Momo Chicken & Grill has closed at 4862 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A sign in the front window displays a farewell message to customers. Momo began life as a BonChon-like Korean fried chicken concept from New York City called Turntable: Mad for Chicken in 2014. By the time construction was complete and the doors were to open, it had adopted a new name, Momo Chicken + Jazz. After several years of lots of chicken but not so much jazz, the name switched again to the anodyne Momo Chicken & Grill.
The restaurant appears to be the latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy. If it had simply been the end of a ten-year lease, it would have remained open until April 2024. Instead, the contents of the restaurant are being stuffed into cardboard boxes inside the dining room.
16 comments:
Never heard of it. If that's the reaction of others, than no wonder it closed.
This place just wasn't very appealing to be honest. I don't think you can blame MoCo or "lack of nightlife" for this one. I was out in Bethesda a couple weekends ago and basically every bar/restaurants was hopping (except momo). If you build quality space, serve decent food and deliver solid service there will be a market for you. I always felt this place did a terrible job with their patio and the inside always looked dark and uninviting. I had the food once and it was pretty good but the whole place could have been so much better. 10 years is a nice run though - hopefully something better goes in.
Kind of overinflated ego by the owners to say "end of an era" for a place many never heard of. Flanagans closing was the end of an era, not this. Sorry.
Never went in person because like someone else mentioned, it wasn’t a particularly inviting atmosphere. I used to get their chicken delivered all the time when I first moved here years ago. Then I just stopped ordering it all together because it wasn’t really that special for the price. In fact sometimes it was just plain mediocre. Started getting Chiko’s instead and it’s much better. Chiko’s opening in town is 100% what killed their business, not the economy… lol
Eh, used to go here a lot for a few years after it opened. Some nice people worked there, they used to even put out free food to snack on Monday nights. Would still occasionally get the wings delivered too, definitely going to miss those.
Again, your fact-free declaration that the county’s supposed moribund economy led to the closure of the restaurant. Did you actually try to find out why they’ve closed like calling their Navy Yard location?
The strong economy is actually leading to many new restaurants in the Woodmont Triangle.
And the next time you bemoan the rich fleeing the county, you should read the recent article in the WaPo about people, businesses, and tax revenue leaving DC and moving to the surrounding areas, mostly MoCo.
@11:09 - Try getting out of the darkness of your basement, you could learn what others really think, not your false facts. You might even learn proper grammar.
5:28: No credible authority or federal government data is indicating a "strong economy" in Montgomery County, now or over the last decade. I've repeatedly reported data showing the flight of the rich from MoCo. There's nothing new about restaurants opening in Bethesda or MoCo even in a bad economy. Nor is there anything new about white gentrifiers moving out of DC for suburban backyards when they start having kids, but aren't wealthy enough to live in the SFH areas like Spring Valley or Chevy Chase DC.
The article is on WTOP and links to the data from DC.
https://wtop.com/dc/2023/09/high-earners-who-left-dc-during-pandemic-cost-city-3-billion-in-tax-revenue-data-reveals/
Was MoMo a popular dining spot for the former Supperrich of MoCo who have since fled to the friendlier pastures of Loudoun County?
I agree Robert, MC loses out to NOVA in every metric. Chevy Chase is really the only engine keeping any 'numbers' looking somewhat healthy and that's not commercial. It's property values, education level, and abstractions like ''physical activity.
There is no question thar MC is deteriorating. I get a kick out of the poster here, that keeps saying "get out of the basement.' It's obvious that he or she is oblivious.
Strong economy? Hahaha. Setting that aside, for an hilarious moment, it's clear that the ills of DC, PG County and our own Silver Spring is permeating Bethesda.
5:48: The DC government's official analysis backs up what I said - it wasn't the ultra-rich fleeing DC, it was young professionals wanting backyards.
"Our main findings include:
The majority of taxfilers stayed in the city. Those who stayed had higher average incomes than those who left."
- DC Office of Revenue Analysis, September 19, 2023
When the populace and economies of NOVA and MC were more equal (PG hasn't been a contender for eons) people having to relocate to the DC area.tended to stay in MD if they were from the north, similarly the same for Southerners to NOVA. Over my numerous decades here I believe it to be true but difficult to research and support; also these same people seemed to seldom even venture into the others' enclaves. It's surprising how many times, now more recently that people are somewhat surprised by how close, welcoming, and safe NOVA really is. It was like travel5to a different country. Now, unfortunately. MC has lost its image and its tony panache in no smsll.parr because of realities like Silver Spring, and yes, politics and immigration.
We have a long row to hoe, and we just don't have the discipline or mettle to do it.
4:49: As I read this report; "In terms of how much D.C. lost in tax revenue, the top five places people went are Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Fairfax County, Alexandria, and Annapolis.
According to the report, “the top destinations for DC tax filers were the city’s inner suburbs, to which DC lost a net of more than 8,000 tax-filing households and more than $1.2 billion in taxable income.”
The report also added that the District “lost a net of about $600 million in taxable income to Montgomery County, Maryland, alone.”" MoCo isn't at a lost, accordingly.
8:04: MoCo is at a loss, as there is far more to the expenditures vs. revenue equation than just the residents (and revenue) gained from D.C. in the term covered by this study. The County was in the red once again this year at budget time, and was forced to raise taxes yet again to cover the losses. If we weren't at a loss, we would have had a surplus, and no need to raise taxes or cut the desired amount for MCPS, for example; the Council did both in June.
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