CHIKO has closed at 7280 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. The menu and operating hours have been removed from the exterior of the fast-casual Asian fusion restaurant. It looks like the interior has been partially cleared out, as well. Signage remains in place above the storefront.
CHIKO opened at Bethesda Row in January of 2021. The chain's locations in Washington, D.C., Sterling, Shirlington, and Encinitas, California remain open for business.
7 comments:
Restaurant biz ain't easy especially when Bethesda is mostly dead which is puzzling given the amount of 500k and up units going in on every corner. Hopefully under Trump, folks will return to the office and not just fedgov people. These spots historically rely heavily on the lunch crowd from nearby office workers. And nightlife? Singles? Action? Not much of all the above or seems. That cash register has to ring constantly just to afford the rent. But the right concept, executed well, is key. How many places has that been? Quite a few.
I was surprised to see them close. They always seemed to have a busy takeout business and the food was really good. Not sure what happened here. Perhaps the new lease deal was more than they wanted to spend. Oh well. It's a bummer.
That's surprising. They always had a pretty good crowd in there whenever I went by.
Sad...that place is great. Probably be replaced by a big souless chain.
Next to go will be Dig acros the street. Did anyone else get the $10 coupon from them in the mail? That's the first sign of desperation.
I went in there, but the menu was uninspiring and high calorie. For example, their "Classic Dig" bowl which is rice, broccoli, and sweet potatoes is listed as 930 calories _before_ you add a protein.
Compare to Sweetgreen around the corner. Guacamole Greens salad with chicken clocks in at 550 calories.
Someone on this blog (might even have been me) wins the lotto bingo card guessing the demise timeframe of this boutique hybrid type of establishment.
Serve Chinese OR Korean, pick a lane.
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