A Maryland-based restaurant known for sushi, steaks and burgers has signed a lease to open its first Northern Virginia location at Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean, bringing a roughly 7,000-square-foot dining room, nightly live entertainment and valet parking to the retail hub on Old Dominion Drive. Glenwood's is expected to seat about 170 patrons and create 90 full- and part-time jobs once it opens.
The lease was announced by Federal Realty, the real estate investment trust that controls the shopping center, according to FFXnow. Mike Ennes, Federal Realty's senior vice president of asset management, said Glenwood's decision to land in McLean reflects Chesterbrook's evolution and enduring appeal, per the same report. The restaurant will occupy a spot at the southern end of the center near Small Door Veterinary.
Glenwood's is the product of Blueridge Restaurant Group, the Maryland hospitality company that also operates the Copper Canyon Grill chain. Founded in 2002 by David Jones, the company runs seven restaurants across Maryland, employs more than 500 workers and generates over $40 million in annual revenue, according to the Baltimore Fishbowl. Jones said McLean is an important next step for Glenwood's and called Chesterbrook an exceptional setting for the brand's introduction to Northern Virginia, FFXnow reported.
From Stanford Grill to a Regional Brand
Glenwood's wasn't always Glenwood's. The concept began as Stanford Grill, which opened its first restaurant in Columbia, Maryland, in May 2010 under original executive chef Anthony Peake, who had previously worked at McCormick & Schmick's, per FFXnow's account. That original location served rotisserie chicken, hardwood-grilled steaks and whole fish.
Stanford Grill expanded to Rockville, Maryland, in 2015, adding sushi to its menu along with an open-air bakery. A third location, branded Stanford Kitchen, opened in Owings Mills in May 2018. All three locations were eventually renamed Glenwood's, a name borrowed from the town of Glenwood in Howard County, where the brand got its start.
Blueridge Restaurant Group announced the rebrand in January 2024 as part of a strategy to expand from seven operating units to 20 over several years, first throughout the region and eventually nationwide, according to the MoCo Show. The company has also invested in distinctive dining experiences elsewhere in its portfolio — in September 2024 it built a 58-seat floating barge on Rio Lake in Gaithersburg for its Copper Canyon Grill concept, in partnership with landlord Peterson Companies, as reported by Gaithersburg Patch.
What McLean Diners Can Expect
The McLean location won't skimp on amenities. Along with its outdoor patio and valet service, Glenwood's plans a private dining room featuring a temperature-controlled, floor-to-ceiling wine display, FFXnow reported. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, with a targeted opening in fall of that year.
McLean's affluence helps explain why a growing Maryland chain would pick this particular strip mall for its Virginia debut. U.S. Census Bureau data for 2020-2024 shows McLean recorded a top-coded median household income exceeding $250,000 and a per capita income of $131,068, with a poverty rate under 3 percent. Commercial real estate firm CBRE reported this year that Chesterbrook benefits from more than 19,000 vehicles a day passing on Old Dominion Drive and sits in a trade area with average household incomes exceeding $279,000.
A Shopping Center Remade for Upscale Dining
Glenwood's is only the latest name in a wave of new food tenants reshaping Chesterbrook. The center has also welcomed Sweetgreen, Sorn Thai and Sassanova amid significant turnover in its retail lineup, FFXnow reported, while Chesterbrook Barber Shop relocated next door to 6262-F Old Dominion Drive to make room. Surfside is planned at 6218 Old Dominion Drive and is expected to share a freestanding building with Sweetgreen, though Federal Realty had no updated timeline for Surfside's opening as of FFXnow's report. Hoodline previously covered Surfside's liquor license as part of the same tenant shuffle.
The transformation traces back to April 2021, when Federal Realty acquired an 80 percent controlling stake in the 90,000-square-foot center for $32.1 million, taking ownership after managing the property for 19 years, according to Simply Wall St's coverage of the deal. Chesterbrook was originally built in 1967, and its Safeway grocery store, now spanning 35,077 square feet, has anchored the site since 1965, per the Premier Realty Team's account of the center's history.
Federal Realty's $8.5 million renovation of the shopping center began in September 2022 and officially wrapped on November 14, 2025, adding modernized storefront facades, wider sidewalks, outdoor Adirondack seating, swings and updated landscaping, according to the Barnes Real Estate Company. Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors also approved a sign-area waiver for the center in October 2023 as part of the multi-tenant modernization effort, the Premier Realty Team noted, with county actions also accommodating patio dining changes for incoming restaurants.
