The clock has run out on The Counter’s stay in Reston.
The custom burger eatery closed for good at the end of July after 15 years in Reston Town Center. Workers dismantled The Counter’s illuminated sign above the door at 11922 Democracy Drive Saturday (Aug. 24) evening — around the same time that Ice Cream Jubilee was wrapping up its grand opening.
The closure, which was first reported by The Burn, sets the stage for Shake Shack to move in. The New York-based chain signed a lease for the space last month and is expected to open a 59-seat fast food restaurant next year.
Based in California, The Counter was conceived by Los Angeles restauranteur Jeff Weinstein out of a desire to give customers more choice, offering as many as 312,120 possible combinations of burger sizes, cheeses, toppings and sauces, according to a 2008 Nation’s Restaurant News profile.
The business opened its first location in Santa Monica in 2003 before planning a national expansion in 2007 that it projected could eventually result in 400 to 600 locations in the U.S. Though those ambitions weren’t realized, The Counter had 44 locations worldwide when it got acquired by the Canadian restaurant operator MTY Food Group in 2017.
The Counter arrived at Reston Town Center in July 2009 but doesn’t appear to have added any other sites in Virginia.
Kahala Brands, MTY’s American subsidiary, didn’t respond to requests for comment on the recent Reston closure by press time, but it has shuttered other sites in recent months, including ones in California. Per its website, The Counter is down to six locations: five in California and one at Miami Airport in Florida.
In addition to Shake Shack, Reston Town Center anticipates welcoming Corsica, a new wine bar from the same team behind Barcelona Wine Bar, and the clothing store Evereve next year. As previously reported, Corsica will replace Mon Ami Gabi near The Counter, while Evereve is slated to take over a vacant space at 11928 Market Street.
“Corsica and Evereve are scheduled to open mid 2025,” a spokesperson for BXP, the town center’s property owner and developer, said.
Reston Town Center will also add Kusshi Sushi in the coming months. Owner Wesley Yao previously estimated that the Japanese restaurant will open in November.
