The Italian restaurant Aggio has closed down at One Loudoun. The doors have been locked, the restaurant dark for several nights now. The phone line is disconnected. And a look through the door shows they’ve moved out much of the furniture and fixtures.
Despite the ample evidence, there’s been no formal announcement of the closure. The restaurant’s website and Facebook page make no mention of closing and a rep for One Loudoun said she had “no news to share.”
Aggio was the brainchild of celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio. Another Aggio location in Baltimore reportedly closed earlier this year. Voltaggio is also an owner or partner in a several other restaurants around the D.C. area.
Voltaggio originally opened a restaurant called Family Meal at One Loudoun. When that failed to find an audience in Ashburn, he changed it to the Aggio concept. But it never caught fire either.
No word if Voltaggio is keeping the lease and will open another new concept in the space, or if One Loudoun leasing agents will begin seeking a new tenant for the prominent corner spot at one of the main entrances to the center.
Will any restaurant stay open at one Loudoun other than uncle Julios. Omg.
i hate seeing these businesses fail. What does it take to have a successful restaurant in Ashburn?
That’s easy: Good food and good service. Family Meal and Aggio had neither. So many people are trying to blame the location for Aggio’s failure when all you have to do is look at Ford’s Fish Shack’s original location in Cameron Chase Center. At least two, maybe three restaurants failed in that space, owners siting parking issues, location, etc. Ford’s opened and has been packed every day in that same location. Why? Good food and good service.
Totally agree with the Ford’s analogy. They have many things against them in terms of location and parking but I keep going back because as you say, good food and good service.
What is your love affair with Ford’s? No hate, just curious, because you mention them a lot.
Reason I only went to Ford’s once. Food was ok, parking was a nightmare, not worth the hassle when so many other choices.
must work for Fords, comments about them a lot but their food does not justify the long wait time, plenty of other choices in the area
Easy- the restaurants that don’t suck flourish here. Aggios was terrible. Went there once and wish we could get our $90 back.
Want to know why these places fail? Too much emphasis on image and not enough focus on good wholesome food. How many times can the average family afford to dole out $150 on a single dinner per month?
Go for market share instead of upscale.
Family Meal. The name alone.
Do you know what Family Meal means?
That location may be the “prominent corner spot” but it is away from the action of the center and needs to get a good name brand restaurant there.
The location doesn’t matter one bit. Aggio gave you a little bit of food for a lot of money and the servers acted like the customers were ruining their day. If a place with good food takes the spot, they will flourish. I suggest Jackson’s, like the one in Reston Town Center.
If they charge reasonable prices for good food and provide good service, they’ll be fine. What they provided was “meh” food and bad service at premium prices.
Neither of his restaurants that were in this space were marketed well (if at all). I never even knew Family Meal was there until I heard it closed. The only reason I knew this place existed was that we walked past it on our way to Copperwood Tavern once. Just having a good location is not enough, especially in a center as saturated as One Loudoun.
They had really good food well made, just no one in the area that can appreciate it
There were many things wrong with that restaurant. Too much competition (and more coming with the BoS’ plan to make a dozen town centers in the county). Prominent location from the street, but poor location within One Loudoun shops. The windows were too dark – you never could tell if they were open or not or see/feel the energy from the inside.
I went to Family Meal and Aggio, once each. When I went they did not have a kid’s menu, and the food and service was sub-par. Some dishes seemed too experimental with competing flavors.
I hate seeing so many area restaurants fail, but I expect to many more fail soon too with so much competition and more town centers being built.
Maybe they should put a Hooters or Tilted Kilt in there…it might be a better location for Tilted Kilt than the dying mall.
Plus the parking for most of One Loudoun is terrible.
Agree parking is bad. I expect a few other restaurants to close this year in Loudoun One, Rent is too high.
Whoever goes in there needs to understand that if they price it too high, people will not come.
I’m in walking distance of One Loudoun and never went there. Too expensive. But I frequent other restaurants there at least once a week.
It was horrible food!! !????????♂️
They had the best lasagna in Ashburn. I’m disappointed but this was totally predictable since it was always empty. I think this location (and Ashburn in general) is ready for either a Great American Restaurant (the chain responsible for Jackson’s, Sweet Water, etc.) or a Found Farmers.
A Hooters or a Titled Kilt?! Um, no thank you and please, it’s 2018. Go watch Internet porn, Mike, if you can get past its use of sex-trafficked girls and women, These establishments won’t ever be welcomed in our neighborhood and are soon to be relics of the past, thankfully. The problems with FM and Aggio were, IMHO, the apathy of the staff and the hubris of the owner. Miliennial self-invovlement is fine but not in a service-based business. Mr. Voltaggio seems to think he can sustain a restaurant on his television cache alone. Just a cursory look at the downtown D.C. dining scene will tell you that is a lie. I’d love to see Jonathan Krinn (Clarity but fomerly of 2941) open either a Clarity 2 or another concept in this space. His cooking and care of his guests is fantastic and just what our 1L community embodies.
Well said on all counts. Although I don’t know if concepts like Krinn’s would work in a town center development. 2941 is tucked away, and to some extent, so is Clarity. Maybe a stand-alone space off of Russell Branch, for example, would fit the model. It would be interesting to see in the area.
The next restaurant needs a GOOD chef instead of a CELEBRITY chef!
You have to imagine how much the restaurant lease a month is in One Loudoun? I’m sure it’s not as high as Saul’s properties.
I think a Tilted Kilt would be great in this location.
Love the Tilted Kilt idea
Another vote for Tilted kilt and another vote for Jackson’s
If your prices are high, you better provide something that makes it worth it.
If you can get better food, better service, better atmosphere at lower prices within walking distance you are in trouble with your restaurant
Who ever said it was good food but just not appreciated – it does not matter one iota – if no one appreciates your food then you will be out of business fast – case in point
Whatever it is that makes a restaurant successful, it appears Aggio’s and Family Meal didnt have it. I agree with Mike and others in that the location was not the best, but the rebranding needed to include better prices, better service and better food. I walked/ran by the place often and could never tell if it was open. Retailers and others need to take note that rising competition means you can continue to charge ridiculous prices for your goods and services. Wealthy county doesnt mean money is free-flowing. I still have a ridiculous mortgage to pay. As far as the parking goes… what more do you people want? Two FREE garages and three lots arent enough for you?
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