Asian grill to double number of locations

Bibibop’s restaurants operate with a fast-casual, build-your-own service concept similar to Subway or Chipotle.

Bibibop’s restaurants operate with a fast-casual, build-your-own service concept similar to Subway or Chipotle.
Lifestyles
By Mark Fisher
March 31, 2017
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Bibibop Asian Grill — which opened its first Butler County restaurant at Liberty Center in 2015 and is contemplating additional locations — is poised to more than double the number of restaurants it operates.

The Columbus-based Korean-inspired restaurant chain has announced that it has purchased the leases of 15 closed Chipotle-owned ShopHouse Asian Kitchen locations, in Washington D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, which will dramatically expand Bibibop's footprint, according to the trade publication Nation's Restaurant News.

Bibibop currently operates 12 locations in Ohio — including restaurants at Liberty Center, University of Cincinnati, and University of Dayton. A Hyde Park location in Cincinnati is expected to open soon.

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The deal with Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. for the shuttered ShopHouse locations will give the company 27 restaurants after the new locations are converted this summer, not including one more in Ohio that is in the works, NRN reported.

Bibibop’s restaurants operate with a fast-casual, build-your-own service concept similar to Subway or Chipotle. Diners choose from purple or white rice for their bowl, or have their dish prepared as a salad or wrap, then select from two types of chicken, beef or tofu, and then top their dish from a variety of vegetables and garnishes, from pickled daikon radish to carrots to kale.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.