Timber Pizza is planning two new Maryland restaurants, with Chevy Chase and Bethesda next in line for the Washington, D.C.-born wood-fired pizza chain. While several major pizza chains have been cutting locations, Timber is pushing farther into Montgomery County through a new agreement with a locally connected franchise team.
The company announced the two-restaurant deal on October 6, 2026. Husband-and-wife operators Kyle and Carolyn McDonnell plan to bring one restaurant to the Chevy Chase area and another to Bethesda. They are still searching for suitable sites, so the company has not announced exact addresses or opening dates.
Chevy Chase and Bethesda are the target markets
Both communities are in Montgomery County, just outside Washington, D.C. They’re familiar territory for Timber Pizza, which already serves customers around the capital through restaurants, catering and its mobile pizza trucks.
The new agreement covers exactly two restaurants in Maryland. It is not a grand-opening announcement: the McDonnells will work with Timber’s development team and real-estate partners to select sites before any construction or opening schedule can be finalized.
That’s the biggest unanswered question for local pizza lovers right now. The company hasn’t identified a shopping center, storefront or target opening month for either Chevy Chase or Bethesda. There is no announced order for the two openings, either.
Meet the couple behind the expansion
Carolyn McDonnell grew up in nearby Kensington, giving the couple a personal connection to the area. Kyle McDonnell has business and franchise experience, including work in the hotel industry, and is a co-owner of Old Line Golf Club in Annapolis.
Their introduction to Timber Pizza actually began with another local business. The restaurant company catered the golf club’s grand opening several years ago, and that relationship eventually led to the new franchise partnership.
Timber co-founder and president Chris Brady said the company wants operators who understand their neighborhoods and can make the restaurants gathering spots, rather than simply adding new storefronts.
Timber Pizza started with a truck and an oven
Andrew Dana and Chris Brady started Timber Pizza in 2014 with a pizza oven and a 1967 Chevrolet pickup truck. Since then, the business has grown from a mobile pizza operation into a regional chain, while continuing to cater events and operate pizza trucks.
The menu revolves around wood-fired pizzas with inventive toppings. Timber’s existing Maryland restaurants include locations in Annapolis and Edgewater, and the chain also operates across the Washington area and in the Carolinas.
Timber says the latest agreement brings it closer to a company-wide goal of 15 locations by the end of 2027. That goal is separate from the two new restaurants planned for Montgomery County; neither has a confirmed opening date yet.
When will the Maryland restaurants open?
For now, the next milestone is site selection. Customers in Chevy Chase and Bethesda will have a clearer picture once the McDonnells announce addresses, followed by construction plans and grand-opening dates.
The good news for local pizza fans is that both communities are specifically named in a signed franchise agreement. The wood-fired ovens aren’t installed yet, but Timber Pizza has chosen where it wants to grow next.
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