Maker’s Union, which markets itself as a “pub for the people,” is officially opening its doors on Thursday in Reston Town Center.

The restaurant replaces American Tap Room on 1811 Library Street. The project was launched by Thompson Hospitality, a Reston-based company.

In a statement, business representatives recognized it is “a bit of a weird time” to open a restaurant. In fact, Maker’s Union considered passing construction until there was less uncertainty in the restaurant industry.

But the business team ultimately decided to move forward with opening the restaurant because Reston “needs a special local gathering place.”

Beginning tomorrow and Wednesday between 5-8 p.m., patrons can stop by for a preview event. Tickets are $5 for a slider and a can of craft beer or wine. The restaurant will be set up outside with six-feet spacing markers. All items will be served to-go, but patrons can take a peek into the new space.

Masks are required to take part in the preview event, a company representative told Reston Now.

Photo via Thompson Hospitality

Reston Town Center Updates Information on COVID-19 Safety — The town center now has 15-minute parking spots for curbside pickup. Additional seating is also available in the pavilion and Town Square Park. RTC has also increased the frequency of cleaning in all public spaces. [Reston Town Center]

Metro Ridership Increases as Agency Begins Restoring Service — “Daily ridership during Metro’s first week of nearly normal service in five months was up by several thousand, according to preliminary agency statistics. Ridership remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels, but the consistent daily increases show that more Washington-area residents are venturing out and resuming normal activities.” [The Washington Post]

Resources for Assisted Living Concerns — The Northern Virginia Longterm Care Ombudsman Program helps longterm care residents and their families resolve quality of care and quality of life issues at no charge. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

A new smoothie and açaí bowl spot is coming to Reston Town Center soon.

Playa Bowls, a restaurant that sells smoothies and healthy bowls, plans to open at 1820 Discovery Street in the winter of 2021, according to a press release by Boston Properties.

The New-Jersey based business, which opened in 2014, has more than 80 locations across the country. Playa Bowls specializes in açaí, pity, coconut, green, chia, and banana bowls. It also offers smoothies, juices and poke bowls.

Other businesses are also opening their doors soon in the town center. Makers Union Pub for the People is aiming for a late summer opening at 1811 Library Street.

F45, a gym that focuses on High-Intensity Interval Training, functional training and circuit training, is slated to open in the fall at 11850 Freedom Drive. JINYA Ramen Bar opened its doors late last week.

Photo via Playa Bowls/Facebook

JINYA Ramen Bar will open in in Reston Town Center this Friday (August 14).

The restaurant is takeout and delivery online due the COVID-19 pandemic at the new location (11964 Market Street). Orders can be placed online or via common delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub. Indoor dining is expected to resume in the fall. Items on the menu include mini tacos, rice bowls, ramen, curry, and salads.

For the first 10 days of business, the RTC location will offer a pork-based ramen bowl called Tonkotsu Black Ramen for $10. Other special crisis include $8 for three cocktails and $8 for chicken tenders with beers.

Here’s more from the company on the special items being offered:

The Tonkotsu Black Ramen boasts a satisfying pork broth simmered for 20 hours, balanced with fresh thin noodles and garlic oil, and topped with pork chashu, kikurage, green onion, nori dried seaweed, seasoned egg, garlic chips, fried onion and spicy sauce. JINYA provides a wide range of ramen bowls in addition to salads, rice and curry bowls, mini tacos, and small plates. 

JINYA’s selected cocktail specials include the Garden of Todai-Ji with matcha-infused tequila, rose water, basil, simple syrup, lime and prosecco. The other two options are the JINYA Manhattan with Filibuster Boondoggler Whiskey and the Purple Dragon Mule. 

The Reston location will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday through Sunday.

The chain has several locations across the country, including Fairfax, North Bethesda, and the District.

Photo via JINYA

Boston Properties, the owner of Reston Town Center, has taken a hit in earnings since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the regional economy.

According to a quarterly earnings statement, the real estate owner’s funds from operations were down by 14 percent in the second quarter this year when compared to this time last year. The company earned $236.9 million for the first three months ending on June 30.

Boston Properties CEO Owen Thomas attributed the earnings drop to layoffs, rent concessions with struggling tenants, and dips in parking fees from office tenants that are now working remotely.

Still, the company reported some big wins. Earlier this year and in the thick of the pandemic, Microsoft signed a 400,000-square-foot-lease in Reston Town Center.

It’s unclear how the pandemic will pan out for the company. Rent collections remain high, with collections of 94 percent of rents overall, Thomas said.

“I’m particularly proud of our team’s commitment to serving our customers with the highest level of professionalism that is our standard at Boston Properties,” he said.

He also noted that greater acceptance of part-time work from home may act as a headwind to office demand growth.

“So longterm, we think the product is here to stay. And the question is, who is going to be providing that and who is going to get through this pandemic most successfully?”

Photo by Jay Westcott

Boston Properties has filed a lawsuit against Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market alleging that the New-Jersey based grocery has failed to pay more than $225,000 in rent since December.

The lawsuit, which was first reported by the Washington Business Journal, was filed last month against Balducci’s Virginia LLC, which signed a 19,930-square-foot lease at 1871 Foundrive Drive in April 2016.

The grocer opened in June 2018 on the ground floor of The Signature apartments.  According to WBJ, the lease was changed a few months later to “provide rent relief” to the business.

““Balducci’s VA has continued to operate its grocery store business through the Covid-19 emergency period, and, on information and belief, has taken significant revenue during the emergency period as business that was allowed to continue operating as an essential service,” according to the complaint.

