Sweetgreen is officially cruising into Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean, and it’s bringing a beach-inspired Mexican restaurant from D.C. along for the ride.
The fast-casual health food chain anticipates opening at 6220 Old Dominion Drive this fall. The 2,571-square-foot restaurant will be joined in the free-standing, former Truist Bank building by Surfside, which is expanding into Virginia for the first time.
Sweetgreen’s plans for a Chesterbrook location first emerged late last year, when the business reached out to Fairfax County’s Zoning Office, seeking to confirm whether it could use the vacant bank building’s drive-thru aisle as a pick-up lane for customers.
However, shopping center owner Federal Realty didn’t confirm the lease signing until today (Thursday).
“We’re excited to plant roots in McLean and bring our fresh, seasonal menu to the Chesterbrook Shopping Center,” Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman said in a press release. “As we grow across the D.C. region, this new location brings us one step closer to our mission of connecting more communities to craveable, real food — sourced directly from farmers we know and trust. We can’t wait to welcome McLean locals through our doors.”
Neman opened the first Sweetgreen on Aug. 1, 2007 in D.C. with two friends from college, just a couple of months after they graduated. The trio wanted to “reimagine fast food” by providing both convenience and healthy, quality meals, serving salads, protein plates and rice and grain bowls.
The chain has since expanded nationwide with more than 250 locations, including 12 in Northern Virginia. In Fairfax County, it can be found at Reston Town Center, the Mosaic District in Merrifield, Tysons Galleria and, as of April 1, Fairfax Corner.
Surfside, on the other hand, is making its first foray into Virginia after launching in 2008 with a storefront at D.C.’s Grover Park neighborhood. Though that location closed in 2019, the business now has a full-service restaurant in Tenleytown, taco stands at Dupont Circle and the Wharf, and an expansion in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Owned by Georgetown Events restauranteur Bo Blair, Surfside serves a variety of Tex-Mex food with flavors and an ambiance that evokes a beachside getaway, according to Federal Realty:
Surfside, a beloved fast-casual restaurant founded in DC fifteen years ago and known for its laid-back, beach-inspired vibe, is bringing its fresh flavors to Virginia for the first time at Chesterbrook! The menu features tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and burritos named after iconic islands and coastal towns like Cozumel, Port Antonio, Malibu, and Martha’s Vineyard. Guests can enjoy frozen and tropical cocktails on tap — including margaritas and sangria — beneath a ceiling lined with vintage surfboards.
Perfect for busy weeknights or casual gatherings, Surfside also offers generous family-style fajita boxes to-go, packed with grilled meats, peppers, rice, tortillas, and all the fixings.
Federal Realty didn’t provide a potential opening timeframe, but unlike Sweetgreen, Surfside doesn’t appear to have filed for construction permits yet, so its arrival likely isn’t imminent.
Chesterbrook Shopping Center has welcomed a number of new retail tenants over the past couple of years. The Maryland-based fashion boutique Sassanova was the most recent addition, opening the doors of its first Virginia location just last week (July 17).
The shopping center is also making progress on an $8.5 million renovation that has been in the works since fall 2022. Changes still to come in the months ahead include the installations of a second pollinator garden and new landscaping beds, asphalt repaving for the parking lot, a new look for the property’s pylon sign, and the addition of more seating and gathering spaces.