Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 10:24     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know why a number of restaurants have shut down in McLean recently - Joe's Burgers, Evo Bistro, even Sweetgreen? These were all fairly popular spots as far as I know and nothing seems to be taking their spots.


There wasn’t much parking for Joe’s and Sweetgreen was competing with Sweet Leaf, Cava and Santini’s. I’d be surprised if there isn’t something new in the Evo Bistro space soon.


Sweetleaf sucks, though. Their food is overpriced and mediocre at best. Sigh. I'm so annoyed that they closed. Joe's wasn't that great either, and parking was hard.


When will they ever DO ANYTHING with the old McDonald's?


I like the salads and sandwiches at Sweetleaf, as well as the fact that it's local.


Sweetgreen is local too (started in Georgetown) and is so so much better.


The Sweetgreen site says "We're on the hunt for a new location in your neighborhood." Is that boilerplate?
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 10:14     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know why a number of restaurants have shut down in McLean recently - Joe's Burgers, Evo Bistro, even Sweetgreen? These were all fairly popular spots as far as I know and nothing seems to be taking their spots.


There wasn’t much parking for Joe’s and Sweetgreen was competing with Sweet Leaf, Cava and Santini’s. I’d be surprised if there isn’t something new in the Evo Bistro space soon.


Sweetleaf sucks, though. Their food is overpriced and mediocre at best. Sigh. I'm so annoyed that they closed. Joe's wasn't that great either, and parking was hard.


When will they ever DO ANYTHING with the old McDonald's?


I like the salads and sandwiches at Sweetleaf, as well as the fact that it's local.


Sweetgreen is local too (started in Georgetown) and is so so much better.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 10:11     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Old boomers don't eat out, except maybe out of a straw.


I don't see boomers or ore-boomers swilling they're martinis, chianti, or retzina from straws at Cafe Tatti, Pulcinella, Kazan's, Cafe Oggi, or the Greek Taverna much less the McLean Family Restaurant. These are the old line restaurants that make it because their clientele actually fonour to eat rather than do carry out from crap places the OP cited. 20 years from now Those restaurants will likely be closed as the 35-45 year olds new to McLean now will be in a different demographic.


We have to wait 20 years for the (2) owners of the commercial properties to cooperate with developers? Those properties are stuck in a time warp c. 1940. Anyone under the age of 90 complains how out of touch downtown McLean continues to be.


Come to Bethesda to see the same thing in some parts. The Westbard area (Giant shopping center off River Road) is like that. Developers want to totally rebuild it, but crusty old neighbors are opposing the new development.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 10:05     Subject: Re:"Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:Sweetgreen closed? What?

That sucks.

Now we're back to hardly anything decent in McLean. God.



Yeah, like anyone ever said Sweetgreen was great. Troll much?
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 10:04     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know why a number of restaurants have shut down in McLean recently - Joe's Burgers, Evo Bistro, even Sweetgreen? These were all fairly popular spots as far as I know and nothing seems to be taking their spots.


There wasn’t much parking for Joe’s and Sweetgreen was competing with Sweet Leaf, Cava and Santini’s. I’d be surprised if there isn’t something new in the Evo Bistro space soon.


Sweetleaf sucks, though. Their food is overpriced and mediocre at best. Sigh. I'm so annoyed that they closed. Joe's wasn't that great either, and parking was hard.


When will they ever DO ANYTHING with the old McDonald's?


I like the salads and sandwiches at Sweetleaf, as well as the fact that it's local.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:52     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know why a number of restaurants have shut down in McLean recently - Joe's Burgers, Evo Bistro, even Sweetgreen? These were all fairly popular spots as far as I know and nothing seems to be taking their spots.


There wasn’t much parking for Joe’s and Sweetgreen was competing with Sweet Leaf, Cava and Santini’s. I’d be surprised if there isn’t something new in the Evo Bistro space soon.


Sweetleaf sucks, though. Their food is overpriced and mediocre at best. Sigh. I'm so annoyed that they closed. Joe's wasn't that great either, and parking was hard.


