New Owner Updating Bistro LaZeez
Veteran restaurateur Ramzi Osseiran took over Bistro LaZeez on Norfolk Avenue in Woodmont Triangle from its former owner Reda Assad about three months ago and is updating the Bethesda restaurant.
Osseiran, who has owned or worked in restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area for the past 30 years, said he took over the restaurant after returning from Dubai in order to reenter the local food scene.
“I wanted something manageable,” Osseiran said. “The investment is small for me and I’m involved in the kitchen.”
Osseiran added about 10 to 15 items to the menu including stuffed grape leaves, filet mignon and grilled eggplant. The restaurant’s signature BLZ chicken remains, though, as do the other dishes created by the former owner. He said he’s been working steadily since taking over the restaurant, but is enjoying the process.
“I just need to bring it up to where I want it to be,” Osseiran said. “We’re improving our service and hiring more people.”
Restaurant discount app Spotluck continues expansion.PNG)
The app that allows diners to spin a wheel to get a percentage discount off their restaurant bill—Spotluck—is expanding to the Kentlands in Gaithersburg. The new Kentlands hub includes restaurants like Brasserie Beck, Thai Tanium and Luna Italia, among others.
Since launching in Rockville last year, the app has expanded to include restaurants in Bethesda, Silver Spring, Frederick, Friendship Heights and Cleveland Park. Spotluck’s owners—Cherian Thomas and Brad Sayler—are local businessmen who have signed up restaurants to participate in the app, which helps answer the diner’s dilemma of “Where to eat tonight?” with a spin of an online wheel. The app gives the customer the largest discount, typically ranging from 15 percent to 25 percent, for the restaurant that is chosen on the wheel.
Dave & Buster’s to open in neighboring county
It’s been more than seven months since Dave & Buster’s closed at the White Flint Mall, but now the company is preparing to re-enter the southern Maryland market, albeit not in Montgomery County.
The arcade and restaurant company announced Wednesday it plans to open a new gaming center at Ritchie Station Marketplace, currently under construction, near the Beltway and Ritchie-Marlboro Road in Prince George’s County. The buildout is expected to cost more than $20 million, according to the Washington Business Journal. The new location is in Largo, south of FedEx Field, which is about 25 miles from Bethesda.
The now-closed location of Dave & Buster’s at the White Flint Mall. Credit: Andrew Metcalf (Above, the Spotluck Kentlands wheel)