BD's Mongolian Grill coming... but where? (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park: living in, restaurant, stores)

[lifepgh2op]

According to this story on the official BD's Mongolian Grill:

[SIZE=2]Five stores planned in Pittsburgh
[SIZE=2]As part of our franchise expansion plan, our latest news includes a five-store development agreement for the Pittsburgh area. The first restaurant is slated to open in November 2010 with additional locations opening over the next four years.

Investor Seshu Pulivarthi and Kris Tateneni recognized the bd's Mongolian Grill brand as an emerging niche with great potential for growth.

"We are bringing on board franchise owners such as Seshu and Kris and partnering them with proven operators to grow our brand," says Rodger Head.

The Pittsburgh development complements the restaurant's growing footprint[/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=2][SIZE=2], which includes a focus on the mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southeast U.S.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

Mongo News

November 2010? Anyone have any idea where this is going to be? And why do we need 5 of them?

[BrianTH]

There are definitely way more than five restaurant subregions in Pittsburgh that could support a franchise like this, so I don't see anything strange about the number. As for the specific locations--who knows? But November is right around the corner . . .

[lifepgh2op]

Of course...you could put one in Robinson, Ross Park, South Hills, Monroeville, South Side Works, and the list goes on. This just seems like one of those places that the region would be fine with just having 1-2. I looked up the closest Ohio cities... Columbus currently has 3, and Cleveland has 1. They could be expanding in those cities, too, in the next few years, so who knows.

November is very soon to not have any word about this anywhere but this website. Maybe it's supposed to be November 2011. It looks like this was written in April 2010.

[BrianTH]

Yeah, bd's is relatively new--my dad actually lives near the first one in Royal Oak, Michigan, which I have been to as a result, and that one only opened in 1992. So I guess I am thinking of it as still making the transition to being a large chain, and I would expect a lot more franchises to open over time (assuming it remains a popular concept).

[neurodistortion]

I think they would look at the most strong regions like Monroeville and North Hills, but you also have places like Cranberry, Robinson, Bethel Park, Washington, Greensburg, etc. that are strong markets. When all is said and done, I think there might only be 2 or 3 in operation.

[creepsinc]

Interesting note about Mongolian BBQ, which I like a lot regardless: It's not Mongolian in the least. In fact, the first Mongolian BBQ in Mongolia was a franchise of the American company BD's Mongolian Grill.


True story.

[greg42]

Hasn't the Mongolian BBQ trend already kind of petered out? I don't know. It just kind of feels like it has fizzled at least somewhat long before it reached ubiquity, or else it's taking a long time to get there. I've been to Fire+Ice in Cambridge, Mass. Perhaps it's out there a lot of places and just not something I'm seeking out when visiting or is on the radar of family/friends.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by creepsinc

Interesting note about Mongolian BBQ, which I like a lot regardless: It's not Mongolian in the least.

Yeah, as I understand it is based on a Japanese style, which became popular in Taiwan but was branded as Mongolian there, which is what came to the US.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by greg42

Perhaps it's out there a lot of places and just not something I'm seeking out when visiting or is on the radar of family/friends.

I know there are a lot of Asian buffet places that have a Mongolian BBQ station.

Generally, I have no idea how many outlets the concept will support--but I do think the idea is still new enough in the US to potentially have more room to grow.

[lifepgh2op]

Yeah, I remember when I was living in Cleveland a couple years ago, it was a big deal and everyone was always going. I agree with Brian. Maybe the company could be trying to grow itself out to be an Olive Garden sized-chain (what region DOESN'T have more than 1 Olive Garden at this point?).

Anyway, as this was a big concept years ago, I still feel like the average Pittsburgher has probably never heard of it, let alone been to one, so I think it will be a big hit once it opens here. Look at the rest of the suburban chains in the area. PACKED on the weekends, no matter what time, and decent crowds during the week at dinner time.

I e-mailed them last night to see if I could find out if the date was wrong, or if one will be opening soon. If I get a response, I'll post it.