Cookie Palooza at Bethesda 7-Eleven revealed!

So, what exactly was Cookie Palooza at the 7-Eleven store at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda yesterday? It turns out it was an official 7-Eleven corporate promotion. A table was set up outside loaded with 7-Eleven cookies. These aren't the factory-produced 7-Eleven brand cookies, but are larger, homestyle cookies baked in the store each day. They clearly have upped their cookie game to compete with growing competitors like Sheetz, whose stores feature a glass case filled with Sheetz Shweetz fresh baked goods with a similar presentation to these.

In addition to special prices on fresh cookies, there was a special deal for Cookie Palooza. 5 chicken wings, 2 cookies, and a Big Gulp for $7.00. Cookie Palooza is like Lollapalooza without the fist fighting. Bethesda will be ready next time!

Downtown Bethesda 7-Eleven to host Cookie-Palooza June 27

The 7-Eleven store at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda will host "Cookie-Palooza" this Friday, June 27, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. What is "Cookie-Palooza?" I have no idea. The event is advertised on papers posted in the front windows of the store. With a homemade aesthetic, they do not look like slick advertisements produced by 7-Eleven corporate headquarters.

Firefighters respond to 7-Eleven in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

UPDATE - June 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM: 7-Eleven has reopened.

Montgomery County police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel responded in great numbers to the 7-Eleven store at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda shortly before 10:30 PM tonight. Firefighters put ladders up to the roof of the convenience store, and unrolled a hose at the rear service door. They also carried a ladder into the rear of the store.

Police officers directed traffic on Wisconsin Avenue, where fire equipment blocked travel lanes. After about twenty minutes inside the building, personnel packed up and began leaving the scene. MCFRS has not yet made a public comment on the incident. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Assault at 7-Eleven in White Flint

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating the suspect in the May 7, 2025 aggravated assault at the 7-Eleven store at 11530-G Rockville Pike. Shortly before 7:30 PM that evening, police say, the suspect entered the store and dispensed a soft drink for himself at the soda fountain. When he allegedly began to drink the soda without paying for it, an employee confronted him to state that the beverages are not free. The suspect responded by striking the employee, police allege, and then began throwing merchandise at store employees. He proceeded to flee the store.

However, police say he then attempted to reenter the convenience store. Employees held the doors shut so that he could not. The suspect then pulled out a firearm and threatened to shoot them. But he instead ran toward the White Flint Metro station.

Police describe the suspect as a Black male, approximately 6'3" in height, with black hair and a beard. He was wearing black pants, a green shirt, a gray jacket, and a black Washington Commanders sweatshirt. The suspect was also carrying a pink shoulder bag and a black backpack.

Anyone with information regarding this suspect or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org (http://www.crimesolversmcmd.org/) and click on the “www.p3tips.com (http://www.p3tips.com/)” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information leading to the suspects’ arrest. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Another assault at 7-Eleven in White Flint

Damage to 7-Eleven front door
allegedly caused by assailant

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an assault at the 7-Eleven store at 11530-G Rockville Pike on Thursday, May 1, 2025. The alleged assailant entered the store shortly before 2:00 PM that afternoon, and was confronted by employees, who accused him of shoplifting. In response, he threw unspecified items at the employees, kicked and cracked a glass panel in the store's front door, and fled. An officer responding to the assault call forwarded a photo of the suspect to other officers in the White Flint area.

The suspect was seen walking near the 7-Eleven by police around 3:01 PM. Officers followed the suspect to the White Flint Metro station. When they informed the suspect he was under arrest, he attempted to run away. Following a brief foot chase, the suspect was arrested. Asked to identify himself, he allegedly provided a false name. A search of his person led officers to conclude he was in possession of clothing stolen from H&M and GAP at the nearby Pike & Rose development. Security at both stores confirmed that Shall had been in their stores earlier that day.

Ceolus Shall, 32, of no fixed address, was charged with theft of less than $100, malicious destruction of property, obstructing and hindering an investigation, and failure to truthfully identify. However, he was quickly released on a $100 unsecured personal bond. A woman was assaulted at the same 7-Eleven store 16 days earlier.

