Exclusive
The JBG Companies may have addressed some downtown Bethesda residents' wishes that the ground floor of its future 7770 Norfolk apartment tower not be a dead zone at night. DC dining expert Don Rockwell tells me the 17-story mixed-use project has signed a restaurant tenant called Community.
Currently expected to open this fall, Community's menu will be centered around American comfort food, including all-day breakfast and specialty burgers. It will also be open late, and feature themed dinner nights.
7770 Norfolk is currently under construction by Clark Construction, which recently celebrated the topping-out of the mixed-use project at the corner of Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues. The building is expected to be fully-completed by late 2015.
It sounds like this project could help replace the after-business-hours activity of Foong Lin and other tenants that previously resided on the corner 7770 now occupies. Bold Bite has been the only after-hours draw on Fairmont since BlackFinn closed last year. Let's hope the Bainbridge across Fairmont can come up with a similar tenant, to help reactivate that block of Fairmont.
71 comments:
Exclusive, as told to you by an area dining expert and not the restaurant itself. Interesting.
5:12: Interesting, indeed.
Sounds like a welcome, much needed addition to the neighborhood!
Competition for Tastee Diner? They seem to hit the same segment.
5:35: I would say definitely, especially for newcomers who don't have the same attachment to Tastee Diner as longtime residents. Although the authenticity of the diner is always going to have an appeal, with the dwindling number of "original" Bethesda establishments.
Go to Pete's Carryout for all day breakfast!
Specialty burgers? Don't we have plenty already?
When I heard the name Community I was filled with hope... Sigh. At least it will start to help activate the area and stir up some nighttime economy.
You bore me - how is this an exclusive if Don Rockwell was the person who announced it?
Welcome to the neighborhood, Community!
6:55: He didn't announce it; he was the source for this exclusive report. Why are you bored - you're not excited about new restaurants and what's moving into the retail spaces in these new luxury buildings?
Let's celebrate that it's not a bank.
The last thing we need is another dark dead zone after business hours.
And this place actually sounds cool.
"Community Restaurant" sounds like a soup kitchen.
@ 6:55 AM -
Let's hope that his accuracy is better than on his report last week.
"Even Aspen Hill has an Outback steak house. There's no need for urbanization to get restaurants."
-Robert Dyer
@10:18AM: Not a Bloomin Onion' fan?
@ 10:25 AM - I'll stick with BGR's onion rings, and skip the fake Australian accents and servers writing their name in crayon.
"He didn't announce it; he was the source for this exclusive report."
LOL, whatever does this mean? Have you figured out what the word "exclusive" means yet?
That's funny, your link for Don Rockwell goes only to his homepage, and there is no actual mention of "Community Restaurant" on that site.
So it's essentially hearsay.
Wow, so it is possible to get local scoops that aren't just scraped off county websites.
I won't believe this until I see it scraped off montgomery county's webpage. Either Neil Greenburger reports it, or I don't believe it.
So why doesn't "DC dining expert" Don Rockwell publish his own scoop on his own website? That seems odd.
Bold Bite cut their late night hours a few months ago. Maybe they will finally restore them.
You have to wonder about Tastee. In the Post article last year, their manager said they can barely pay their bills.
Hopefully it can continue.
So another news website (who I won't post or I'll be accused of trolling for them) said Community is being started by Mark Bucher, who owns BGR, which is just across the street basically.
Useful information -- the kind of stuff you find out by actually picking up a phone and contacting the people involved. Again, not sure why Robert seems to refuse to do this. It would add to the story to have that information.
6:55 AM says he's bored. I'm bored of the wall to wall snow coverage on all of the local stations.
Thinking about this new restaurant is wonderful respite from talking about snow (all 0.5 inches of it).
We're all looking forward to reading Robert's article regurgitated in Bethesda Magazine...once they get around to publishing it 3 months from now and stocking it at the checkout lane at Giant. Right next to TV Guide and Soap Opera Digest.
12:25 PM AKA Robert's Little Toady:
Actually Bethesda Magazine quotes Bucher himself, today, not second-hand some blind item from another blogger who didn't even bother to publish his own exclusive scoop on his own blog.
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/Community-Diner-to-Open-in-Woodmont-Triangle/
S/B "...not some second hand blind item..."
bucher is a crook everyone in the industry knows it.
