King Buick GMC moving to Gaithersburg

The King Buick GMC dealership at 16200 Frederick Road will be relocating into the City of Gaithersburg. Its current property is being annexed by the City of Rockville, and will be redeveloped by EYA into a multifamily housing community. King's new location will be 953 N. Frederick Avenue, by the existing King Kia dealership.

A new 15,725 square foot showroom building will be constructed on the site for the Buick and GMC brands. The existing service center will be expanded by 19,589 square feet, as well. These proposed structural additions will be reviewed by the Gaithersburg Planning Commission at its February 2, 2022 meeting. Planning staff recommends approval of the proposal, as well as the granting of a parking waiver.

Rebel's Hot Chicken opening ghost kitchen at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

The latest ghost kitchen to open in Montgomery County will be Rebel's Hot Chicken at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. It is operating as a delivery-oriented virtual restaurant out of the Old Town Pour House at 212 Ellington Boulevard, with which it shares corporate ownership. OTPH already has a Secret Sauce BBQ ghost kitchen. This will be the third Rebel's Hot Chicken in America; two others opened in Illinois on November 30 last year. 

Rebel's Hot Chicken's menu is focused on several Nashville Hot Chicken-style dishes, including Hot Chicken Nachos (crispy popcorn chicken, Nashville hot sauce, pepper jack cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, white beans, avocado, cilantro lime cream, tortilla chips, micro cilantro), Rebel’s Inferno Fried Chicken Sandwich, Rebel's Hot Chicken Tenders, Rebel’s Hot Chicken Chopped Salad (crispy popcorn chicken, Nashville hot sauce, romaine, iceberg, red leaf, tomatoes, cucumbers, black beans, roasted corn, jicama, crispy buttermilk onion strings, ranch dressing), and Spicy Mac N’ Cheese  (crispy popcorn chicken, Nashville hot sauce, bacon lardons, IPA cheese sauce, cavatappi pasta).

Orders will be placed through the Bottleneck Rewards app for iPhone and Android, through the chain's website, or through Grubhub, Uber Eats, or DoorDash.

Photos courtesy Bottleneck Management

First look: Royal Farms Gaithersburg (Photos)

A lot of finishing touches have been added to the new Royal Farms convenience store and mega gas station at 690 Watkins Mill Road in Gaithersburg in just a short time. Most obvious is the lighted signage on the store and car wash, as well as the wayfinding signs in the parking lot, bike racks and outdoor dining tables. Inside, wall signage mentions Gaithersburg and touts the chain's famous chicken. While soda and coffee dispensers have been installed, most shelves are still empty. Montgomery County's first Royal Farms is scheduled to open next month, the company says.

Drive-thru Dunkin' Donuts planned for Shady Grove Road

A new Dunkin' Donuts store with drive thru service is planned for the Shady Grove Road corridor, on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg. The new store will take over the vacant United Bank branch at 16268 Frederick Road, which actually has more prominent frontage onto Shady Grove than MD 355. This follows the recent pattern of Dunkin' stores moving into vacated banks that already have significant drive-thru infrastructure in place. There is an existing Dunkin' Donuts just around the corner at 16220 Frederick Road.

DoorDash to bring DashMart convenience store service to Montgomery County

DashMart items awaiting orders via
virtual convenience store service

Montgomery County DoorDash users will get access to the company's DashMart convenience store service in the coming months. Much like the "ghost kitchens" that serve a variety of menus from one restaurant - or a remote kitchen that isn't in a restaurant at all - DashMart functions as a ghost convenience store. DoorDash drivers will pick up your order from a central warehouse in Rockville, including anything from milk and eggs to ice cream, soda and potato chips. DashMart also partners with local businesses who wish to sell their packaged food items, artisan wares and home goods through the delivery service.

Photo courtesy DoorDash

Montgomery Village Lidl update (Photos)

Construction of the Montgomery Village Lidl grocery store at 19201 Montgomery Village Avenue seems to have lagged at times in recent months, but now the shelving, and refrigerated and frozen display cases are finally in place. They just need to be stocked with grocery merchandise. Full-time store supervisors are being hired for this location, starting at $20.50 an hour. The job also provides more than 20 vacation days per year.

German competition in sight!

Gaithersburg Qdoba update (Photos)

Construction of the new Qdoba Mexican Eats restaurant at the Rock Grove shopping center is in the later stages of completion. Both the dining room and kitchen areas are shaping into their final forms. Even the menu flatscreens have been installed. 

Still no tables and chairs, though, and some basic painting and finishes still to be added in places. Qdoba is located at the corner of Frederick Road and Shady Grove Road, on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg.