Silver and Sons BBQ – a local food truck serving barbecue inspired by Jewish and Mediterranean cuisine – was slated to open its first brick-and-mortar shop in Bethesda’s Westbard Square this fall, but is now planning for an early January opening, according to owner Jarrad Silver.
Silver told MoCo360 this week the business had to delay its opening at 5362 Westbard Ave. because of an issue with receiving permits for the shop from Montgomery County.
“We ended up having an unexpected permit revision that had to be gone through. So we had to pause everything for a little bit, get that taken care of, and we are back to full steam ahead with construction,” Silver said Tuesday.
While an official opening date has not been set, Silver said he is eyeing the weekends of Jan. 10 or 18.
The 800-square-foot shop, which is designed for takeout and minimal indoor dining, will be on the ground level of the Westbard Square shopping center, below the Giant supermarket.
The shopping center area is now home to Tatte Bakery & Café, which opened in November, and will be the future home of Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria and a Starbucks, according to the Westbard Square website. Currently, the shopping center is undergoing redevelopment with the first phase complete and the second phase poised to be finished in 2027.
According to Silver, the eatery will offer limited countertop seating and an outdoor patio for dining. He said he envisions the Westbard storefront as a “neighborhood regular” spot where patrons can grab a quick bite to eat or a take-out meal.
The shop also will offer a different menu than what is available at the business’s two food trucks – including weekly sandwich specials and a rotational menu based on seasonal local ingredients.
“People can definitely expect to see some new items on the menu,” Silver said. “We want to make sure that people know that this is not just going to be our food truck menu that happens to be in a brick-and-mortar [shop]. We’re going to have a larger menu.”
Some of the new menu items are expected to include handmade organic sausages and specialty sandwiches such as a smoked turkey club with lamb bacon and avocado. In addition, the eatery will sell a variety of frozen items such as brisket chili, chicken pot pies, brisket and gruyere Bourekas, a baked pastry popular in Sephardic Jewish cuisine.
“There’s going to be a lot of options that you can’t get from the food truck that [customers] can only get from this location,” Silver said.
How the business started
Silver, 36, a Bethesda native and Kensington resident, first started selling barbecue from his home after the pandemic in 2021 and after decades of working in the food industry. The business quickly gained traction and in March 2022, Silver debuted a food truck in the parking lot of Captain’s Market, a seafood market and eatery on MacArthur Boulevard in Cabin John.
More than two years later, Silver and Sons BBQ now operates two food trucks that sell barbecue and brunch options at local breweries, wineries and farmers markets – such as the Bethesda Central Farmers Market at 7600 Arlington Ave. — plus at pools and events in the area.
Silver, the father of two young sons, said he is excited to be opening a shop in Westbard Square, about 3 miles away from the home where he grew up and near Walt Whitman High School, which he attended.
“I’ve always joked about doing something there, and that shopping center has been poised for redevelopment probably since I was born,” Silver said.
