A pandemic is perhaps not the best business environment for an eatery that sends food on a conveyor belt throughout the restaurant.
Riverside Hot Pot, a Chinese restaurant in Clarendon that did just that, closed recently after just a year or so in business.
The closure was first spotted by a local Twitter user.
Riverside Hot Pot in Clarendon has closed – no more signs, space has been emptied of tables, chairs, and conveyor belt
— snack decision (@snackdecision) October 5, 2020
As of last night there was no signage outside the storefront at 1028 N. Garfield Street, and nothing inside but cleaning supplies and a lockbox on the door.
Another Riverside Hot Pot location in Gaithersburg closed shortly after the Clarendon location opened, while a Riverside Hot Pot location in Fairfax is also closed, according to Yelp.
By ARLnow’s tally, this is at least the seventeenth restaurant to have closed in Arlington since the beginning of the pandemic in March.
Jay Westcott contributed to this report