Tysons pop-up dining concept ShipGarten looks to activate land slated for redevelopment

Tysons is under construction, but much of it will take a long time to build. In the meantime, the Tysons Comprehensive Plan calls for “interim conditions that will enhance the urban character of Tysons,” such as pop-up parks and green space. The people behind ShipGarten are kicking those interim conditions up a notch, adding shipping containers and beer.

The pop-up bar and restaurant space, a successor to the popular Tysons Biergarten that closed in 2019, will feature four 40-foot shipping containers, each converted into its own food and drink concept, alongside large tents, seating, and an entertainment venue.

“We are activating an unused space,” said Matt Rofougaran, managing partner at Creative Bar Concepts, the company behind the Biergarten and soon to be launching ShipGarten.

Though the space was conceived long before the pandemic, Rofougaran said the focus on outdoor dining and large tents special-ordered from Germany will allow people to social distance.

The outdoor dining and bar space is planned for 6579 Colshire Drive, land near the McLean Metro that is eventually slated to be developed as part of the Scotts Run Station South office and residential project. Rofougaran said there is no official opening date yet but they are aiming to open in early spring.

The Biergarten, another pop-up space, turned a space previously used for storage into what Rofougaran called a “hot spot” that drew customers from around the region (former Biergarten fans, rejoice: one of the four shipping containers at ShipGarten will bring the Tysons Biergarten back to life).

Rofougaran said that Biergarten attracted a wider range of people than other bars and restaurants he’s worked on over the years — from families with kids and dogs, to 21-year-olds playing water pong, to CEOs sampling whiskey with business colleagues.

“When you’d think of Tysons in the past, you didn’t think of anything fun to do,” said Rofougaran, who grew up in Tysons and said he has been “throwing parties in Tysons since the 90s.”

“You wouldn’t even come here for happy hour. You would go to work, maybe have lunch in one of the 20 steakhouses that were in Tysons at some point, eat your food, go back to work, and then go home … now we have work, play, and fun.”

According to the Tysons Partnership’s 2020 report, “developers in Tysons and the County are embracing the idea of temporary uses to enliven a space that is slated for future redevelopment.” Other interim uses coming to Tysons include a reading-themed pop-up park near the Boro development, and the county is seeking tenants to activate the former Container Store.