Matchbox has fizzled out at Reston Station, leaving behind an empty restaurant and outdoor patio.
The pizza chain permanently closed its doors at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive, Suite 100, at the end of 2025, Greater Reston Living reported, citing posts from residents on the social media site NextDoor.
A sign posted to the restaurant’s front door suggests that the location has “moved,” encouraging customers to “visit us in McLean.” However, Matchbox has been open in McLean at 1340 Chain Bridge Road since February 2023.
An employee at the McLean location says the Reston closure was announced on a Monday, though they couldn’t recall whether it was this past Monday (Jan. 5) or the previous one (Dec. 29). They weren’t privy to specific details about why Thompson Hospitality, the chain’s Reston-based parent company, decided to shut down that restaurant.
According to the employee, one server from Matchbox Reston was interviewed and accepted a position at the McLean location, but they weren’t sure if others have transferred to different sites, depending on where they live.
Thompson Hospitality didn’t respond to inquiries from FFXnow by press time, and Comstock Companies, the developer behind Reston Station, declined to comment.
Started in D.C.’s Chinatown in 2003, Matchbox was acquired by Thompson Hospitality in November 2020 after its previous owner, Matchbox Food Group, filed for bankruptcy earlier that fall, citing the pandemic’s impact on the restaurant industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic also delayed the restaurant’s opening at Reston Station to July 21, 2021 — more than two years after Thompson Hospitality signed a lease to bring both Matchbox and its burger chain Big Buns to the new development by the Wiehle Metro station, which was still under construction at the time.
Matchbox occupied a 5,500-square-foot space on the ground floor of the distinctive, Google-anchored office building designed by German architect Helmut Jahn. The indoor restaurant was paired with a covered outdoor patio that included a bar.
With the Reston location’s closure, Matchbox has only two remaining Fairfax County venues: the McLean one and one at the Mosaic District in Merrifield. It can also be found in D.C., Maryland, Ashburn’s One Loudoun, Pentagon City and Sawgrass Mills, Florida.
Opened in March 2021, Big Buns is still operating at Reston Station (1908 Reston Metro Plaza), and another Thompson Hospitality brand, Makers Union, can be found at Reston Town Center.
