On Monday, February 16, two South Riding restaurants will close their doors. Six weeks later, they’ll reopen as entirely different Thompson Restaurants brands.
Both restaurants are located in Eastern Marketplace Plaza. Velocity Wings will become Makers Union. Social House Kitchen & Tap will transform into Milk & Honey Southern Inspired Kitchen.
The rapid flip isn’t a stunt. It’s a strategy. “We’re a 33-year-old startup,” says Alex Berentzen, Thompson’s chief operating officer. “Our superpower is diversity.”
And Berentzen isn’t exaggerating. Thompson Hospitality manages more than 230 food service accounts in colleges, hospitals, banks, and airports through a partnership with Compass Group. It operates a facilities company. It runs dining programs at 17 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And within its restaurant group alone, it oversees 15 brands.
“Everything from hot dogs to tomahawks,” Berentzen says.
Growth Goals
But it’s the restaurant side that Northern Virginians know best. Its brands also include Wiseguy Pizza, Big Buns, Matchbox, Ms. Peach’s Southern Kitchen, and Austin Grill. Berentzen has a number in mind.
“We want to get to 100 restaurants by the end of 2027,” he says. “That is our goal.”
The company’s growth has been significant in recent years. When Berentzen joined in early 2023, there were 29 restaurants. There are just under 70 today. Growth, he says, happens in three ways: creating new concepts, acquiring brands, and converting underperforming locations into stronger ones.
Case in point: Big Buns in Herndon became Wiseguy Pizza. A struggling taco spot became Ms. Peach’s in Sterling. Austin Grill, first founded in 1988, has been revived in Sterling.
“When a location is not performing, we have three options,” Berentzen says. “Turn it around. Change the flag. Or walk away.”
Walking away is rare, though Matchbox at Reston Station recently closed. More often, Thompson opts for the “change the flag” approach, as seen in South Riding.
Valuing Guest Experience
The exec says Thompson obsesses over the guest experience. “Value is so much more than portion and price,” Berentzen says. “Value is the experience. The speed of service. How do we make our guests feel?”
The restaurant group is also leaning hard into what Berentzen calls “wow moments,” like towering brunch stacks, tableside pours, dramatic cocktails, shareable plates, and memorable experiential dining.
Even as alcohol consumption trends downward nationally, he says guests who do drink are opting for fewer but more premium experiences. Think smoked old fashioneds poured tableside from a carafe instead of standard well drinks. “It’s about the story,” he says.
Northern Virginia sits at the center of Thompson’s plans. “Virginia is our home. Northern Virginia is such a great place to do business,” Berentzen says. “Two thirds of our active deals right now are here.”
The company is also eyeing Tidewater and South Florida, while pausing expansion in DC’s more challenging market.
What excites him most? “The team. The brands. The continued growth,” he says. “We’re growing double digits every year. Our turnover is at a record low. Our reviews are at a record high.”
And if the Presidents Day switcheroos are any indication, NoVA diners will be seeing a lot more of the brands Thompson owns in the months ahead.
Feature image courtesy Milk & Honey
