Due to permit-related delays, Kook Dogg Cafe in Reston has postponed its grand opening but expects to open within the next few months.
“It’s kind of a waiting game,” co-owner Noel Kuchler told FFXnow. “[The permit] has gotten submitted, so we’re just waiting to get that approval from the county and then as soon as they approve that, then we can move forward and get going on the rest of everything.”
Located at 12100 Sunset Hills Road in RTC West, the cafe will offer delicatessen sandwiches, toasted hot subs, salads, fresh pizzas, and a selection of craft beers. It will occupy a space previously held by Little Beast Cafe and Bistro, which closed last year.
Originally planned to open last month, Noel, who owns the restaurant with her husband Paul and business partners Walter and Karen Hodges, now anticipates a late June or early July opening.
According to Noel, the process was set back by delays in getting a permit from the county needed to “get everything going again.” While interior renovations are complete, they are awaiting new equipment, including a delayed pizza oven, she said.
“I know Covid is past, but timeframes still seem to be a little longer than expected on waiting for things from the contractor and supplies,” she said.
Paul Kuchler, who will manage the kitchen, started in the restaurant industry at age 12, washing dishes in his father’s French restaurant in Vienna, Le Canard, which operated from 1985 to 2008. He also ran Maplewood Grill in Vienna from 2009 to 2017.
After years in the demanding restaurant scene, the couple took a few years off to focus on their family. Still, the desire to return to the industry lingered. With Kook Dogg, they hoped to create a place where people could grab a quick bite and a beer, rather than a fancy four-course meal.
“We wanted just something more like every day, someone can come and grab a bite that’s affordable and just more enticing to customers and easier for us to produce,” she said.
Noel says this will be the first venture she and her husband undertake together, and they’re looking forward to the experience.
“[Paul] is excited to kind of get back in the workforce again and bring his awesome ideas to the crowd and the customers around,” she said.
