ANN ARBOR – bd’s Mongolian Grill on the corner of Main and Washington has undergone a contemporary remodel in what is the first in a nationwide effort to revitalize the brand.

After a quick three week renovation in December, the location at 200 S. Main St. reopened on Dec. 16 and on Friday, the restaurant had its grand reopening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony with members of its corporate team, the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce, Destination Ann Arbor, county officials and more.

The new design features a shift in seating, bright paint colors, brand-new TV’s, modern wood and metal finishes, a new recipe center to create custom stir-fry creations and more.

Members of the bd's Mongolian Grill Ann Arbor and corporate teams pose in front of the location at 200 S. Main St. on Jan. 10, 2020.
Members of the bd's Mongolian Grill Ann Arbor and corporate teams pose in front of the location at 200 S. Main St. on Jan. 10, 2020.

“This bd’s location holds a special spot in our hearts because it is one of our longest operating locations,” said CEO Jim Vinz in a statement. “We’re very excited that guests from Ann Arbor will be able to enjoy the new interior design as part of this exciting renovation.”

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The Ann Arbor location opened in 1994 two years after the brand was founded by Billy Downs.

“Ann Arbor has been critical to the brand from the very beginning," said CMO Doug Willmarth. “This felt like a great place for us to make ground zero of the re-energizing of bd’s. We have an amazing manager and a great team here and so that makes it even better. For 25 years we’ve been here and this is where the re-birth is going to start.”

Custom stir-fry orders are prepared on a grill top at bd's Mongolian Grill at 200 S. Main St. on Jan. 10, 2020.
Custom stir-fry orders are prepared on a grill top at bd's Mongolian Grill at 200 S. Main St. on Jan. 10, 2020.

COO Paul Carolan said their Ann Arbor landlord was excited to hear that the brand wanted to remodel. The building is considered a historic structure and all were in agreement that it needed to be updated.

While the redesign began one year ago, the renovation itself took a matter of weeks and cost roughly $225,000.

The Ann Arbor location underwent a complete remodel in December 2019.
The Ann Arbor location underwent a complete remodel in December 2019.

“We went from top-to-bottom and used designers to figure out how we can create the right look and feel,” said Carolan.

bd’s Mongolian Grill is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

To learn more, visit www.gomongo.com/ann-arbor-mi-menu.