When will they ever DO ANYTHING with the old McDonald's?
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:48     Subject: Re:"Downtown" McLean closures
Sweetgreen closed? What?

That sucks.

Now we're back to hardly anything decent in McLean. God.


Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:45     Subject: Re:"Downtown" McLean closures
I'm 38, moving to Mclean soon with my young family. I think the charm of downtown Mclean is the old and new (Chopt and Cava have ample parking). I wish they would just get a Whole Foods...
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:43     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Old boomers don't eat out, except maybe out of a straw.


I don't see boomers or ore-boomers swilling they're martinis, chianti, or retzina from straws at Cafe Tatti, Pulcinella, Kazan's, Cafe Oggi, or the Greek Taverna much less the McLean Family Restaurant. These are the old line restaurants that make it because their clientele actually fonour to eat rather than do carry out from crap places the OP cited. 20 years from now Those restaurants will likely be closed as the 35-45 year olds new to McLean now will be in a different demographic.


We have to wait 20 years for the (2) owners of the commercial properties to cooperate with developers? Those properties are stuck in a time warp c. 1940. Anyone under the age of 90 complains how out of touch downtown McLean continues to be.


Total BS. I'm actually surprised by how many of the residents with younger kids oppose some of the redevelopment proposals.

In any event, the Signet apartment building at Fleetwood and Elm is well on its way to completion, and the parcel behind Chipotle/Hair Cuttery (which isn't owned by Montgomery) appears to be moving forward for redevelopment as well.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:19     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:And that shitty ass MFR stays open


+1

Everyone in their 30's says this. Everyone in their 70's and 80's goes to MFR for Sunday brunch - the line is out the door. How does a gross place like that stay open based on one meal per week?


We're in our 40s and we go there with our kids, sometimes on weeknights. Good, simple food and the older people there are usually very sweet to our kids. The owner is the cousin of the tennis player Pete Sampras. Or maybe you're too young to have heard of him?
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:17     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Old boomers don't eat out, except maybe out of a straw.


I don't see boomers or ore-boomers swilling they're martinis, chianti, or retzina from straws at Cafe Tatti, Pulcinella, Kazan's, Cafe Oggi, or the Greek Taverna much less the McLean Family Restaurant. These are the old line restaurants that make it because their clientele actually fonour to eat rather than do carry out from crap places the OP cited. 20 years from now Those restaurants will likely be closed as the 35-45 year olds new to McLean now will be in a different demographic.


We have to wait 20 years for the (2) owners of the commercial properties to cooperate with developers? Those properties are stuck in a time warp c. 1940. Anyone under the age of 90 complains how out of touch downtown McLean continues to be.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 09:12     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:And that shitty ass MFR stays open


+1

Everyone in their 30's says this. Everyone in their 70's and 80's goes to MFR for Sunday brunch - the line is out the door. How does a gross place like that stay open based on one meal per week?
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 08:56     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
^^

On a train and too many errors above but you get the gist
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 08:52     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:Old boomers don't eat out, except maybe out of a straw.


I don't see boomers or ore-boomers swilling they're martinis, chianti, or retzina from straws at Cafe Tatti, Pulcinella, Kazan's, Cafe Oggi, or the Greek Taverna much less the McLean Family Restaurant. These are the old line restaurants that make it because their clientele actually fonour to eat rather than do carry out from crap places the OP cited. 20 years from now Those restaurants will likely be closed as the 35-45 year olds new to McLean now will be in a different demographic.
Anonymous
Post 04/05/2018 08:17     Subject: "Downtown" McLean closures
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Old boomers don't eat out, except maybe out of a straw.


The enrollments at both McLean HS and Marshall HS are the highest they’ve been in at least 25 years.

What does Marshall HS enrollment have to do with restaurants in McLean?


McLean feeds into three high schools: Langley, McLean, and Marshall. Two of them have the highest enrollments they’ve seen in decades, which contradicts the suggestion McLean is only “aging boomers.”


Yeah in my McLean neighbor hood everyone moving out is an older/retired couple with grown up kids and everyone moving in is a family with young kids.