Shake Shack and Trader Joe’s open, Fogo de Chão heads to Pike & Rose

Here’s your retail & restaurant scoop for the week of Sept. 6th, 2018.

Shake Shack made its Montgomery County debut at Cabin John Village this week, ushering in a new era of fast-food fame for the quiet neighborhood shopping center. A radio station was on site Thursday morning when the doors officially opened, and it wasn’t long before Churchill high schoolers were pouring in for lunch. The place seems destined to become the latest hotspot for local teens — especially in the evenings, when we’re told it will stay open until 10 or 11 p.m. All of which means that Silver Diner, Tastee Diner and Sprinkles are about to get a run for their money. Haven’t had a chance to check out Shake Shack yet? Click here for more photos on our Facebook page.

The long-awaited Trader Joe’s opened on Friday (Sept. 7th) at Travilah Square Shopping Center off Darnestown Road. The store was packed from 8 a.m. on, with live music, tastings and giveaways all day long. This is the second Rockville location for Trader Joe’s, replacing the one in Gaithersburg that closed its doors this week. The look is cleaner, the aisles are wider, and there are tables outside for al fresco dining. The grocery store has been a game-changer for once-dowdy Travilah Square, which is now attracting new tenants like Cafe Rio Mexican Grill and the upcoming Flower Child (more on that in our May 17th edition). For inside photos of the new store, click here.

Well, that was fast. Two weeks after the Nike Factory Store moved out of Pike & Rose (details in our Aug. 23rd issue), owner Federal Realty announced a new tenant for the prime corner spot overlooking Old Georgetown Road. Fogo de Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse with locations in D.C., Tysons Corner and Baltimore, is taking over the space with plans to open early next year. The chain specializes in meats cooked on a traditional churrasqueira grill, but it also offers pork, lamb, chicken and seafood dishes plus traditional Brazilian sides like polenta, yuca, black beans and caramelized bananas. At Pike & Rose, Fogo de Chão will sit right across the street from another high-end steakhouse: Del Frisco’s Grille.