Pollo Campero closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Pollo Campero has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, according to a sign posted at their stall in the Dining Terrace food court. The Guatemalan chicken chain opened this location in July 2024. From what I can tell, this is one of the rare closures we can't necessarily blame the Montgomery County Council for. I see that quite a few Pollo Campero restaurants have closed elsewhere across the country this year.

I recall that the chain went through a major expansion push in 2024, after celebrating record sales growth the previous year. Several of the planned 45 new locations were here in Montgomery County. I notice that a recurring theme in news articles about the other closures is that they all opened during that heady expansion year of 2024. 

Colony Grill closes in Potomac

Colony Grill has closed at 11325 Seven Locks Road at Cabin John Village in Potomac. Signage for the restaurant has been stripped from the building. Colony Grill opened this location in June 2023, but the chain says it has "decided not to continue our lease at this location." Apparently, a high score from Dave Portnoy wasn't enough to impress diners in Potomac. An 8.4! 

Two broad-daylight assaults in two days in downtown Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to two assaults in broad daylight in downtown Bethesda over the weekend. On Friday, August 28, 2026, an individual was jumped by multiple assailants in the 7400 block of Wisconsin Avenue at 3:44 PM. The suspects physically assaulted the victim, and robbed them of unspecified property. Yesterday afternoon at 4:28 PM, officers responded to a 2nd-degree assault in the 4800 block of Cordell Avenue. No descriptions of any of the suspects involved have been released as of this writing. Both incidents again highlight the disturbing 2026 trend of violent crimes increasingly being perpetrated during daylight hours.

USPS closing News Express postal facility in Bethesda

The United States Postal Service will close its facility inside of News Express at 4853 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda permanently Tuesday, September 1, 2026. This mini post office has been operated under contract within the convenience store for many years. The operating hours, and convenient location, made this facility preferable to the U.S. Post Office at 6900 Wisconsin Avenue for many in the Woodmont Triangle and East Bethesda neighborhoods. Once again, the failure of Montgomery County elected officials to ensure adequate postal facilities - when two downtown Bethesda post offices were closed last decade - continues to bite local residents.

Cornucopia Specialty Food Market closed until September 15 in Bethesda

Cornucopia Specialty Food Market at 8102 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda is temporarily closed. The store will reopen on September 15, 2026. A sign in the window explains that unanticipated travel to Italy for family reasons is the cause of the closure. Imported Italian foods and ingredients are the specialty of the market, but their fresh deli sandwiches make it a popular lunch spot for those in-the-know.

Car stolen from home in Spring Hill neighborhood of Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in the Spring Hill neighborhood of Bethesda early yesterday morning. The theft was reported at a home in the 5200 block of Cammack Drive at 8:41 AM Thursday. Police believe the vehicle was taken sometime between 4:49 AM and 5:49 AM. They have not released a description of the missing vehicle.

VEG ER for Pets, Method Room sign on at Westbard Square in Bethesda

Regency Centers has found its first ground floor retail tenant for the Greystar-developed apartment building now under construction at Westbard Square in Bethesda. VEG ER for Pets, a chain operating 24-hour emergency rooms for animals, has leased a Westbard Avenue-facing storefront in the future building. Meanwhile, reformer-based fitness studio chain Method Room has signed on to fill the final ground-level space in the existing Giant building at the property. This will be the second location for the Washington, D.C.-based high-intensity, low-impact fitness concept inspired by traditional Pilates, but employing modern reformer equipment.