A new restaurant and bar is coming to the former east-side Genghis Grill space

A new restaurant is coming to the former Genghis Grill space at Douglas and Rock Road, and it’s a familiar one to some.

BD’s Mongolian Grill, a Dallas-based chain with longtime Overland Park and Independence, Mo., sites, is opening in the space this spring.

Hamendra Bhakta is opening the restaurant. The owner of the Global Collision Centers on West Central happens to own two Genghis Grills in Albuquerque but isn’t doing the concept here because “Genghis kind of went out on a bad note” when it closed last year.

BD’s is a similar concept where customers build their own bowls of fresh meat, seafood and vegetables along with 14 sauce options.

“The beauty of it is you can have something different every time you go in there every day for the next 10 years,” Bhakta says.

Having fresh ingredients is particularly important to him, he says.

“I just always thought to myself, you wouldn’t cook a frozen turkey.”

Bhakta also is “going to have TVs everywhere” for sports.

“I’m a sports guy, and so my vision was to kind of have the Mongolian grill and at the same time have a bar that’s appealing to come to.”

He hopes the 200-seat space will be somewhere people want to come and linger to watch a game and have some drinks. The building will have an expanded bar area.

“We’re going to offer more beers,” Bhakta says.

He’s also going to have an extended appetizer menu, including wings.

Lee Cole of IKM LLC handled the deal for the space.

BD’s will open in March.

Bhakta says he thinks diners will like having an option similar to Genghis Grill in the area.

“I think Wichita would welcome it again.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 2:38 PM.