What went wrong in North Bethesda? It was most likely the general moribundity of the Pike District, which the Council claimed would be the next Tysons, but has been mercilessly crushed by the revamped Tysons. No job growth means no growth in office workers hunting for sandwiches at lunchtime. Looks like the Council had their [briefcases] handed to them "freaky-fast" by Fairfax County once again. Heckuva job, Brownie!
How do you explain the closures in Clarendon and Richmond, and many other restaurants nationwide?
ReplyDeleteJimmy Johns doesn't even show for downtown Bethesda or Pike & Rose on Google Maps. "Yelpers report that these locations have closed." Obviously they've both been closed for some time.
ReplyDelete5:37: If so, why am I the first media outlet to report the closures of both? Yelp users are "freaky-fast" to flag closures, so it's a joke to claim that means these stores were closed "for some time." #scooped
ReplyDelete5:35: There's no major round of closures of Jimmy John's. In fact, the company is quoted saying they are expanding from 3000 to 5000 stores in the near future. Fortunately for Jimmy John's, not every jurisdiction in America has a bumbling and corrupt Council leading it.
That quote is from two years ago. A lot can happen in just two years.
ReplyDelete5:55: So where's the article about that overnight downfall of the entire Jimmy John's chain? Hint: There isn't one.
ReplyDeleteWhat can happen in just two years, is a cover-up of $7 million being embezzled from taxpayers by the Montgomery County Executive staff and County Council. Good thing Post reporter Jennifer Barrios is deep undercover writing about the Handlettering Society of Silver Spring. Keep the hard news coming, LOL.
What? No really, what? Completely out of left field, you decide to compare someone's 2 year comment re: a sandwich shop to the county embezzlement?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you smoking? Whatever it is...Stop...it's making you dumb.
How is the embezzlement being "covered up"? It is being prosecuted in both federal and state court.
ReplyDelete"Jennifer Barrios is deep undercover writing about the Handlettering Society of Silver Spring."
More silly diversion from Dyer, just like "George Leventhal's colorful socks" and "fuck ton of mayo".
How out of date is Google maps? It's not even on there. Was this across from Fitzgerald's? The traffic there is atrocious and where you going to park to get a sandwich? Maybe if they had parking like Dietles did, they'd have more luck.
ReplyDelete"Jimmy John's is now permanently-closed at North Bethesda Market, at 11416 Rockville Pike. The downtown Bethesda location just closed, as well. That location was devastated by the Montgomery County Council's decision to not require the developer of 7272 Wisconsin Avenue to provide a replacement cineplex, after it demolished the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10."
ReplyDeleteSo the North Bethesda Market restaurant closed because there was no theater there?
8:02 Exactly, what does 7272 Wisconsin have to do with 11416 Rockville Pike ? I'm too busy bitching at that intersection to have ever noticed Jimmy Johns. Parking? Where?
ReplyDeleteYour cause and effect reportage, all designed to denigrate your political opponents, is simply getting out of hand. Hans beat you in an (again) election, and therefore Montgomery County is doomed. Retail and restaurants always struggle and their rise and fall is not all linked to the closing of a very dated Regal Cinema that often got one star reviews for poor service, sticky floors, popcorn and drinks spilled on the floor and not cleaned up before each show. A horrible place to watch a movies, with dated non-stadium style seating, and unruly teenage patrons.
ReplyDeleteOf course a new urban cinema would be a nice addition, but to mandate the inclusion of one in Carr’s development would likely have killed the project.
I still hope the small office building between 7272 Wisconsin and the Wilson Office Building (under construction) might become a new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. The site is flanked by parking decks on two sides, and could easily share the office parking at night. Right across the street from the pro-posed Food Hall at the Farm Women’s Market as well. JBG Smith is building one of these in Crystal City, so perhaps the can sign Alamo up for Bethesda. Seems like a perfect fit for that site, with a nice office or multi family or hotel tower above.
Some other closed Jimmy John's locations around here - Columbia Heights and Manassas.
ReplyDeleteSo that's Columbia Heights, Tenleytown, Clarendon, Manassas, Richmond, North Bethesda, and Bethesda.
ReplyDeleteYet Bobbie is all bent out of shape over the last one.
The lead story in the Canton, IL Daily Ledger is a ribbon cutting that ocurred for a new Jimmy John's December 27. So, they're not closing all stores.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Dyer broke news again with the local closures.
Great sammiches!!
ReplyDeleteStraw man. No one claimed that "Jimmy Johns is closing all stores".
