The Block, the Asian food hall at 967 Rose Avenue at Pike & Rose, has closed. Reduced hours and departing tenants had already reduced business at the venue. The closure was first reported by The MoCo Show. In March, Store Reporter noted that property owner Federal Realty had removed The Block from its leasing map. Vendors told MoCo360 that the food hall might close at the end of the month.
Was going to try the Heights Food Hall yesterday in Friendship Heights and walked right back out. It was not completely empty but certainly not full of customers. Some of their food may be good but the whole concept is bizarre. These food Hall concepts are all going to fail. And in related Friendship Heights news, Booeymonger is back from the dead? I thought they were all done. Great to see that open and in business. Both Georgetown and Bethesda are long gone now.
ReplyDeleteDitto on The Heights, too bad that they're probably opening too soon to grab business from the new apartments at Mazza. I wonder if they're promoting themselves at the local hotels and in FHDC hoods.
ReplyDeleteFor all 'the Red line' is supposed to be a business inspiring corridor, FH is a desert. DC is particularly difficult and confusing for business to start, much less survive, and MC ain't much better as knee jerk third world policy increasingly dominates. When's the last time they even swept up the leaves by the Gap just south of the Barlow Bldg.? The smoking panhandlers around Starbucks love it there.
The Heights has done a poor job —imo — of letting nearby residents know that they’re open for business and publicizing their array of options. I live in Friendship Heights Village, and was at the Heights on opening day because I was following one particular restaurant. Nothing about going from my apartment to, say, the Metro or Whole Foods immediately below the Heights, let alone driving by on Wisconsin Ave or Willard Ave would alert me to the fact that the food hall and a new full service restaurant have been open for several months. I’ve seen no flyers or other advertising in my building, and nothing in the neighborhood newsletter/website. It’s both unfortunate and short-sighted that after such a long wait to get to the completed project, the managers haven’t been more active in reaching out to nearby neighbors— many of whom would be delighted to have new takeout and restaurant options so conveniently located.
ReplyDeleteI cannot help but think that many of these (mostly) restaurant enterprises that pop up but either mysteriously vaporize and/or do such poor self promotion aren't really designed to lose money. It's too prevalent to discount that someplace on someone's ledger, big write offs are driving at least some of these otherwise inexplicable 'failures.'
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