Photo courtesy Montgomery County Police Department

Woman assaulted at 7-Eleven in White Flint

A woman was assaulted at the 7-Eleven at 11530-G Rockville Pike Tuesday night, April 15, 2025. Police were called to the convenience store, which is located in the Metro Pike Center, at 8:09 PM Tuesday. @MoCoMag on X reported that the woman was knocked to the ground by the suspect. Police radio communications indicated that the victim declined to be transported to a hospital.

Brick wall destroyed again at 7-Eleven in Bethesda (Photos)

Oh, no, not again! Someone accidentally or intentionally smashed into the brick wall along the property line separating 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue from the vacant EagleBank property behind it in downtown Bethesda. The same thing happened last May, but the damage from yesterday's crash is even worse than last year's. About half of the wall is completely destroyed, just 13 months after it had been rebuilt. It looks like a guardrail or bollards are needed to prevent this recent surge in poor or malicious driving.

Assault at 7-Eleven in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an assault at the 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda Tuesday night, May 7, 2024. Police were called to the store at 10:08 PM Tuesday. Two readers report a large police response, with one counting seven police cruisers at the scene. A Black man in his 30s was seen handcuffed, surrounded by officers, in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven around 10:25 PM. Police were still on the scene at 10:45 PM, but no further information about the incident has been released as of this writing.

Bethesda 7-Eleven installs safety bollards

The 7-Eleven convenience store at 5114 River Road in Bethesda has installed safety bollards across the tops of parking spaces that face its storefront. They are the heavy-duty model, designed to prevent vehicles from accelerating forward and crashing into customers or the building itself. 

Drivers smashing their vehicles into stores is a phenomenon that has grown in frequency, if not an epidemic yet. It happened most recently within a Sonny Jurgensen football's throw from here, at the Whole Foods Market in the Kenwood Station shopping center. That incident seems to have spurred 7-Eleven to make sure it isn't the next victim.

7-Eleven cleared out at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

7-Eleven closed in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda at the end of last month, as I reported January 30. Inventory was mostly cleaned off of shelves by February 7, but a lot of equipment and displays remained inside the darkened space. Now it has been cleared out and sealed off, in addition to the retractable metal barrier that could still be seen through last week. It's unclear why this location closed, as many have noted it was well-patronized during its short run at the mall, but the convenience store chain did close 184 stores nationwide last year.

February 7, 2024

February 7

February 7

Now sealed off

7-Eleven reportedly closing at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

A source tells me that the 7-Eleven at Westfield Montgomery Mall is closing. They report that the lottery machine had already been removed from the store Monday. An employee told them the convenience store would close tomorrow, Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Employees will reportedly be offered jobs at other local 7-Eleven stores. 7-Eleven opened at the mall in July 2020, after a 19-month construction process. 

Assault at Bethesda convenience store

Montgomery County police were called to a convenience store in downtown Bethesda early Friday evening, January 26, 2024, after a 2nd-degree assault was reported there. The incident was reported at 6:05 PM Friday at the 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue. Police reported that there was also damage to property there.

Bethesda 7-Eleven installs safety bollards across storefront (Photos)

A contractor installed safety bollards in front of the 7-Eleven store at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda yesterday. Starting at 6:30 AM Tuesday, men removed the existing parking blocks from the parking spaces across the storefront. Next, they drilled holes in the pavement for the bollards, which were installed by the afternoon. The parking lot closed briefly to complete the work.

7-Eleven Slurpee Day 2023 means a free small Slurpee today, July 11

Today is July 11, and 7/11 is...no longer 7-Eleven Day. The convenience store chain has rebranded today as Slurpee Day, because it is running the promotion across three different chains it now controls: 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes. Despite the new name, the game is still the same: You can get a free small Slurpee today at all three stores, which in the case of Montgomery County really just means 7-Eleven.

7-Eleven is offering two other bonuses for Slurpee Day this year. Select fresh food items will be sold for $1 through the 7REWARDS program, including pizza slices, STUFDCAKES cupcakes, and the legendary Big Bite Hot Dog. And, if you are lucky, your nearest 7-Eleven store will also have three limited-edition Slurpee flavors: Sprite Lymonade Legacy, Summertime Citrus, and Fanta Dragon Fruit Zero Sugar. 

