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. 

Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby construction update (Photos)

Here's a look at the construction progress on the first Hobby Lobby store in Montgomery County at 15750 Shady Grove Road in the 270 Center, on the border of Gaithersburg and Rockville. The interior fit-out is still blocked from view, but we can see the exterior alterations being made to the former Best Buy facade. A look at the Hobby Lobby website shows the large inventory of Easter products, as an example of the chain's seasonal merchandise. Stay tuned for an opening date.

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.

Update on Sheetz construction at Walnut Hill Shopping Center (Photos)

Construction on the second Sheetz convenience store and mega gas station in the MD 355 corridor is advancing quickly at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 733 S. Frederick Avenue. The familiar building design and roofline are now visible. There's an interesting Sheetz Site Safety sign I have included a picture of below. It looks like the store could be open by summer at this point.

More signage installed at Char'd burger restaurant in Rockville

The windows are still covered at the future Char'd at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at Pike & Rose. But there's another "sign" of progress outside the highly-anticipated burger restaurant. A new pedestrian-facing blade sign has been installed under the storefront canopy. It joins that tiny logo sign above the storefront. The burgers may literally be bigger than the signs at Char'd! 

Signage installed at Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Rockville

The sign is up at the future Tropical Smoothie Cafe at 835-F Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza. TSC remains mum about the existence of this new location, much less the opening date. However, I searched their website and I see they are accepting employment applications for this store. There are two other Tropical Smoothie Cafes in Rockville, in White Flint and Shady Grove.

Update on Shiki Fusion at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

New signage for Shiki Fusion has been installed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. An updated construction wall displays items from the menu of the Japanese-Thai fusion restaurant, and a spring 2026 opening date. Behind the wall, construction on the dining area appears nearly complete. See below for a sneak peek. Finally, there will be no misunderstanding that Shiki Fusion is located on Level 3 of the mall with the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex. Massive Trumpian gold letters and a directional arrow have been attached to a panel high above the Dining Terrace food court below to hammer this home.

Signage installed at Char'd in Rockville

The sign is up at Char'd at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at Pike & Rose. It's already hooked up and lit after dark. However, it looks a bit undersized for the amount of space available above the storefront. What's not undersized is the steady popularity of burger startups in Montgomery County, with the Char'd announcement generating immediate enthusiasm among hamburger lovers familiar with the brand. The burger fad has remained strong for over a decade, with a Steeze Burger and Z-Burger entering for every Kraze Burger and Bobby's Burger Palace that has exited. Let's have a moment of silence for Hamburger Hamlet and Fuddruckers, though.

Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby store construction update (Photos)

Here's a look at the construction progress on Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby store, at 15750 Shady Grove Road in the 270 Center, on the border of Gaithersburg and Rockville. While the interior fit-out is currently hidden behind a construction wall, you can see the modifications being made to the exterior of the former Best Buy starting to take shape. The arts and crafts megastore is highly anticipated, as not only has the chain never had a location here, but smaller competitor JOANN Fabrics and Crafts recently closed all of its stores, including the one in Gaithersburg. Hobby Lobby's main competition here will be Michaels.

Update on Wild Bean Coffee in Rockville (Photos)

Wild Bean Coffee has certainly taken the scenic route to opening at 1532 Rockville Pike in Rockville. Announced way back in 2024, only now are we seeing "signs" that the opening may be finally approaching. Menu item signs are now posted in the windows, which are still papered over. Limited outdoor patio seating is in place outside. Inside, workers were moving furniture about last evening. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Update on Bartaco in Rockville (Photos)

There's still no opening date for Bartaco at 950 Rose Avenue at Pike & Rose. But construction progress continues inside and outside of the former NADA space at the development along Rockville Pike. Permanent signage has been installed over the storefront. The location is also hiring staff, as you can see on the banner below. 

Update on La Baguette Antojitos, opening soon in Rockville

The sign is up at La Baguette Antojitos at 275-B N. Washington Street in Rockville Town Center. Last night, it was already lit. Under the logo are two more clues about the highly-secretive bakery, the words "Pasteleria" and "Panaderia." Tacos are also on the menu, as I previously reported. La Baguette Antojitos replaces Lavande Patisserie at this space.

Sheetz construction begins at Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg

 

Construction of the second Sheetz location in Gaithersburg is getting underway at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 733 S. Frederick Avenue. The area of the parking lot where the convenience store and mega gas station will be built has been fenced off. Heavy equipment is beginning to tear up the asphalt. Sheetz previously announced that its first Gaithersburg store at 751 Progress Way was doing excellent business, so it's not surprising that the company is moving expeditiously to get a second store up and running.