Hello Halal Guys

The Halal Guys is aiming for a November opening at Rockville’s Wintergreen Plaza, where franchisee Rabi Ullah has been busy building out the space that previously belonged to Rocklands Barbeque. Ullah says his new team will learn the ropes during a month-long training session in New York City, where The Halal Guys began as a series of food trucks. The Rockville restaurant will focus on chicken, beef and falafel dishes, with an assembly line of fresh toppings plus sides like hummus, baba ganouj and fries. What’s for dessert? Baklava. Click here for more on The Halal Guys.

The year of bubble tea

Bubble tea, the dessert/drink combo with the slurpable tapioca pearls, is bigger than ever in our area this fall. Kung Fu Tea just opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall, taking over the Yum Crepes space in the Dining Terrace. It’s the second bubble tea kiosk at Westfield Montgomery, which already is home to Boba Station in the Macy’s wing. Other recent openings include Bubbles & Tea, which debuted this summer next to the A&J Restaurant on Rockville Pike, and Lab Cafe in the former Ev & Maddy’s space at Rockville Town Square. 

New shoes at the mall

KicksUSA opened its doors last week in the Macy’s Home wing at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The Philadelphia-based shoe chain showcases the latest in sneaker styles, hyping up limited-edition “new releases” for its teen collectors. Grand opening festivities are scheduled for this Saturday (Sept. 30th). For more on KicksUSA, click here.

Kosher restaurant changes hands

Oh Mama Grill, the successor to Rockville’s Cafe Shawreen, is now open at 188 Rollins Ave. behind Federal Plaza. The new owners are still offering a kosher menu, but the dishes are more traditionally Israeli with falafel, schwarma, grilled meats and kabobs. Co-owner Riki Alkoby says she hopes to start offering delivery in the next few months. The restaurant’s website was out of service this week, but you can reach them by phone at 301-770-3003.

Bob’s, the Connecticut-based discount furniture chain, is facing a legal battle with Serta Simmons Bedding over the latest entry in its “dare-to-compare” ad series. At issue is this TV commercial claiming that Bob’s $999 Black Label Gel mattress is comparable in quality to Simmons’ Beautyrest Black mattress, which costs three times as much. Serta is asking Bob’s to stop running the TV spots, and to make new ones taking back the allegedly misleading claims. The Chicago Tribune has more on this case.