Roaming Rooster Will Open a Chicken Sandwich Shop East of the Anacostia River

A mixed-use development east of the Anacostia River will hope to attract visitors and new residents to Ward 7 with five recently announced restaurants, including a location of rapidly expanding local fried chicken brand Roaming Rooster. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last week that Skyland Town Center will host the fourth D.C. store for Roaming Rooster, a Black-owned business known for crispy sandwiches made out of free-range poultry. Skyland Town Center also has a new 263-unit apartment building called the Crest that’s preparing to start leasing. Roaming Rooster is expected to open by the fall. Additionally, the complex will get an outpost of fast-casual conveyor-belt pizza chain &Pizza, the first standalone store for South American street food spot Maizal, a location of Annapolis-based Mediterranean restaurant Mezeh, and a Tropical Smoothie Café.

In other news ...

• Bowser’s administration donated $10,000 to burgeoning fundraising organization Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate to help its D.C.-based leaders launch events in other cities. [W]
• A GoFundMe page has raised more than $700,000 for the family of an Uber Eats driver who was killed in an attempted carjacking in D.C. Police charged two teenage girls with murder.
• Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema finds a lot to like at Ada’s on the River, a new waterfront grill in Old Town Alexandria. [WaPo]
• Tim Carman explores how all-veggie Southern Indian restaurant Woodlands has taken on a new life as a Silver Spring ghost kitchen after letting its lease expire in Langley Park. [WaPo]
• A bright green produce truck called Curbside Groceries is giving Ward 8 access to more fresh fruit and vegetables. [DCist]
• Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal tried to summit Mount Everest. [DCist]
• U Street NW bar Local 16 hopes to reopen in June [Popville]