(Updated at 10:35 a.m. on 10/11/2023) A fledgling hot chicken chain with ambitions of becoming “the next Chick-fil-A” is flocking to Northern Virginia, starting with the Town of Vienna.
Signs for The Red Bird recently emerged in the windows of the former McDonald’s at the Cedar Park Shopping Center, which hasn’t yet identified the new tenant on its site plan. Mickey D’s abruptly vacated the 1,353-square-foot space last summer after more than a decade there.
The Red Bird anticipates opening its new restaurant at 282 Cedar Lane in November, kicking off plans to expand throughout the region, the fast-food company’s Northern Virginia operator, Tariq Diab, says.
“We couldn’t think of a better first location for this area than Vienna due to its heavily diverse population,” Diab said, calling the shopping center’s owner, First Washington Realty, “really instrumental” to securing the location.
“They chose The Red Bird because they believe in the mission of our company and in the affordable yet insanely delicious, all natural and halal food,” he added.
While this will be The Red Bird’s first permanent restaurant in Northern Virginia, the company started operating in the area out of a ghost kitchen, and it has held pop-ups in Virginia and D.C. Diab says “fans went insane for the food and flavor profile.”
Started last year in Los Angeles, California, the eatery will join an increasingly crowded market for hot chicken, the spicy, fried specialty of Nashville, Tennessee, that was allegedly first concocted by a woman exacting revenge on a man who cheated on her.
Over the past couple of years, Fairfax County has welcomed Roaming Rooster, Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken and Dave’s Hot Chicken. In fact, all three chains now have locations in Tysons, though Hangry Joe’s is still “coming soon.”
Still, Diab is confident that The Red Bird’s commitment to freshly made, halal food will help it stand out.
“The words HALAL are built into our signage, not taped to the door on a piece of printer paper, and our famous sauces, rubs and products contain zero preservatives,” he said by email. “Everything is fresh and made to order as you will never see heat lamps in our locations.”
According to the company’s website, its chicken tenders are marinated in a “world-famous Red’s Chicken Rub” before getting coated in homemade breading and fried in “all-natural oil.” The final touch is a “dusting of Red’s secret ‘Red Rub.'”
Spice levels range from mild to the provocatively named “Fck You Cra.” With prices topping out at $9.99, the menu consists of chicken tenders and sandwich combos, a chicken rice bowl and chicken cheese fries, along with sides of fries, cole slaw and mac and cheese.
When the Vienna location opens, it will offer free sandwiches to the first 1,000 guests, according to Diab.
A Reston franchise is also in the works, and The Red Bird is actively negotiating leases for locations in Falls Church, Ashburn and Arlington, Diab says.
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Finding a gift for moms can be difficult. Google “Mother’s Day gifts,” and you’ll scroll through endless lists of beauty products, candles and fuzzy robes. Sure, those are sweet, but sometimes it’s fun to surprise loved ones with something a little more, well, practical!
Here’s one idea: Give her a gift certificate for a home cleaning from Well-Paid Maids. It’s the perfect “thank you,” “I love you” or “you’ve got this” for any mom. She can schedule the home cleaning at her convenience and breathe easy knowing she has one less thing to do.
Our cleaners will take care of everything, including vacuuming and mopping as well as cleaning and dusting countertops, tables, mirrors, appliances and more. Sinks, toilets, showers and appliance exteriors also get a good scrub.
Plus, when you buy a gift certificate from Well-Paid Maids, you’re supporting a living-wage cleaning company. That means cleaners get paid a starting wage of $24 an hour and get access to benefits, like 24 days of PTO and health insurance.
Owners of six Woofie’s franchises in Northern Virginia are hosting “Paws in the Park,” a pet adoption event on May 18 at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date May 19) at Wolf Trap National Park, Wolf Trap Farm Park, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. They hope to bring awareness for local animal shelters and the need for “furever” families for animals.
Woofie’s will have about 20 mobile spa vans on site, offering free nail trims and Wash ‘n Go baths for rescued dogs and pups up for adoption, and special event pricing for families who bring their own pets for grooming (as time permits/allows).
Participating Woofie’s include Reston/Herndon, Ashburn-Leesburg, McLean, Western Loudoun, South Riding-Aldie and Fairfax. Food trucks, a DJ, local vendors, and more will be available. Ridgeside K9 and Keller Williams Realty are sponsoring the event.
Air Layering: Propagating Difficult to Root Plants
Air Layering Workshop: Propagating Difficult-to-Root Plants
Sunday, May 19, 2024
1:00-3:00pm
Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride
Join us on Saturday, May 11th and ride into spring during our Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride. Back for its second year, Pedal with Petals is going to be bigger than ever. This year’s event will include both an
