Scott

The main elements of an unhealthy pizza are the white flour crust and cheese. Kashi pizzas have whole/multi grain crusts and when I say they have more toppings, I'm not referring to them having more cheese. Admittedly, I haven't compared the nutritional labels, but the ONLY thing healthy about an AF pizza is a little bit of wheat germ thrown in with the white flour crust. Kashi has more veggie toppings (it seems) and a whole/multi-grain crust. An AF pizza has 45 grams of fat- that's almost a pint of Ben Jerry's. In the end, I guess who cares... it's pizza for pete's sake. I still prefer the taste of the Kashi, no matter which is better for you.

You might want to try the new line of Kashi frozen pizzas. I think they're better (and are healthier) than American Flatbread... AF is kind of bland and their toppings aren't spread well or abundantly enough for my liking.

I should have the plans into the Howard County permitting offices within a week or 2 (they've been in the works for about 4 months). Our goal is to have the expansion finished by August, but some of this is controlled by the banks- which we don't think will be a problem. Also, it might get delayed because I'm pretty sure I've found the location for our 6th store... we are already deep into lease negotiations. I can't disclose location until lease is signed, however. That would probably take priority over expanding Columbia.We're opening up a pet supplies store within the month a few doors down from our College Park store called Mighty Healthy Pet. We are also currently working on drawings for a substantial expansion of our College Park store, which should happen in early 2009. Busy year ahead of us...

This is excellent coffee. You should know that the Sanctuary brand of coffee that we've always carried is also roasted by Counter Culture, but just under a different label (to be honest, I'm not sure why- probably because it's organic or designated free trade).

Good to hear regarding the lamb. CSA idea is still alive and we hope to see it get done rather soon.

Not true. That's probably Yes Organic Market- but unsure. Sometimes landlords will market a new center using names of businesses that they haven't even spoken to. If called on it, they'll say "a MOM's type use". I once saw our logo on such plans on a U St. project- we had rejected the space months prior and were never serious about it.We would like to open in DC, but the real estate for our model is rare.

I hate to shamelessly promote my own company here- but at MOM's- My Organic Market, you can find the best selection of gluten free products anywhere. We've had customers brought to tears when they've come across our selection, given how hard it is to find things to eat for kids with celiac. The best selections will be in either the Rockville, Frederick, or Alexandria locations- where there are designated gluten-free sections, not to mention many other specific gluten free products scattered throughout the store. Ask customer service- they'll help you out.

Just got back from Mia's with my 5 year old boy. The place was packed by 12:30- a wait, actually. We sat at the bar to watch all the action in the kitchen. I really like this place. I used to go to Red Tomato all the time for my pizzas- they had good pizzas and a nice endive salad that I would always get. What I really like about Mia's is the whole menu- not just the pizzas. The owner there has really chosen some unique dishes and she definitely knows quality. I got the beet salad with mango and oranges. Very good- and healthy. My boy got one of their yummy cupcakes, as usual. Deviled eggs are good. I watched the guy at the non-pizza station and everything he was making looked really good- and very creative... like a bbq chicken sandwich, various salads, perfectly portioned mussels, mozzarella and tomatoes, etc. And, I love Blue Moon beer, which they have on tap. I just like the place- I've never gotten anything unexceptional there, except for maybe the meatball sliders, which needed sauce. The pizzas are fine- I'm not an expert on pizzas- hell, my 2 favorite places for pizza are Ledo's and CPK, but I've dined everywhere and for the price and what it is, I think Mia's is a great place to have in the neighborhood.

When we signed our lease for Frederick, the Common Market was still in its old space of only 2000sf. We didn't know they'd be expanding (there had a been a rumor floating around for years that they were expanding, but we didn't take it seriously since it had been floating around for so long). Before we opened and before the Common Market expanded, the marketplace was EXTREMELY underserved, which is why we chose that area.So now, the Common Market and us will split the Frederick market... that's just the way it goes. Bad luck for both of us, in a way. However, our Frederick store had the best opening to date of any other MOM's store. We are ahead of our projections and we are already beyond break-even. If I have a regret, it is the opportunity cost- that I could've opened a store elsewhere that probably would have been more busy. So- to your question- how do we plan to differentiate ourselves from the co-op? We think we already do... our level of customer service is outstanding and much better than theirs, IMO, we think our produce is better quality, we guarantee our prices, and we think our HBA/supplements department is better- better service and more products. Even though you disagree with this, we like our layout. We think it's easier to shop than the Common Market's and we've heard that from customers as well. We're also much more environmentally-friendly than they are, which many of our customers appreciate. Last I checked, the Common Market wasn't even offsetting their carbon emissions with alternative energy (they could've recently changed that, though- of which we're proud in our certaintly that our presence would be the impetus). Other than that, we will simply continue to execute and be the best we can be, which we think will eventually win over lots of our competitors' customers- as has always been the case. Wegman's really isn't a competitor of ours. They're too mainstream. Believe it or not, neither really is Trader Joe's.

Spring Mill bread didn't so well in Frederick. I guess they're just too unknown up there. However, there have been quite a few requests for convenience foods, so we're putting in a sandwich bar. We will still carry the Spring Mill bread, but just not the kiosk like we have at our other stores. btw- Look for service to improve up there soon. Of our 5 stores, our weakest manager was at that location. We replaced him yesterday...

We know we're weak in meat and seafood. The problem is that butchers and meat departments are very expensive- and we're pretty low frills, which allows us to be low price. We sell the basic meats, but nothing extraordinary. In other words, we have had no luck finding a decent packager of meats in the area. We've searched locally, but the local farms are so small, they just can't accomodate. That being said, we are expanding our meat departments- especially in our Rockville and College Park stores (Frederick and Alexandria already have selections that are quite good). I just had some sample pork chops last night from Niman Ranch (the best pork chop I've ever had in my life!), along with some fantastic NY strip steaks. Those, and other products, will be coming in soon. Also, we are in the midst of researching very high quality frozen fish products ala TJ's- SUSTAINABLE fish products... something that is very difficult to find at other retailers, including WF. We are also examining the idea of allowing local farmers do a drop off CSA style of their local meat products in our parking lots. That would allow people to get some really good local meats conveniently. btw- Our Columbia East store (yes, it's Jessup) is soon to expand after being there for only a year. We've signed a lease to take over the bay next to us... bringing the store from 8000 sf to 10,500 sf. That's when we'll do our meat expansion.

Hi there. I am the owner/founder of MOM's. Just want to let you know that I'm here and will answer questions and respond to posts if they arise.

For my birthday a few years ago, my wife ordered me some white truffles from an online purveyor. We got 3 of them, which was plenty. They kept for a couple of weeks and I ate a lot of scrambled eggs and truffles for those 2 weeks!

They've had a tasting menu option for at least a year. My brother and I got it as we sat at the bar a year or 2 ago. I think I recall it being part of the menu when they opened. I thought the tasting menu was a great bargain- and the wines were paired very well.

Well, I'll try that Shanghai place in Potomac- since that's close to me, but I'm not optimistic. My brother lives in Malaysia with his Malaysian wife. While they like some of the dim sum (Hollywood East) in the DC area, they pretty much think Asian dining in general is severely lacking. He's always ranting and raving about the food over there. Apparently, their fruits are very unique and food is an important part of the culture. I swear it's one of the main reasons he lives there.

Why is Chinese food in this country so far behind the times? I gave up on Chinese after going to Mr. K's years ago, after hearing how great it was. It was just the same ol' same ol', but with tablecloths! Why do all the other ethnic cuisines offer high end choices, but not Chinese?