Stomping Ground To Close In Del Ray, Turn Into New Concept

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Stomping Ground, a local favorite restaurant for biscuits in Del Ray, will close and be turned into a new concept.

The upcoming closing announcement was shared Wednesday by chef and owner Nicole Jones on the restaurant's website. Stomping Ground, which has been open since 2015 at 2309 Mount Vernon Avenue, will close in April and be turned into a new concept, Jones shared.

Details and a timeline for the new opening were not immediately available.

"We will share more details as they become available - we are so very excited about the project," Jones wrote. "It makes financial sense, it makes my team renewed at the idea of something REALLY new."

In the announcement, Jones noted the restaurant has faced hardships and had to pivot since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite support from the community, Jones said the business "survived" but "didn't flourish" or "didn't grow."

Another impact has been from what she called the "post Covid guest," a difference from the community Stomping Ground maintained before the pandemic.

"Our community has been replaced with the post Covid guest. A guest that has grown accustomed to having Michelin starred food delivered to them at exactly the time of their choosing by a driver who braved the worst possible conditions," Jones shared. "They call to ask for refunds if delivered food is even just the slightest bit subpar to the in house dining experience. They leave one star online reviews if they can’t get a favorite menu item. They bemoan about the prices; not knowing our core values to source the best product we can afford and to pay our staff the most we can."

The chef and owner said she can no longer pivot the business after doing so for over two years. Jones invites the community to help say goodbye to Stomping Ground, which was her first restaurant. Today, Jones also owns the adjacent Bagel Uprising and Old Town's new Virginia's Darling and Mae's Market & Cafe.