Genghis Grill announced that it is making its Ohio debut with the opening of a Columbus location coming June 23. Conveniently situated at University Square on the east side of High Street between 15th and 16th avenues, adjacent to Ohio State University’s main campus, the restaurant offers easy accessibility for both students and locals. The new location is also introducing a completely new service model along with a bold new look.
By integrating the latest kitchen and operations technology, the brand's new fast-casual model optimizes the customer experience, ensuring that guests can place their order, receive their food and drinks and enjoy their meal within just 15 minutes. The restaurant's smaller footprint includes a separate to-go order staging area, as well as multiple curbside pick-up parking spots, catering to those on the go.
Genghis Grill has more than 80 fresh ingredients that are carefully prepped every day, ensuring the perfect bite in each bowl, along with convenience and speed for diners on the go. Each bowl is then grilled to order, right in front of the guest, something that sets Genghis Grill apart from their competitors in the bowl space. The brand offers fans broad appeal and caters to various flavor preferences and lifestyles by offering keto, gluten-free, low-carb, vegan and vegetarian options, as well. Bowls start at under $8 for abundant portions – making this location a perfect fit for the market, considering its close proximity to Ohio State University.
“Columbus residents will be thrilled to discover the unbeatable value we’re bringing to the city. When you consider the quality of our menu and the price points we showcase, they’ll be blown away,” said Gregg Majewski, Chief Executive Officer of Genghis Grill. “This new location marks the first of its kind for our brand. It elevates convenience, providing increased speed and efficiencies in ordering and meal prep. We see the restaurant becoming the go-to destination for fresh meals that are convenient and affordable for Ohio State students and faculty, especially.”
The new restaurant is located at 18 East 15th Avenue, at University Square, and is open Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The new restaurant offers a state-of-the-art modern restaurant design that revolutionizes the traditional Genghis Grill dining experience. The new experience is truly fast-casual, utilizing cashiers and ordering kiosks for quick ordering while having a much smaller footprint than previous iterations. Customers will find a separate to-go order staging and pick-up area and the latest quick mobile-ordering technology when they choose Genghis Grill. Genghis Grill plans to scale this new prototype beyond Columbus, to all new sites opening this year and beyond. Sites set to open in the near term include Jackson, Mississippi in Summer 2023, and 2 new sites in Reno, Nevada coming later this year.
The Columbus location marks the first franchise-owned restaurant to open in just under 10 years – part of Genghis Grill’s revitalized franchising program that began under new leadership early last year. Since revamping its program, Genghis Grill has solidified 23 new franchise-owned locations to open in the next few years.
“Not only is this the first franchised location we’ve opened in 10 years, but also the first-of-its-kind, with a revolutionary take on the original Genghis Grill concept that has been updated to match what today’s consumer is seeking,” said Rich Guckel, Vice President of Development. “The smaller footprint and focus on an accelerated guest experience is a huge value-add for prospective franchise owners looking to grow with us.”
In the past year, the brand has put a focus on brand reimaging, heightened customer service, improved food quality and operational excellence to bring guests the best experience. Today, the brand has over 50 locations open across the country, serving 3.2 million customers annually.