TGI Fridays closes in Rockville (Video + Photos)

TGI Fridays has closed at 12147 Rockville Pike at the Pike Center in Rockville. The American restaurant chain that was founded on March 15, 1965 in New York City has filed for bankruptcy. Even dropping the "TGI" from the brand name - a memo few Americans ever got, and likely would have confused with a defunct Saturday Night Live knock-off that aired in the dawning years of the 1980s on ABC anyway - couldn't turn the chain's fortunes around. TGI Fridays closed 60 restaurants last fall, and it looks like another round of closures is quietly playing out now. Let's take a last look at Rockville's TGI Fridays:

The flagship TGI Fridays location that started it all at First Avenue and 63rd Street in the Big Apple has been considered by many recent business writers to have been America's "first singles bar." Only in the occasional creepy and awkward moment has the Rockville location been considered as such. But it was a reliable destination on the Pike for above-average creative cocktails, the famous Fridays Loaded Potato Skins, and just about any sports bar appetizer or entree you can imagine with a whiskey glaze applied to it. Now, unless you are up for a long drive to Tysons or Hanover, Maryland, you'll just have to hope that somewhere in the back of your freezer is a box of frozen Fridays delights you had bought from the freezer aisle at your supermarket.

An insider at the Montgomery County Council building reports that several councilmembers were exultant upon hearing the news of TGI Fridays closure. Having banned several ubiquitous American chains from the County, including Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Waffle House, the existence of other big names like TGI Fridays, The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Robin, and LongHorn Steakhouse has been one of the banes of the Council's existence this century.

Ironically, the departure of TGI Fridays from Pike Center refocuses attention on how the County Council was directly responsible for the shopping center's struggles in recent years. It was the Council's action to ban Walmart from opening any new stores in the County that tanked Pike Center's plan to reinvent itself with a super-high-traffic Superstore as anchor, after the moribund Montgomery County economy had left the property with empty storefronts. Upon learning that many more of their constituents - whom they privately refer to as "losers" and "suckers" - might soon be saving $21 a week on groceries, the Council swiftly moved to block the proposed Pike Center and Aspen Hill Walmarts by banning the chain altogether. Heckuva job, Brownie!

New Maryland regulation will raise cost of buying a home, agency warns

A new directive issued by the Maryland Office of Financial Regulation last month will raise the cost of buying a home, and make financing harder to obtain, credit rating agency KBRA warned yesterday. The January 10, 2025 licensing rule update requires mortgage trusts and their assignees to obtain licenses under Maryland’s Installment Loan Licensing Law and Mortgage Lender Law. MOFR clarified that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, all other federal, state, and local governmental loan purchase programs, as well as any trusts created by these entities, are exempt from the rule. However, as KBRA noted, $3.7 billion in Maryland loan balances are currently financed by the U.S. non-Agency securitization market.

"Non-agency" means private mortgage securities not backed by the aforementioned government and quasi-government agencies or entities. KBRA said the new licensing requirement will likely reduce the number of financing sources available to homebuyers in Maryland. For those who can still obtain financing, KBRA warned, the reduced competition and higher licensing costs will be passed on to homebuyers in the form of higher monthly payments. A new Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found the already-high cost of housing is now the top concern of Maryland voters.

Police called after assault at Rockville restaurant

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an assault at a restaurant in Rockville late Saturday night, February 1, 2025. The assault was reported at a restaurant in the 11800 block of Grand Park Avenue at 11:39 PM Saturday. That is at the Pike & Rose development.

Physical media DVDs, CDs vanish at Target in Montgomery County

DVDs and CDs have vanished at local Target stores, like this one at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. Gone are shelves of movies, TV shows, and music CDs. In their place are just books and vinyl records. Many of the latter are Target-exclusive editions. A few CDs remain available, primarily by Taylor Swift and K-pop artists. The flop of Joker 2 continues to resonate, as Lady Gaga's companion album to that box office bomb is now on clearance. Remember: whatever you buy, you only own it forever if it's on physical media.

Assault at grocery store in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a grocery store Thursday evening, January 30, 2025. The assault was reported at a supermarket in the 1800 block of Rockville Pike at 8:34 PM. There is a Safeway store at 1800 Rockville Pike. An individual was also accused of shoplifting in the same incident.

Janie and Jack moving at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Janie and Jack will soon be making a very short relocation move at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The children's clothing boutique is currently located on Level 2 of the mall, between Johnston & Murphy and Baby GAP. It will move directly across the wing to a storefront next to California Pizza Kitchen. "Opening soon" signage has been posted across their future space, and it gives "Winter 2025" as a very general opening date.

Chef Wang Kitchen opening soon in Rockville

Chef Wang is getting ready to open his kitchen in Rockville Town Center. Awning signage for Chef Wang Kitchen has been installed at 199 E. Montgomery Avenue at Regal Row. It is located in the former California Tortilla space. Operating hours of Chef Wang Kitchen will be 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.