Mac & Cheese Restaurant To Open First Virginia Location In Tysons

TYSONS, VA — A restaurant dedicated to all things macaroni and cheese is coming to Northern Virginia. I Heart Mac & Cheese, a fast casual concept, tentatively plans to open in Tysons in October 2022.

The Tysons location will be the first in Virginia and owned by franchisee Md Billal Hossain. A spokesperson could not share the location's address yet, as the lease is still being finalized.

"I Heart Mac & Cheese is a complete new concept in my community, I think that we all crave comfort food from our childhood which is something our menu offers," said Hossain in a statement. "I got the chance to try I Heart Mac & Cheese for myself and it was tasty. This led me to wanting to be part of the I Heart Mac & Cheese team."

The restaurant offers a menu of build-your-own macaroni and cheese bowls with a base of pasta, bread, quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, or tater tots. From there, customers can choose from 10 proteins, 11 vegetables and nine cheeses to build the bowl. Gluten-free, vegan and plant-based options are available. To top it off, dressings and sauces can be added. Build-your-own grilled cheeses, "tacoronis" featuring macaroni in taco shells, sides, kids meals, desserts and drinks complete the menu.

I Heart Mac & Cheese opened its first location in South Florida in 2016. Today, it has over 20 locations around the U.S. with plans to have over 75 open in 2022.

"Entering a new market is exciting every time, especially for our brand as a rapidly expanding franchise concept," said chairman and CEO Steve Giordanella. "With the reemergence of the dine-in experience post COVID-19, it’s great to see our franchisees open the first stores in their states."

For more information and updates on the Tysons opening later in 2022, visit iheartmacandcheese.com.

This article originally appeared on the Vienna Patch