New Taco Bell taking shape on Rockville Pike

The total remodel of the Taco Bell restaurant at 1100 Rockville Pike is taking shape, and resembles the fast food chain's Kitchen X store model. It rises to two stories in height, compared to the single-story height of the original restaurant. Hopefully it will have the Tron-esque neon accents on the rear of the building. It's sure to have a dual lane drive-thru, and more space dedicated to pickup and delivery orders, however. The best Taco Bell in Montgomery County is about to get even better!

Update on Just Salad in Rockville

Permanent signage has been installed at Just Salad, opening soon at 12242 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza in Rockville. It's already lit at night. Inside, the interior fit-out for the fast-casual restaurant appears complete. Everything from seating to electronic menu boards is in place. Here's a sneak peek inside:

Rockville Taco Bell construction update

Work is progressing relatively quickly on the extensive remodel of the Taco Bell at 1100 Rockville Pike at the Edmonston Crossing shopping center in Rockville. The existing restaurant building has now been completely gutted, and the roof demolished. Workers now appear to be shifting to the construction phase. A crane was on-site to assist yesterday. From the vertical wood planks installed, it appears the roofline of the new restaurant will be significantly higher. I don't yet see evidence of a dual-lane drive-thru, however, which would have required shifting the building's footprint on the left and rear sides to accommodate. The following photos document several recent days of work up through yesterday, in chronological order:

Arby's construction begins in Derwood

Construction has begun on the future Arby's restaurant at 7200 Muncaster Mill Road at the Red Mill Shops shopping center. So far, they are demolishing the interior of the former McDonald's. They haven't added Arby's to the tenants on the shopping center's monument sign yet, but you can see the blank space where it will go. Here's a look inside:

Sneak peek: Bogotá Coffee House in Rockville

Bogotá Coffee House looks close to opening at 115 N. Washington Street in Rockville. Seating and equipment are now in place. Artwork and photos are in the process of being hung on the walls. So far, vintage photographs display scenes of the Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá, the now-demolished Hotel Granada in that grand city, and the historic Pedro A. López Building on the Avenida Jiménez de Quesada. Here's a sneak peek inside:

Signage installed at Crust & Crumb Bakery Cafe in Rockville

The sign is up at Crust & Crumb Bakery Cafe at 718 Rockville Pike in Rockville. Tonight, it was already hooked up and lit. Inside, preparations continue ahead of the cafe's debut. I haven't come across any official website or social media pages for the business, so stay tuned for an opening date.

Update on Cold Stone Creamery, opening soon in Rockville

The sign is up at Cold Stone Creamery, opening soon at 891-H Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville. Window coverings remain in place, so we still can't see the state of progress on the interior fit-out of the chilled slab ice cream parlor. But this location does now appear on the Cold Stone website.

Ice cream lovers have previously had to patronize the Cold Stone kiosk at Montgomery Mall, but now we're going to get the full ice cream parlor experience. Austin 3:16 says Rockville Pike will get a replacement for the cruel closure of Baskin Robbins several years ago, and that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so. 

Update on Gorjana at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Here's a sneak peek at the construction progress inside the future Gorjana boutique at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Laguna Beach-inspired jewelry retailer is appropriately expected to open this summer at the mall. A look inside the construction wall door that was hanging open reveals flooring, walls, and lighting fixtures in place. Now shelving and other displays are being installed, which means merchandise can't be far behind. When it opens, look for Gorjana on Level 1 of the mall, across from Lily Pulitzer in the Nordstrom wing.

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?

Sneak peek: Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby opening June 1 (Photos)

The sign is up at Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby store at 15750 Shady Grove Road at the 270 Center, on the border of Gaithersburg with Rockville. And the window coverings are down, and you know what that means: It's sneak peek time, for our first look at the interior of the County's first Hobby Lobby. All of the shelving and display stands appear to be in place, as well as wayfaring signage. I can see signs at the back wall of the store denoting the adult long sleeve shirts section.

Cash registers are in place and plugged in at the checkouts. They are currently set to Training Mode, as the newly-hired employees prepare for the June 1, 2026 opening date. The big sign above the storefront has only increased the excitement level about Hobby Lobby's imminent arrival. Readers of this blog have known about it since I first broke the story way back last August. But now the many people who don't follow any local news websites are seeing this sign as they drive past. They're pulling into the 270 Center parking lot just to take a closer look. Even the other tenants here are pumped up, as you can imagine the increase in foot traffic Hobby Lobby is going to bring to the 270 Center.

Update on Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby, opening June 1

The Tyvek is off the facade at what will soon be Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby store at 15750 Shady Grove Road on the border of Gaithersburg with Rockville. In its place are red brick and concrete facade treatments. Glass has also been installed, but the new vestibule lobby makes it difficult to see the interior at the moment. The store is scheduled to open on June 1, ten months after I broke the news that MoCo was finally going to get a Hobby Lobby. Let's hope Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Waffle House can break through the truly-weird Montgomery County Council's obstacles next!