. That hasn't stopped them from prospering - their profits increased by $10 million over 2021 by the end of the 2022 holiday season.

The Good Feet store opens, Lane Bryant closes at Federal Plaza in Rockville

Out with the old and in with the new at one of the many busy shopping destinations in Montgomery County. The Good Feet Store is now open at 12274-D Rockville Pike. Exiting the shopping scene at Federal Plaza is Lane Bryant, which has closed permanently. The plus-size apparel chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, inititally closing 157 stores. This one survived, but is now getting the axe.

Ốc & Crab Seafood Restaurant closes in Rockville

Ốc & Crab Seafood Restaurant has closed at 765-F Rockville Pike at the Ritchie Center. The Vietnamese restaurant only opened this past April. Another seafood establishment, Live Crawfish & Seafood, moved out of the same space a year ago. It had survived since 2017, and through the worst of the pandemic lockdown. Ốc are snails, the culinary stars of many popular dishes in Vietnam.

Contents of Rockville restaurant to be auctioned off next month

The contents of a Pakistani restaurant in the White Flint area will be auctioned off next month. While the restaurant is not named in the online auction listing, the interior photos look like TooSso Pakistani Kitchen, which closed earlier this fall at 5290 Randolph Road at Loehmann's Plaza. Among the items up for grabs to the highest bidder are TooSso's menu board, a decorative antique door, a tandoori oven, and even the restaurant's broom and dustpan. To register and place a bid, see the online auction listing. The auction begins closing December 15, 2023 at 10:07 AM.

PacSun closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

PacSun has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been removed from above the storefront. PacSun, a.k.a. Pacific Sunwear, started as a small surf shop in Seal Beach, California in 1980. It had a long run at Montgomery Mall. The closure is the latest sign of a moribund Montgomery County economy, as PacSun has recovered from its 2016 bankruptcy filing, and more recently has been opening or remodeling stores rather than closing them. 

Sushi Damo closes in Rockville

The hits just keep on coming at Rockville Town Square. Sushi Damo has permanently closed at 36-G Maryland Avenue. The well-reviewed restaurant was in business for 16 years, a relative eternity in Montgomery County's business-unfriendly climate, where restaurants often operate on razor-thin profit margins. Now it's the latest victim of this struggling Town Center property, and the moribund Montgomery County economy. Sushi Damo left the following farewell message inside the front door of the shuttered restaurant:

VinoRita closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Apparently, there's no demand for wine slushies in Bethesda. Last weekend, I noticed that VinoRita, which opened only about five weeks ago in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall, was closed on a busy Saturday evening. Now their kiosk is entirely cleared out. It's recently become one of the unluckiest spots in the mall, as HalfSmoke lasted less than a year in the same kiosk, and VinoRita has now chased that with one of the fastest business failures I've ever reported in the 17 years I've been publishing news in Montgomery County. 

It looks like wine moms have been following the ultra-rich out the door in their mass exodus from moribund Montgomery County, folks. You would think County residents could have used a stiff slushie after looking at their new, jacked-up MoCo property tax bills. VinoRita may want to try a Spring Valley, Leesburg or Clarksville location instead. Meanwhile, Westfield may need to break the emergency glass, and bring in Steak and Shake, In-N-Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Raising Cane's or Zaxby's to hit a home run in this struggling kiosk. In the words of Shia LaBeouf, "I'm tired of starting over...just DO IT!!!!"

VinoRita was still there, but
abandoned, last Saturday night

A week later...VinoRita is gone

*Sad trombone*