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Business & Tech

Roti Mediterranean Grill To Open Near Montgomery Mall

Restaurant chain signs lease for former Baja Fresh space at Westlake Crossing.

Roti Mediterranean Grill, expanding rapidly in the DC metro area, plans to open its first restaurant in Montgomery County late this year in Bethesda.

The Chicago-based chain has signed a lease with Papadopoulos Properties for 2,700 square feet at 10321 Westlake Terrace in the Westlake Crossing Center in a spot occupied by Baja Fresh until about 2007.

Westlake Crossing is a strip mall adjacent to

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Roti, which features what it calls "healthy Mediterranean cuisine," is in the midst of a major expansion kick in the DC area, opening six restaurants downtown and another in Rosslyn.  It’s also scheduled to open Aug. 2 at Union Station and is planning to open at the The Varsity in College Park on Aug. 22 around the time the students return to campus.

Ralph Tapiero, a broker at Papadopoulos Properties, confirmed the plans for the Westlake Crossing opening and added that the firm is scouting for other locations in Montgomery County, Northern Virginia and elsewhere in the area.

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“They’re going to open (at Westlake Crossing) before the end of the year," Tapiero told Patch in a phone interview. He said the site, next door to the Corner Bakery, has been vacant for quite awhile.

Roti now has more places in the DC area than in Chicago, its hometown.  “Their customers are in the upper demographics… and they understand and like what they have to offer and what they do,” Tapiero said.

He added that many upscale Montgomery areas including Chevy Chase, Potomac, Rockville (and others) might prove to be good locations for the restaurant in the not-too-distant future. 

The chain posted double-digit sales growth last year and expanded from six locations to 12, according to a report in Restaurant News.

“With more than 90,000 visitors passing through the doors of Union Station daily, we felt Roti’s fast, tasty and healthy Mediterranean food was the perfect addition to the existing collection of restaurants there,” said Bill Post, chain’s chief executive officer in a statement, announcing the opening date for the Union Station location. 

The leasing deal at Westlake Crossing was first reported this week by Washington Business Journal.

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