1:25 PM Lighten up a little. The magazine comment was a joke.
I didn't even read their version. Presumably they gave Dyer credit for the scoop?
1:29 PM Do you want to elaborate? You are anonymous after all.
@ 1:32 PM - why would they "give Dyer credit for the scoop"? They actually spoke directly to the person who is going to open the business.
@1:45 PM What was the timeline? You're saying Bucher happened to be interviewed by a magazine hours after Dyer's report?
No skin in the game here, but seems shady.
Yes, obviously Hans Riemer panicked when he saw this second-hand blind item and told Bucher to contact Bethesda Magazine stet.
1:59PM I haven't seen Riemer mentioned here all day. You ruined the streak. Thanks.
Just seems shady timing by the magazine.
No skin in the game here, just wondering about the source.
The timestamp for Dyer's second-hand blind item is 5:00 AM DST (8:00 AM EST).
Bethesda Magazine does not have timestamps directly on its articles, but the code indicates that it was posted at 10:47 AM.
So the MoCo Machine was able to track down the then-unnamed person who is going to open the restaurant, and forced him to speak with BM, and BM published the article all in the span of 2 hours and 27 minutes.
The MoCo Machine has superpowers.
@2:10 PM I think I saw Bucher and Riemer sharing a milkshake at lunch today.
But, seriously, I'm trying to have a dialogue here. Did Dyer and the magazine both get the scoop? What is the real timeline? Just asking the question about the magazine's credibility. No skin in the game here.
Butcher no longer owns BGR.
Just saw the bethesda magazine article. Strange that the writer didn't credit Robert with reporting this first hours earlier today. The same guy plagiarized Robert's scoop on the Bethesda Theater going on sale. Similar timeline: Robert broke the story then hours later this guy re-writes the story and doesn't give credit.
I'm canceling my magazine subscription.
How did they "plagiarize" information that wasn't contained in Dyer's "article"?
1:25: They also didn't credit me for breaking the story first.
11:11: Have the other websites figured out what "as first reported by" means yet? "LOL"
12:17: I had the story first. Expanded information on a story I broke earlier is not a scoop. Now why aren't you posting a comment on their article saying they should have cited me, and saying "scooped by Dyer!" and posting the respective times of the posts? Because you're a fraud, a coward and a paid political hack, that's why.
12:17: You post those kind of troll comments here. Why are you scared to post them on other Bethesda websites? "Anger and victimization at the loss of absolute power to control your message." - Jon Stewart
2:10: What the heck is a "second-hand blind" scoop? I had the scoop on ShopHouse opening at Bethesda Row - and I didn't get from ShopHouse. Rather, it was a trusted source. Did ShopHouse open at Bethesda Row? Duh. Yes it did Mr.Dumass. What an idiot. Under your terms, that everything must be reported as the primary topic of the article wishes it, Nixon would never have resigned, and dining reporters would have very little to report. Please join us in the real world. Give my best to the MoCo Machine, though. Has George Leventhal seceded from Maryland yet? Ron Paul and Leventhal - that's almost as fascinating a team as Hans Riemer and Mitt Romney are!
7:16: The fact that you put quotes around the word article speaks for itself. You are disqualifying every scoop not acquired from the business owner in question? You are truly in need of professional help if you really believe that, and would be laughed out of any newsroom in America.
1:45: Journalism 101.
"Did ShopHouse open at Bethesda Row? Duh. Yes it did Mr.Dumass. What an idiot. Under your terms, that everything must be reported as the primary topic of the article wishes it, Nixon would never have resigned, and dining reporters would have very little to report. Please join us in the real world. Give my best to the MoCo Machine, though. Has George Leventhal seceded from Maryland yet? Ron Paul and Leventhal - that's almost as fascinating a team as Hans Riemer and Mitt Romney are!"
This is why I never use Robitussin as a sleep aid.
Seriously, dude. I am concerned for your well-being after reading that extended word salad.
Do you have contact with a responsible adult who can help you?
The other comment saying how Bethesda Mag reports everything late is spot-on. Patch is even worse -- do they even bother for B-CC area or they just stopped altogether?
