Food

Cheesetique Will Open a Third Market/Restaurant

And you can help choose the location.

Cheesetique’s many grilled cheeses may be coming to a neighborhood near you. Photograph by Scott Suchman

Opening restaurants is getting more democratic these days. A number of spots, including Dino’s Grotto and Ivy & Coney launched crowdfunding sites to get their operations underway. Now Cheesetique owner Jill Erber is using Facebook feedback to help determine a third location for her cheese shop/restaurant.

“It is with tremendous excitement that we announce the hunt for Cheesetique #3!,” reads Cheesetique’s Facebook page. “Got a great location we just MUST consider? Let us know here! As we go through the process, we’ll post lots of updates so you’ll feel like you’re right there with us—through location scouting, permit bliss, build-out heaven, and the final big opening.”

Erber says she won’t choose the location based on votes but does welcome help from the eatery’s fans. “I’m very Virginia-bound with our two locations here [in Alexandria and Shirlington],” she says. “I felt limited in my understanding of where people want another Cheesetique. Every time you turn around there’s a new hot area in DC.”

The team is also working with a broker to scout the next location, with a slight preference for the District. Erber says top neighborhoods include Washington Square, Local Circle, Shaw, and Cleveland Park. Obviously much will depend on the space and location, but Erber says she plans for a nearly identical concept that combines a cheese shop and restaurant for sampling all the gooey goodness in sandwiches, macs, and more.

Want easy access to a killer grilled cheddar on sourdough soon? Make your voice heard in the comments.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.