The District's first Southern comfort food drive-thru kitchenette will open in Northeast DC Saturday.
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co., the brainchild of Baltimore native Ayeshah Abuelhiga, started as a community-funded pop-up shop in Union Market in 2014 and has been drawing in hungry crowds ever since. Now it's expanding into its own space.
Restaurant-goers will be able to indulge in executive chef Jason Gehring's famous biscuits, as well as a menu full of fried chicken, breakfast sandwiches and milkshakes.
Gehring, who's also from Maryland, makes the iconic buttermilk biscuits with fresh ingredients, including real butter and dairy. Want a nibble before the restaurant opens? You're in luck -- they're also sold at Whole Foods and Harris Teeter locations along the East Coast.
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. is partnering with Union Market ice cream spot Milk Cult to serve one-of-a-kind handspun milkshakes. Abuelhiga said the shakes are not overloaded with sugar and don't contain corn syrup, making them a reduced-guilt indulgence.
The restaurant has a cool retro vibe and is located on an old drag lot. The art inside and on the exterior was designed by the local art collective No Kings DC.
In addition to the drive-thru, the spot will offer 32 seats for inside dining and a free parking lot.
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Interested in attending the restaurant's grand opening? You'll find a ton of exciting things happening all day Saturday. The official opening is at 9 a.m. and the first 100 customers will receive a coupon for a free biscuit. Drivers of the first 10 classic or exotic cars to drive through will get a free breakfast.
In addition, each customer with a classic or exotic car who stops by Saturday morning will receive a free coffee.
There will also be a kids' happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., with a face painter and a raffle. A DJ will wrap up the day, playing tunes from 6 to 9 p.m.
Abuelhiga said the idea for Mason Dixie was sparked after recognizing a gap in the market for homemade biscuits and affordable comfort food in the D.C. area.
Mason Dixie was community funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 before it opened at Union Market, where its debut attracted a line that wrapped around the block; menu items have continued to sell out there ever since.
Abuelhiga hopes to eventually expand Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. into other areas, particularly into the suburbs.
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. will be open Mondays-Fridays 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
