This new Rock Road restaurant would be open by now if not for coronavirus. What’s next?
The sign is up. The exterior is complete.
And if coronavirus wasn’t a thing, Wichita would already be dining at BD’s Mongolian Grill, which is taking over the spot at Douglas and Rock Road that was vacated by Genghis Grill in August 2018.
But coronavirus is a thing, so the mid-March opening that Hamendra Bhakta had planned couldn’t happen.
Now, people driving past the restaurant are wondering what the plan is.
Bhakta said on Wednesday that he hopes he’ll know soon. Once the the stay-at-home order is lifted, he said, he’ll be able to get corporate trainers in, and then the wait should be only three to four weeks.
So theoretically, if the order is lifted on May 3 as planned — and if restaurants are able to reopen — BD’s could be ready by late May or early June.
The restaurant is just as complete on the inside as it is on the outside, Bhakta said. He’s just waiting on the furniture to be delivered from Pennsylvania, which should happen next week. The restaurant has already passed most of the inspections required for opening, he said.
Bhakta is the owner of Global Collision Centers on West Central. BD’s Mongolian Grill is a Dallas-based chain, and Wichitans who visit Overland Park and Independence, Mo., which both have one of the restaurants, may already be familiar with it.
Like its predecessor, BD’s is a place where customers build their own bowls by choosing from fresh meats, seafood items, vegetables and 14 sauces. They then watch while a cook stir fries it up fresh.
When complete, the Wichita restaurant will seat 200.
I’ll keep you posted on the restaurant’s plans for opening.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 4:44 PM.
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