Matchbox is no longer just about pizza, especially in McLean.
In late February, the regional chain rolled out an expanded “Matchbox Prime” dinner menu with steak and seafood options exclusively at its McLean location, which opened at 1340 Chain Bridge Road next to Lidl in April 2023.
Alex Berentzen, chief operating officer of Thompson Restaurants, the Reston-based hospitality group that manages Matchbox, says the new menu items were developed in response to customer requests.
“The McLean community is very loyal to their local restaurants, and we have listened to our regular guests,” Berentzen said in a statement to FFXnow. “We are keeping all the Matchbox favorites, the pizza and the core menu items, but we wanted to provide some more specialty menu items by request and that is why we launched Matchbox Prime here in McLean.”
Introduced on Feb. 24, the new dishes include a lobster cobb salad, Atlantic halibut, a truffle and wild mushroom pizza, branzino, jumbo shrimp cocktails, and six different varieties of prime steak seasoned with garlic butter.
The steaks are all served with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and grilled asparagus.
Matchbox has also launched an unlimited brunch program, and some seasonal changes to the menu will be implemented with the impending arrival of spring, Berentzen says.
The restaurant hasn’t ruled out expanding the new Prime menu items to other locations, but for now, they’re only being offered in McLean, according to a Matchbox spokesperson. Though it’s a chain, Berentzen says Matchbox allows each location to adapt to its community:
What that means for the brand going forward is that Matchbox has always been — and will always be a local neighborhood restaurant. That means that each location may have some product nuances that serve the local community and requests from our guests. We employ local employees; we even have some local vendors. We still offer our core menu items, but value is so much more than just price. It is quality of product, it is hospitality, speed of service, ambiance, the experience.
Started in 2003 with a small location in D.C.’s Chinatown that relocated in 2019, Matchbox primarily serves wood-fired pizzas, burgers, salads and some entrees, such as fish and chips or chicken fettuccine alfredo. It currently has 11 locations in the D.C. area, including at the Mosaic District in Merrifield and Reston Station, as well as one spot in Florida.
Thompson Hospitality took over the business in 2018 after plans for a national expansion under the previous executive team were hampered by cost overruns and delayed openings, eventually leading to a lawsuit by two of Matchbox’s founders.
Thompson Hospitality’s other restaurant brands include Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, Makers Union, Wiseguy Pizz and Milk and Honey. Matchbox’s McLean location is paired with a Big Buns.