Dyer's way ahead on most news. However, I still don't understand why he doesn't always call the principals involved to get the full story. A call to Bucher would have added more to the story. To me, having it be opened by the current owner of BGR (if that's what he is) or even the past owner of BGR both add more to the story. If he used to own BGR, then is this an attempt to steal business from BGR? If he still owns it, then has he considered if the two businesses will compete for the same customer?
Patch essentially shut down local coverage on its Maryland sites 1-2 years ago. You may go to "Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch" but there are no local stories and the stories that are there, are written by one or two editors that cover the entire state.
"However, I still don't understand why he doesn't always call the principals involved to get the full story. A call to Bucher would have added more to the story."
Here is the actual information that we were given in Dyer's article: "DC dining expert Don Rockwell tells me the 17-story mixed-use project has signed a restaurant tenant called Community."
It would seem to me that Dyer did not actually know anything about the principals involved in the new restaurant at the time that he published this article.
I guess I don't understand why one or more commenters here are suggesting that Dyer actually knew this information, before BM published their article.
Edit: "...actually knew this information, but for some reason, chose to withhold it when he published his article, shortly before BM published their own article."
Let's pause the political talk and focus on Bethesda Magazine on this thread.
Fact is folks are wondering why BM didn't credit Robert. It's a pattern here. The same deal with the Bethesda Theater story a couple of weeks ago. It's bad journalism and embarrassing for them.
Dude: stop changing the topic. Talk politics on the political threads. We're talking about how shitty Bethesda Magazine is being recently in not crediting Dyer.
Why should they credit him? Dyer's article was a second-hand one-sentence blind item from another blogger.
BM's article contained much more information, including the name of the person who will run the restaurant.
"Dude: stop changing the topic. Talk politics on the political threads."
LOL, I didn't bring up politics. I simply quoted Dyer's insane and completely irrelevant word salad at 8:21 PM. Try a little reading comprehension for once.
Dyer detailed the concept- it wasn't a one sentence report.
The timing is weird. The Bethesda Magazine guy wrote it hours after Dyer's report. The same thing with the Bethesda Theater for sale report. It's a pattern.
Ok, cool. Let's get back to talking about Bethesda Magazine's shitty journalism.
12:58: It wasn't known who the owner was, just the lease and concept and location. That doesn't negate my scoop. The morning when I broke the story that Bruce Variety was closing, I called them on - yes, the telephone! And verified my informant's tip that they were closing their previous location. I call as needed, but if you rely on bad information from business owners when all the facts negate what they're telling you, that's going to result in low quality journalism, as well.
4:09: If you can't read what I wrote, you need remedial English 101.
4:06: Stop the BS. The report I filed should have been cited. There was no press release announcing the restaurant. "One sentence"? Did you even read my article? It had what, where, when, and multiple details about the concept. Stop the BS. "Why should they credit him?" Uh, because I broke the story?
And The Other Blog just linked to the BM article.
Life is good.
@ 5:26 AM - the individual sentences of your rant parse, more or less. However, taken as a whole, it's word salad.
Ok, to whoever said Bethesda Mag reports stories late is an idiot. Look at their past stories just for the past three weeks:
- Reporting on dashcam video of Leggett's interaction with county park police - no one else has that
- RW Restaurant Group taking over Roof - arguably the biggest restaurant story of the year, no one even close
- Summer House Santa Monica opening/ story about the owners - a day or two before everyone else
- Duball purchasing 4990 Fairmont condo project - no one had that
- Opening date and info about Barrell and Crow opening in former Freddy's location - scooped everyone
Can't everyone just get along and realize that we're lucky to have multiple reporters and bloggers working in our community. Not everything is a competition. Dyer's blog, Bethesda Mag and Bethesda Now are all an asset in their own ways. Imagine if there was no local reporting, like in so many communities in America?
- A Bethesda resident happy about our local news coverage
6:20: Eater linked to BM, too. Complete highway robbery of my story.
9:41: Couldn't help but notice that comment trashing me and my blog with lies, libel and total BS was typed in the exact same format as this comment. Oops, "Bethesda resident," you're not a very good undercover operator.
I have to agree the term exclusive is misapplied here. Good info though. Can't wait!
I was asking someone from Silver Diner about this and it was in their opinion that the two serve slightly different audiences. The average check per person at Tastee might be $5 while at Community might be twice that.
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