Wheaton Tilted Kilt future in question, in court

What Facebook shows when you
go to the Wheaton Tilted Kilt page

Wheaton residents - and Tilted Kilt fans countywide - have been waiting for the grand opening of the new Tilted Kilt at Wheaton Plaza for a couple of years. Now it's unclear when that will happen. The restaurant's Facebook page has vanished, although its Twitter and Instagram accounts are still up, and the location is still listed as "opening soon" on the Tilted Kilt corporate website.

Construction of the restaurant seemed to take forever, and an examination of court records suggests why. The restaurant owners are being sued in the Circuit Court of Maryland in Montgomery County by Ashmark Construction, LLC for unpaid bills, fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, negligence and breach of promise.

It also appears Wheaton Plaza and parent company Westfield have been pulled into the case as third parties, as well. Unless a settlement can be reached by late this year, the dispute will go to a jury trial currently scheduled for January 8, 2018.

In a separate civil case, the franchisees are being sued by Premier Fire Protection Services of Frederick, Maryland, again for unpaid bills and unjust enrichment. A mechanic's lien was granted in that case in March, and will require a $40,000 bond to remove. That case, too, remains open.

Perhaps the biggest loser is the Tilted Kilt brand. Before it vanished, the Wheaton Tilted Kilt page had received over 1000 likes, before the restaurant had served a single beer. That suggests, particularly with the demise of Hooters in Rockville (tied to a tragic drunk-driving incident), there is strong demand for this type of establishment in Montgomery County.

If the Wheaton location can survive and open, it should do well. If not, Tilted Kilt, Hooters, Twin Peaks and others may want to look at opportunities countywide.