Friday, October 19, 2012

START THE BETHESDA SHAKE SHACK RUMORS

BURGER EMPIRE'S
DC LANDLORD
TAKES COMMAND OF
RELIC NIGHTCLUB
BUILDING

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

DC powerhouse firm Douglas Development has taken charge of the 4936 Fairmont Avenue building that housed the now-defunct Relic Lounge.   The company, founded by Douglas Jemal in 1985, not only is an award-winning developer, but also landlord to many prime restaurants and retailers like LivingSocial, Carmine's and... Shake Shack.

Douglas is now leasing the building's units for office and retail space.  But with Relic having been configured as a food service operation, and Shake Shack's rapid expansion to 3 DC locations in 12 months, the scenario is bound to fuel rumors.  If any company has the inside track, and established relationship, to score the next DC area Shake Shack, it's Douglas.  So Bethesda has to move up on the list of potential locations on those merits alone.

Shake Shack will not reveal specific plans, but does not deny the company is actively expanding.

That block of Fairmont Avenue is currently underappreciated.  But JBG is about to redevelop half of it into a 17-story residential building, and The Monty is currently under construction on the Relic building's side of the street.  Now add a major player like Douglas, and the game has changed on this almost-forgotten block.

So the atmosphere on Fairmont - and level of pedestrian traffic - is bound to change over the next two years.  This could make 4936 Fairmont a prime target for Shake Shack, which undoubtedly would like to tap into the deep pockets of Bethesda diners.

Have we maxed out on burger restaurants?  Burger aficionados wouldn't say so!  With spaces opening at Bethesda Row, there will be a lot of speculation about the most-wanted restaurants and retail in the near future.

The only certainty is that, with Douglas Development in charge, 4936 Fairmont is likely to end up with at least one prominent tenant.

2 comments:

Paul Spillane said...

I think we maxxed out on high-priced burger spots a long ways back and just kept going. Ho-hum to Shake Shack.

Robert Dyer said...

Fair enough. You make a good point on pricing. There are quite a few less expensive burger chains I'd like to have in Bethesda: Steak and Shake, Wendy's, Burger King, Hardee's (we had one in the 90s), just to name a few. Steak and Shake has a new urban storefront configuration that could fit in Bethesda Row, for example.