Grill Kabob is expanding its Tysons footprint beyond the mall food court.

With 17 years at Tysons Corner Center under its belt, the Afghan kabob chain is working on its first standalone location in the area at Pike 7 Plaza (8385 Leesburg Pike). An exact launch date hasn’t been set, but the restaurant will “definitely” be ready in June, co-owner Wais Shoja says.

“You have a wonderful location there,” Shoja said of Pike 7 Plaza. “You have the Metro close by, it’s a busy shopping center, you have a lot of residential, a lot of office space, so you’re pretty much getting…every kind of angle, every kind of avenue of people coming in.”

Started at Springfield Town Center — then called Springfield Mall — in 1998 by Shoja’s father and uncles, Grill Kabob has grown to 11 locations across the D.C. area, including the Tysons Corner Center stand that has been in the third-floor food court since it opened in 2005.

The Pike 7 site will be the chain’s 12th. Additional locations in Ballston and Ashburn as well as F Street in northwest D.C. will bring the total to 15 by the end of this year.

Shoja says the business has never juggled construction on this many new locations at the same time before, attributing the convergence to pandemic-related delays on the Ballston and F Street restaurants.

“That’s something new and different, but as an expanding family-owned business, there’s things you learn as the business continues to grow,” he said.

Starting with the new Tysons location, Grill Kabob is taking advantage of the major expansion to update its decor and overall aesthetic approach. Visitors can expect more mosaic tiles and “pops” of color in the furniture for a more modern design, according to Shoja.

The menu, though, will feature the same, reliable lineup of kabobs, wraps, rice bowls, and salads that the chain has been serving up for more than two decades now.

A worker in the family business since he was 13, Shoja says his whole family is proud to see how far Grill Kabob has come since that first restaurant in Springfield. While the focus continuees to be on the D.C. area, an expansion to other parts of the country isn’t out of the question.

“We’re always open to looking for new locations,” Shoja said. “If the location is right, if there’s a good opportunity, of course we would love to…We’re continually looking to grow.

Office supplies are out, and cheaply priced groceries are in at Tysons’ Pike 7 Plaza.

The German grocery store chain Lidl has signed a lease for space in the shopping center at 8305 Leesburg Pike, spokesperson Chandler Spivey confirmed to FFXnow.

“We are looking forward to bringing our high quality, fresh assortment, low prices and simple shopping experience to customers in the area,” Spivey said, adding that it’s too soon to project a timeline for the new store.

According to a site plan from Federal Realty Investment Trust, the company that owns the plaza, Lidl will take over the nearly 24,000-square-foot suite that had been filled by Staples for more than a decade.

Staples didn’t immediately return a request for comment, but its store locator lists the site as closed. An employee at the chain’s Falls Church store confirmed that the Tysons location has permanently closed, saying that workers started moving merchandise out and transferring it to other stores in late April.

Lidl has been making a strong push to bolster its presence in Fairfax County in recent years, with stores in McLean, Lorton, and Chantilly slated to join existing franchises in Merrifield, Fairfax, Lincolnia, Burke, and Springfield.

“We’re excited to continue our expansion in Northern Virginia,” Spivey said.

Federal Realty said in a statement that it’s “thrilled” to welcome Lidl, suggesting the grocer could arrive at Pike 7 Plaza “later this year.”

“Adding a specialty grocer recognized for providing high-quality products at competitive prices including European pastries, local produce and imported cheeses is a wonderful addition to the shopping center and benefit for the community,” said Deirdre Johnson, senior vice president of asset management for Federal Realty.

After adding Ulta Beauty on April 1, the shopping center is still awaiting the restaurants Grill Kabob and Ingle Korean Steakhouse, according to “coming soon” signs posted to the storefronts.

Fairfax County also processed a commercial building permit yesterday (Tuesday) for Shake Shack, which will occupy the drive-thru restaurant planned for the southeast corner of Pike 7’s parking lot.

Photo via Google Maps