Bethesda 7-Eleven's smashed brick wall repaired (Photos)

Even Donald Trump might be impressed with the wall-building job at the 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The brick wall between the convenience store's parking lot and the former EagleBank property behind it was smashed by an unknown perpetrator last month, leaving about half the wall in a pile of bricks on the ground. Workers have now rebuilt the wall brick-by-brick, but the metal fence topper that was also knocked off was not yet restored at the point these photos were taken. As the old TV ad used to say, "If you can see it in your mind, you can build it out of brick."

Brick wall smashed at 7-Eleven in Bethesda (Photos)

A brick wall on the property line between 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue and the vacant EagleBank at 7815 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda was badly damaged Sunday. It's unclear what happened, whether it was a large vehicle backing up and accidentally hitting it, or an intentional effort. A significant portion of the wall was knocked over, and even more of it is cracked. The metal fence on top was completely knocked off along the most heavily-impacted section of the wall. Both properties will be demolished if Montgomery County approves the Novel Bethesda development on this block, so it will be an unfortunate expense to have to repair this for the short-term.

Armed robbery at Bethesda convenience store

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at a convenience store in Bethesda early yesterday morning, October 5, 2022. The robbery was reported at a store in the 5100 block of River Road at 2:49 AM Wednesday. 7-Eleven is the only convenience store on that block open at that hour.

Assault with knife at Bethesda 7-Eleven store

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an aggravated assault at the 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda Monday night, August 8, 2022. The assault was reported at 9:15 PM. MoCo PG News on Twitter reported that a knife-wielding man attempted to attack a store employee, and was taken into custody by officers. No serious injuries were reported, but the store was forced to close for a short time.

7820 Wisconsin Avenue redevelopment project hits bump

Another bump has appeared in the long and winding road to redeveloping the square block bounded by Wisconsin, Norfolk, Woodmont and Fairmont Avenues in downtown Bethesda. The recently-unveiled 7820 Wisconsin project has hit a snag that will require a brief delay, and a new public meeting to be held. A new land acquisition on the block requires a revision to the project's sketch plan, so the holdup is not related to any of the issues discussed at the original public meeting on the project.

The developers will submit a new sketch plan to Montgomery County. A new public meeting will then be held in about two months or less.

7820 Wisconsin final design will depend on Montgomery County delivering expansion of Veterans Park

A few more details and questions came to light at last night's presubmittal meeting for the proposed redevelopment of the 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue, and the former EagleBank building behind it. Attorneys Barbara Sears and Nick Mansperger represented the applicant shell companies, Bethesda Land, LLC and Bethmont, LLC. As I reported last week, the proposed 315' tall tower would include 403 residential units and 14750 square feet of retail and restaurant space. While the renderings are far more advanced than most projects at this stage, there are two factors that could significantly alter the final design of the tower.

One factor will be whether or not Montgomery County can deliver the proposed expansion of Veterans Park on the other half of this square block of Wisconsin. That park is prominently shown in the renderings for 7820, which led one resident to say it was "disingenuous" to show it as already complete in the images. If the park is not delivered by the County, the applicants will revise the design of the building.

A second factor, what to do about the small 4-story condo building next to the EagleBank building, shed light on what the two massing options shown in my previous report were all about. If the applicants cannot obtain the ground rights, they will at least attempt to obtain the air rights to build over the condo building.

Final parking space numbers are not yet available. The applicants plan to provide sufficient parking for residents, but none for the retail or restaurant patrons.

Two points of controversy emerged at last night's meeting. The biggest sticking point is the plan to place the garage entrance and loading dock on the Fairmont Avenue side of the building, which particularly offends residents of Fairmont Plaza who will face that side. Virtual "attendees" pressed the attorneys on this decision, and asked why no traffic studies on that loading dock plan have been conducted.

The attorneys argued that the County does not allow loading docks on Woodmont Avenue. When a resident pointed out that the new 8001 Woodmont has its loading dock on that side just yards away from the 7820 Wisconsin site, the attorneys could not immediately answer why it had been allowed in that case.

A second community complaint was the lack of a delivery pull-off area, which has caused trucks to block traffic at other buildings like Flats 8300 when they stop in travel lanes to make deliveries. Few buildings provide these in recent years, and the County Planning Board has shown little mettle in demanding developers provide them.

Rendering courtesy of Design Collective