By Matthew T. Eng, Offbeat NOVA
It’s been a rollercoaster for recreational golf in Alexandria, but the journey is likely over. We’ve been tracking the story of the 17-acre property since the closure of the original stateside Topgolf location in early 2020. The 2022 launch of Rudy’s, an entertainment golf center similar to Topgolf’s, had its share of challenges. In the first year, I often drove down Van Dorn Street and saw the lot nearly empty on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It’s no easy task to attract business to a location that appeared neglected and abandoned for years. The empty and abandoned Ruby Tuesday restaurant on the property (still empty today) didn’t help the situation.
Over time, however, I noticed more cars in the lot. You could see several families playing mini-golf on the property, with the lot over half full with cars. Unfortunately, whatever momentum the owners gained over the last two years will likely be for nothing. Throughout the entire period dating back to 2015, developers and Fairfax County Supervisors have considered the acreage a prime location for residential and mix-use development: just what we need in Northern Virginia. Look anywhere in the area, especially on the Richmond Highway corridor nearby, and you’ll see the development of large, uncharacteristic residential/commercial combos with little regard for necessary infrastructure.
Alexandria Living published an article on January 25 of this year about the possibility of Rudy’s closure. The article noted the vote by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to allow a townhouse redevelopment to move forward. By March, the publication confirmed the suspicions, with the business set to close to make way for 174 new townhomes. The only positive? The Board of Supervisors amended the agreement to reduce the size of townhomes built from 275 to 174.
The area around Kingstowne, where Rudy’s sits today, is already busy. I can imagine that residents’ protest and petitioning derives from the fact that the already choked area for traffic will be much worse. The opening of Chick-fil-A a few years ago in the shopping center across the street did nothing to alleviate the traffic tensions. Nearly 900 people have signed a petition to save the area “so that other kids have the same opportunity to have fun and learn how to play golf.” Unfortunately, the petition will likely unchange what is already in motion like all machinery. If you want the feeling of hitting a golf ball into a brightly colored hole for points this summer, you’ll need to travel up the road to the National Harbor location or points west in Northern Virginia.
Of course, if you would have no idea about the imminent closure if were a patron of Rudy’s, you would have no idea they were closing. There is no mention on their website or social media about the closure of their business, which I applaud. Damn the man: save the Empire.
They say when one door closes, another opens. In this case, the other door is open…for now. If you have followed the latest in the news, Red Lobster, the casual dining seafood restaurant and purveyor of cheddar bay biscuits, is considering filing for bankruptcy after the debacle of their $20 endless shrimp promotion. The offer that started last June lasted weeks before the company realized its mistake. Who knew a promotion for endless food would backfire in the United States? One individual managed to eat 108 shrimp in four hours. You can’t sit in a Golden Corral and transition from breakfast to lunch or dinner. Don’t test the intestinal fortitude of Americans. You will lose every time.
Locations around the country are closing and auctioning off items in the wake of this business blunder. Around 100 stores have closed recently, a large proportion of their 700 active locations. However, in the Northern Virginia area, the only locations closing are focused in Maryland: Gaithersburg, Columbia, Silver Spring, and Laurel. The only locations throughout Virginia currently closing (or “temporarily closing”) are further south towards Richmond, Williamsburg, and Hampton Roads. If you still want the hit of the Red Lobster, you can drive less than a mile down the roads from Rudy’s location on Van Dorn Street. Other area locations in Northern Virginia are Fredericksburg, Woodbridge, Manassas, Fairfax, and Sterling.
Northern Virginia remains a bastion for two things: the extremely high cost of living and Red freaking Lobster. If there is any plus side to living here, it is the notion that you can drown the sorrows of your rent check with a greasy cheddar biscuit or Sysco-delivered coconut shrimp.
If you want to follow the full saga of Topgolf saga, here are all of the articles in order of publication:
America’s First Topgolf: Abandoned in Alexandria (January 7, 2021)
The End and (Almost) End: Steak and Ale and Topgolf Alexandria Update (June 28, 2021)
Rudy’s: New Life for Former Topgolf Location (March 23, 2022)
Offbeat NOVA 