PROJECTED OPENING: Summer 2024 1452 4th Street NE M. Frances, a non-profit fine dining restaurant from The Lee Initiative, will be opening in DC's Union Market neighborhood this Summer. M. Frances's mission will be to serve as a think-tank project, implementing real time research and solutions for independent restaurants to be more sustainable, innovative, and fair. With the help of university partners, mentor chefs, and an in-house research team, M. Frances will tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the restaurant industry and publish the findings in an open-source method. M. Frances will be the first of its kind in America. The restaurant will offer a hyper-local and seasonal seven-course tasting menu which will be created by a collective of chefs rather than the traditional Executive Chef method. The all-female culinary team will consist of: Chef Amy Brandwein, Chef Lisa Donovan, Chef Liliana Myers, Chef AuCo Lai, Chef Taylor Davis, and Lindsay Ofcacek. For more information, visit The LEE Initiative's website here. 

PROJECTED OPENING: Fall 2024 10128 River Road, Potomac, MD Duke's Grocery will be expanding and opening a location this Fall in Potomac, Maryland's Potomac Village Shopping Center. Guests at this new Potomac location can anticipate the menu to include Duke Grocery's staples such as Massive Sarnies, Seasonal Bevvies, Hearty Salads, Local Beers, and more. Duke's Grocery Potomac will feature a 32-seat dining room, a 14-seat bear area, a 10-seat high top seating area, a 16-seat banquette seating area, and a 24-seat outdoor dining area. For more information, visit their website here.

PROJECTED OPENING: May 2024 8200 Dixon Avenue, Silver Spring, MD Silver Spring's new culinary collective, Solaire Social, will be opening this May from Chef/Restauranteur Akhtar Nawab of Hospitality HQ. This new 13,000 square-foot dining destination and bar will feature a collection of artisan concepts that will provide a stage for chef-driven culinary concepts to showcase a curated experience enriched by diverse food and entertainment. In addition to the 40-seat bar and entertainment stage, the food vendors, chosen by Chef Akhtar, are a mix of people that make up the fabric of Silver Spring from Fried Chicken to Sushi, Thai, Indian, and Brazilian, to a Butcher and Deli, and African inspired ice cream. The current list includes: Just Chicken, Kabab 2 Go, Kati Roll Wala, Pau & Sophia's Thai Kitchen, Shuga x Ice, SOKO, Fire Pit Brazilian Cuisine & Barbecue, and Manna Sushi. For more information, visit their website here.