Here’s more from WBJ on three default notices sent to the company:

On Feb. 25, the Boston Properties affiliate sent Balducci’s a written default notice, which the grocer received the following day, according to court documents. Boston Properties claims in the lawsuit that, at that point, Balducci’s had failed to pay $95,157.07 in past due rent, following that up with another default notice two months later.

In an April 7 notice sent to Balducci’s VA, and received April 8, per the lawsuit, Boston Properties notified Balducci’s it had applied $189,244.33 of the retailer’s security deposit to the outstanding rent balance and demanded Balducci’s replenish the security deposit within three days by paying that same amount. It did not, per court documents.

On April 28, according to court documents, Boston Properties sent a “Final Notice of Continuing Default and Notice of Termination of the Relief Period,” demanding payment of $226,703.15, which was not remitted, according to the lawsuit. “Balducci’s VA did not pay any amount to Block 4 for May 2020 charges that were due under the Lease on May 1, 2020,” the suit states.

As of June 3, Boston Properties was seeking $256,436.37 in damages and an additional $226,703.15 if that amount was not paid by June 29, on top of attorney’s fees, interest and all other payments not made throughout the legal process, according to its complaint.

Balducci’s has eight locations throughout the country, including one in Alexandria, McLean and Bethesda.

Photo via Balducci’s

Jinya Ramen Bar will open in Reston Town Center by the end of the summer — for takeout and delivery only.

The Japanese ramen restaurant chain will open at 11964 Market Street, which was vacated by Busara Thai Restaurant last spring.

In order to protect customers and staff, the restaurant will only accept takeout and delivery orders over the phone and online. Although its ramen bowls are typically priced at $16, the Reston location will serve bowls for $10 for a limited time in honor of the restaurant’s 10th anniversary.

As the business stabilizes, staff will determine how to develop a seating layout in the fall that abides by social distancing requirements and health guidance.

Here’s more from Jinya on their brand and offerings:

JINYA brings to Reston a hospitality philosophy that is rooted in authentic Japanese cuisine and the concept of kaizen, meaning “continuous improvement.” The restaurant was founded in 2010 by Tomonori Takahashi, and the company’s growth is proof that he knew what it would take to build a great restaurant. Since day one Chef Kazuya Takebe has dedicated his work to introducing diners to generations’ old ramen traditions, experimenting with fresh ingredients to build delicious new compositions that excite and often surprise. Chef Takebe has implemented a water filtration system that purifies the water used for all of JINYA’s broths. And at JINYA diners experience ramen as it is meant to be – with thick, rich broth perfectly balanced with handmade noodles. When it opens, diners in Reston will discover a wide array of authentic toppings, from tender pork chashu to a perfectly cooked and seasoned poached egg. 

JINYA Ramen Bar offers “A Bowl Above All Others” – satisfying ramen options that offer guests true ramen culture. JINYA was founded with a mission to supply communities with delicious food at a reasonable price that is accessible to everyone. Thick and thin ramen noodles are made fresh daily served traditionally with appropriate broth. Each bowl of ramen is built around a thick and rich broth simmered slowly for 20 hours, then balanced with toppings ranging from spicy bean sprouts to pork chashu, seasoned with fresh garlic and much more. While tastes vary, all options are unique, and range from best-sellers including a Spicy Chicken Ramen, Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen, and JINYA Tonkotsu Black.

Photo via JINYA Ramen Bar

Reston’s Apple store reopened on July 16 after moving to a new location following their old location’s closing back in March. 

The store had been planning and building a reconstruction of the old store for over a year now, and has finally opened up right next to the old store. The new building is more than double the size of the previous, according to 9To5Mac. 

Unlike the usual celebrations that follow Apple Store unveilings, the new Reston store chose to keep their opening quiet to prevent people from crowding, according to 9To5Mac. Cheering, lines and high-fives were frowned upon. A small notice on the window was the only evidence of the store’s opening.

The new store is designed with white quartz, a revolving door and a wall-to-wall glass facade. These changes are apart of a “breakaway” from the store’s stainless steel design most people are familiar with. According to 9To5Mac, other contemporary Apple Stores in Clarendon and Pentagon City have a similar look.

New COVID-19 safety protocols include mask requirements, temperature checks and a limited number of customers in the store. Customers will be asked to wait in a line outside before entering. Additionally, shopping and repair services are available online.

The Apple Store has not yet responded to questions regarding the reopening.

Photo via Apple

Public Art Reston released an updated self-guided art tour through Lake Anne Village Center. 

The “Public Art Tour Series – Lake Anne” goes hand in hand with the “Public Art Tour Series – Reston Town Center” as a way for people to view Reston’s art and history. 

With the new Lake Anne Village Center self-guided tour, people are invited to explore Reston’s history and unique artworks. According to a statement released by the organization, Lake Anne Village Center is the “historic heart of Reston,” and public art has been fully integrated into its design. 

The guided tour takes participants through Lake Anne’s open plazas and along several paths that show off 11 different works art within communal spaces. The tour will also discuss four different temporary projects and programs that took place there, according to the statement. The tour also includes how the public art ties into the architecture of the area.

Public Art Reston encourages visitors to embark on the “Public Art Tour Series- Reston Town Center” tour once they finish Lake Anne. The tour takes participants through the 14 different public art works throughout Reston Town Center. It emphasizes the “urban environment within a suburban setting”, according to the statement. 

Public Art Reston is a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire commitment to public art and the new generation of artwork. They are committed to raising awareness to the role of public art in a community, according to the statement. 

Both guides are sold at the Reston Historic Trust & Museum and at Reston Association, and can be viewed on the Public Art Reston website.

Photo courtesy of Public Art Reston