On Oct. 14, Federal Realty announced that Glenwood's, a Maryland restaurant serving sushi, steaks and burgers, will open its first Northern Virginia location at Chesterbrook Shopping Center. Construction is expected to start in early 2027, and the opening is targeted for fall 2027. That's about a year away. Next door, a restaurant announced in 2025 still has no opening date.
Chesterbrook has been rebuilt by one owner over five years, one storefront at a time. Most new arrivals are regional brands making their first move into Virginia. The posted dates have been aims rather than promises. A new sign on Old Dominion Drive usually means a wait is starting.
One Owner, a Five-Year Plan
Federal Realty bought Chesterbrook in 2021. Renovation started in fall 2022 and cost $8.5 million. It covered façade work, new lighting and outdoor spaces, repaving the parking lot, pollinator gardens and landscaping beds. FFXnow reported in October 2025 that an open house on Nov. 14, 2025, would mark the project's completion.
The renovation was the first phase. Replacing tenants is the second, and it is still going. In the press release announcing Glenwood's, Federal Realty Senior Vice President of Asset Management Mike Ennes said it had been "incredibly rewarding to see our vision for the center come to life" in the five years since the purchase, as FFXnow reported. The tenants that have arrived under that plan follow a clear pattern.
The New Tenants Share a Profile
Here are the arrivals in order. All but one came from Maryland or D.C.:
| Tenant | What it is | Where it came from | Status at Chesterbrook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sorn Thai | Southern Thai restaurant | Local opening | Grand opening March 14, 2025 |
| Sassanova | Women's and men's apparel and accessories | Maryland, first Virginia store | Opened July 17, 2025 |
| Sweetgreen | Salad and bowl chain | D.C.-born chain | Open; Sweetlane drive-up added Aug. 20, 2026 |
| Surfside | Beach-themed Mexican restaurant | D.C. | Still in the works, no updated timeline |
| Glenwood's | Sushi, steak and American fare | Maryland, first Northern Virginia location | Construction early 2027, opening target fall 2027 |
Sorn Thai is the exception. It's a southern Thai restaurant built around owner Supisa Teawbut's grandmother's recipes. It held a soft launch on March 7, 2025, and its grand opening a week later, according to FFXnow. Sassanova followed in July 2025, opening its first Virginia store with women's and men's apparel and accessories under one roof.
Glenwood's makes the pattern clearest. It started as Stanford Grill, which opened in Columbia, Maryland, in May 2010. It added Rockville in 2015, where it brought sushi and an open-air bakery onto the menu, and Owings Mills in 2018 under the name Stanford Kitchen. All three locations became Glenwood's after a 2024 rebrand by Blueridge Restaurant Group, which also runs Copper Canyon Grill. FFXnow describes McLean as the first step in Blueridge's push to expand regionally and then nationwide.
The planned McLean restaurant is about 7,000 square feet with seating for roughly 170 people and 90 full- and part-time jobs. It will be at the southern end of the center near Small Door Veterinary. The press release lists nightly live entertainment, an outdoor patio, valet parking and a private dining room with a floor-to-ceiling, temperature-controlled wine display. That's a step up from anything else at Chesterbrook, and it's the clearest sign yet of where the owner wants the center to go.
The Dates Have Slipped Before
The table above shows what's coming. The track record shows what an announced date has actually meant here.
Sweetgreen was first set to open on Nov. 11, 2025. On Nov. 24, FFXnow reported that the Nov. 11 launch had been canceled and the new target was Dec. 2. By March 2026, FFXnow was listing it among the center's recent additions.
Surfside has gone further off schedule. In March 2026, Federal Realty expected it to open that summer. On Oct. 14, FFXnow reported that it was still in the works at 6218 Old Dominion Drive and that Federal Realty had no updated timeline. Surfside will share a freestanding building with Sweetgreen, so anyone picking up a salad there is parked beside a space that is still under construction.
That puts Glenwood's fall 2027 date in context. The company calls it a target, and construction hasn't started. Based on this center's recent history, a dated announcement is a reasonable sign of intent. It hasn't been a reliable calendar.
Sweetgreen's Second Act Shows Where This Is Heading
Sweetgreen didn't simply open and stay put. On Aug. 20, 2026, the McLean location added a Sweetlane, a drive-up pickup lane that Axios called the region's first. Sweetgreen's announcement said it was the first Sweetlane on the East Coast, offering dine-in and in-store pickup alongside the drive-up lane. Current hours are posted on Sweetgreen's McLean location page.
Axios presented this as part of a larger bet. The chain built its brand around downtown professionals, and Axios reported that it now sees its future looking more like McLean. Co-founder Nicolas Jammet told Axios that "most drive-thru restaurants are not the healthiest or cleanest." A D.C. brand chose a long-established McLean shopping center to test a suburban format. That's the same reasoning that brought Sassanova and Glenwood's here for their first Virginia locations.
What Hasn't Moved
The center's core has barely changed. Safeway has anchored Chesterbrook since 1965, according to Tysons Reporter's coverage of the 2021 sale. Federal Realty's property directory still lists Safeway, along with Starbucks, Bank of America and Chesterbrook Cleaners. The directory also includes Surfside and Glenwood's, so it shows the planned lineup. It doesn't show which stores are open today.
One original tenant has changed addresses without leaving the corner. Chesterbrook Barber Shop had served the area from the center since 1967. After the ownership change, it moved next door to 6262-F Old Dominion Drive and held a grand reopening there in June 2026, FFXnow reported. FFXnow described it as a longtime choice for local families, seniors and retired military members. It's open seven days a week.
So Chesterbrook now has two layers. The grocery, bank, coffee shop and dry cleaner give it a steady base. Around them, a newer group of regional brands is being added on the owner's schedule.
Where Things Stand in Mid-October
As of mid-October 2026:
- Open now: Safeway, Sorn Thai, Sassanova, Sweetgreen with its Sweetlane drive-up, plus Starbucks, Bank of America and Chesterbrook Cleaners as listed in the center's directory.
- Moved next door: Chesterbrook Barber Shop, 6262-F Old Dominion Drive.
- Signed, no date: Surfside, 6218 Old Dominion Drive.
- Signed, targeting fall 2027: Glenwood's, at the southern end near Small Door Veterinary.
Federal Realty's next announcement will probably fit the same pattern as the last three, with a regional name, a first Virginia location and a target date that may well move.
If you own a home near Chesterbrook and want to talk through how the center's next phase could affect your plans, the Sheehan Team would be glad to sit down with you. Work With Us.
