On Monday, Bump ‘n Grind will permanently close its kiosk at the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library in downtown Silver Spring.
The kiosk opened at the McGee Library one month after the coffee roaster closed its 1200 East-West Highway location in 2021. It replaced Kefa Cafe, which had relocated to Wheaton in 2020.
Kefa Cafe opened a new location inside the Silver Spring Recreation & Aquatic Center on Apple Ave. earlier this year.
According to a message on the Queenannes listserv, a barista said business at the Bump ‘n Grind kiosk was down, and the Dunkin’ opening soon across the street was the “final straw.”
Owner David Fogel said in an email to the Source on Saturday that the kiosk’s contract with the county is expiring, and they opted not to renew it, instead focusing on expanding their Analog Market community hub on Gist Ave.
“At the end of that period, the contract has to be rebid,” Montgomery County Department of General Services Director David Dise said to the Source in 2020, noting that both Kefa and Bump ‘n Grind had submitted proposals through the county’s Local Small Business Reserve Program.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) included the contractor’s operational requirements and duties, equipment expectations, a minimum list of menu items the operator must offer, the contractor’s experience, the café’s business and operations plans, and a product list with proposed prices.
“The proposals were reviewed based upon criteria in the solicitation and when the rankings came out…Bump’ n Grind had won,” Dise said.
A replacement tenant for the McGee Library kiosk has not been announced.
Photo: © Nik_Merkulov – stock.adobe.com