ReplyDeleteDyer reported the Bethesda stores closing on a Bethesda news site.
DeleteThey are not closing nationwide.
These facts are established.
What would everyone like to see in this space? I'm voting for the return of Montgomery Donuts or a Roy Rogers.
ReplyDeleteChatting with some Kevin Harvick fans, I asked about Jimmy Johns (JJs is a sponsor of Harvick's NASCAR car.)
ReplyDeleteThey love the place. But they all live in smaller towns, where the whole area has 2 or 3 sub shops. Did y'all know JJ's sponsors a lot of sports? I didn't either.
Sounds like this area might not be a good fit for the company.
10:04 AM This is a website with daily news reports.
ReplyDelete10:06 AM Downtown Bethesda isn't exactly at peak sub shop...Dyer has reporting on Subway closing a location downtown on Elm Street and Taylor Gourmet shuttered.
I guess Jetties and Potbelly...Potbelly has been hurt with the closure of the Regal Cinemas. They used to have deals for moviegoers.
That whole area of the county isn't prospering as quickly as promised. Demolishing the mall and leaving a hole in the ground for nearly a decade will set them back.
ReplyDeleteThe County swung for the fences with Amazon HQ2 and struck out. It's likely we (and others) were played by Jeff Bezos. He now has a lot of our proprietary data which Amazon will ingest.
JBG additions to the North Bethesda Market never panned out and some of the retail has already failed (i.e. Brio) but Whole Foods is great.
The comparisons to Tysons seemed audacious at the time and laughable now. It is in no way desirable for major corporations (Marriott and Amazon both pointedly passed). Some company that wants a suburban location will eventually be interested, but it is not an urban area at all.
"Potbelly has been hurt with the closure of the Regal Cinemas"
ReplyDeleteLOL at Johnny-One-Note.
Have they actually lost business?
11:15 AM Yup. One of Potbelly's main specials was "Dinner & a Movie" with the Regal Cinema.
ReplyDeleteNo more.
Think about all the people who would be in the downtown this weekend to see Aquaman, Mary Poppins, Spider-Man, etc. All big family films, perfect for the holidays.
Instead of patronizing downtown Bethesda restaurants and shops, they have to go to the surrounding towns. Not good for Bethesda Row area businesses.
I'd suggest you take a walking tour of Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Fairfax, etc. to see what kind of business theaters do these days. It's quite a draw.
Walking tour of Gaithersburg? Fairfax? LOL
ReplyDeleteDyer's Little Helper: "Potbelly has been hurt with the closure of the Regal Cinemas"
ReplyDeleteA Faithful Reader: "Have they actually lost business?"
Dyer's Little Helper: "Yup. One of Potbelly's main specials was 'Dinner & a Movie' with the Regal Cinema. No more."
So they had a coupon deal that no longer exists. But they actually lose business?
"No job growth means no growth in office workers hunting for sandwiches at lunchtime."
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of new offices under in construction in downtown Bethesda, which will mean lots of new office workers hunting for sandwiches at lunchtime, but you don't mention that in your other article.
1:06: LOL - They can build them, but who is going to fill them? The renovated or new office buildings post-recession have had to accept far lesser tenants than they were designed for.
ReplyDeleteAfter barely leasing them up with educational groups and, in some cases, the developer's own headquarters, how are they going to fill all of these new ones you're talking about?
Much entertainment ahead.
"Moribunidty" adj. 1721, "about to die," from Middle French moribund (16c.), from Latin moribundus "dying, at the point of death," from mori "to die" (see mortal (adj.)). Figurative sense of "near an end" is from 1837.
ReplyDeleteCreepy use of dead old medieval phrases. Your sick!
7:51 AM RD you can't be serious with that question. You're just blind to reality aren't you? Marriott, FOX5DC (your friends), just to name a couple of marge tenants soon to reside in Bethesda, and you don't see the employment boom on the horizon. You really are an idiot, birdbrain. Get your head out of the sand, or Hans' ass and think before you open your trap. You are spewing useless babble, oh that's right, I forgot this is a blog, not a think piece. Carry on then with your rants. BRAT!
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget Fox5's sister station, WDCA-20.
ReplyDeleteRemember when Robert Dyer claimed that "Channel 20's antenna in Westbard was shut down by the federal government"?
http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-night-lights-went-out-in-westbard.html
11:53am long time reader?
DeleteHow could Jimmy John's stay open just based on the possibility of a movie theater reopening several years in the future?
ReplyDelete