Thanks to some readers, I was notified that Panera, the bakery/sandwich chain, is coming to DCUSA in October. It was originally thought that they were going into the now-closed Adams Mill bar in Adams Morgan, but that turned out not to be the case.
Now I like Panera pretty well, I’ve been there a few times. I like IHOP, Target, Chipotle, and so on, but there needs to be a balance. I’m getting more and more concerned about all the chains coming into the neighborhood, while there are no local or regional businesses at all in DCUSA. I’m worried that there won’t be much more room and that rents will rise as bigger chains move in. What’s next, Cold Stone Creamery? Buffalo Wild Wings?
These chains are obviously attractive to landlords because they have the dough to pay higher rents, but I think there needs to be some effort from the city about this. I wrote about this Jim Graham and encourage you to do the same. If too many more places come in we might as well be living in Gaithersburg. Maybe I worry too much, but I don’t want to see any of our local, home-grown, interesting places get pushed out by chains or higher rents.
