BD's Mongolian Barbeque honored for work with Asian unit

Nation's Restaurant News,  March 19, 2007  by Ron Ruggless

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FERNDALE, MICH. -- The Asian outpost of BD's Mongolian Barbeque, the 31-unit casual-dinnerhouse chain based here, has been named the Mongolian Tourism Association's Restaurant of the Year.

The 150-seat restaurant opened May 2005 in Mongolia's capital of Ulaanbataar, becoming the first franchised unit of a U.S. restaurant company in that Central Asian nation.

Also, BD's Mongolian was named "best consumer trustee restaurant" by the Mongolian Consumer Protection Society. The award is based on public opinion about the restaurant's overall experience, quality, taste, presentation, value of the food, customer service, entertainment, health and sanitation, and the restaurant's future stability and growth.

"These prestigious awards reinforce that what we are doing in Mongolia is truly making a difference," said Billy Downs, founder of BD's Mongolian Barbeque. "The passion shared by our franchise partner in Mongolia and teammates here at home are echoed through these awards. I could not be more proud."

In May 2005, BD's Mongolian Barbeque became the first American restaurant company to open a franchise in Mongolia. Downs partnered in the 4,800-square-foot Ulaanbataar location, with an interest in supporting the local community.

"The main part of the menu, the create-your-own stir fry, is exactly the same as in the U.S.," Downs said. "We have a smaller selection than in the United States, primarily because of the challenge of sourcing product."

Downs said some products are local and some are shipped in from China. The sauces are made locally in Mongolia. Officials at the chain's Ferndale headquarters ship a container of some products every nine or 10 months, he added.

A buffet of dumplings and mutton and lamb dishes also is popular at the Asian unit, he said. "The bulk of the business is tourism," he said, "but we do have appeal to the affluent Mongolian population. It probably represents about 35 [percent] to 45 percent of the business throughout the year." But business almost triples during the May-to-September tourist season, he said. "Tourism has gone up every year," he added.

The unit employs more than 70 Mongolians and supports the Mongolian Youth Development Foundation, or MYDF, a nonprofit organization that provides youth development programs in Mongolia and assists Mongolian youth in their development into active members of society by providing social, educational, cultural and physical activities.

"It is humbling to know we have made a difference in the lives of so many people in Mongolia ... since opening our restaurant almost two years ago," Downs said.

Recently, the National Restaurant Association recognized Downs for his work in Mongolia by naming him the National Cornerstone Humanitarian Winner. As the award recipient, Downs was lauded for his contributions to the Ulaanbaatar community, including his financial investment to open the restaurant as well as his management training program and ongoing fundraising efforts.

When the Mongolia location was opened, BD's Mongolian established a management exchange program through which managers in both the United States and Mongolia visit each other's countries to learn about culture and local restaurant practices.

Four managers from Mongolia recently completed the training program in the Michigan towns of Auburn Hills and Novi.

"They have taken the standards we have here and the way we run our business here and incorporated them there," Downs said. "That sets them apart from most restaurants in Mongolia."

The awards have raised the public's awareness of the unit in Ulaanbaatar, Downs added.

"Tour companies are already calling and pre-booking large parties all summer long," he said. "It's going to be an extremely busy summer this year."

He added: "The awards are great, but the management exchange program--where we send managers to Mongolia and they send managers here--helps all of us learn the cultures and improve operations. It's an incredible way for us to connect across the globe."

rruggles@nrn.com

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