Mahana Poke, the poke restaurant in the Loudoun Station development off Shellhorn Road in Ashburn, has announced today is its last day in business.
“We thank all our loyal customers who have kept us going this long,” read a message posted on the shop’s front door.
Loudoun Station is eagerly awaking the opening of the Silver Line metro service in 2020, which is expected to bring more people through the center each day.
Some businesses have clearly struggled, including the recent closings of Basil Leaf Grill and Firenza Pizza. Firenza Pizza was owned by the same company as Mahana Poke. When pizza didn’t work, they switched to poke. No word if they will try something else new in the spot.
(Thanks to The Burn reader Jo Hast for the news tip.)
Not a surprise at all unfortunately. It’s really hit or miss in that development as Burger 21 and Famous Toastery seem to do well and Blackfinn can get pretty crowded (not sure about Sr. Tequilas), but the three places that offered quick food options have all closed. Those seem like the places that would benefit most from more employers in the vicinity for those looking for a quick lunch or food to take home, but of course that is still years away.
Wow, that was fast.
It feels like Loudoun Station opened too far in advance of the Silver Line. Of course all of the other mixed use developments in Loudoun are going to open too late (most haven’t even broken ground yet) so I guess its hard to gauge these things.
I live in the apartments above (the now former) Mahana Poke and this is no surprise at all. Not because of lack of foot traffic—The Zone and Black Finn are packed on weekends and do steady business weekdays—but because the menu was WAY overpriced for the skimpy portions and franky mediocre food that was served. Senor Tequilas is facing a similar problem; they only serve fresh tortillas one or two days a week. (So basically, at best their food is OK 2/7ths of the week, while the other 5/7ths you shouldn’t order anything that comes with tortillas!)
But back to Mahana Poke (or not, now that they’re gone). It definitely didn’t help that the Silver Line is so far behind schedule. If they had more foot traffic, maybe they could have limped along a while longer and eventually figured out how to make decent poke at a reasonable price. But as you pointed out, this is now the second restaurant in the same location owned by the same owners to have failed in less than two years. Maybe these guys should try a different line of work.
It’s all about the food and service. I remember when Beef O’Brady’s and then Village Cafe were open next to my neighborhood and when they closed, the managers blamed the location and everything else they could think of except their food and service. Then Ford’s came along and showed that if you just serve good, high quality food and treat your customers well, you will not only survive, but thrive.
Firenza Pizza was horrible- the food was terrible and the service was worse. Mahana Poke had the same problem, just at a higher price. I won’t say I’m glad that Mahana is closing because people have lost their jobs, but I will say I am not at all surprised.
High rent. Poor location, not much housing there(other than apartments). That center isn’t easy to get to. And not just food places closing, Supercuts closed within a year.
The food at Mahana was TERRIBLE. When we were there, they gave away coupons for free food. My husband and I threw the coupons away. There was no way we were going back. MP closed because it was awful. It had zero to do with location.
It was lousy!
Loudoun Station could use another full-service bar. One that served barbeque would be nice.
The Silver Line is on schedule. Years ago it was planned for testing to begin in 2019, with operational service in 2020.
The food was gross. Tasteless, smelly, and the employees were clueless teenagers.
I miss Village Café. Ford’s Fish Shack is great, but sometimes you want something more casual and less pricey.
I’ve been to more than 30 restaurants I can name in Ashburn, and quality of service runs the gamut. It makes all the difference to me.
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