In 1998, the first Genghis Grill location was opened in Dallas, Texas and immediately became a rousing success. Genghis Grill is a build-your-own-bowl restaurant where people come to have Mongolian barbecue stir-fry. Drawing influence from Genghis Khan’s army, who were known to cook their food on shields in times of war, Genghis Grill fast-casual restaurant offers customers exhibition cooking that is more fun and interactive.
In Khan’s Kitchen, guests have access to an open bar where they can select their choice of vegetables, spices, sauces and proteins. After they create their bowl of delicious food, the Grill Master takes it and cooks it for them on a big, round grill for a couple of minutes.
As a Mongolian-style barbecue restaurant, Genghis Grill is a great way to add more healthy vegetables and proteins to your diet, according to the writers of “The Color Code: A Revolutionary Eating Plan for Optimum Health,” Anne Underwood, Daniel Nadeau and James A. Joseph. That’s because a large portion of the bowl is filled with vegetables while a single serving of starch and protein increases the meal’s overall nutritional value.
Franchising
Genghis Grill has a widely successful franchising program. This franchising success can mostly be attributed to the fact that an overwhelming majority of people expressed unsolicited interest in the idea. Through more unsolicited interest shown by fans of Genghis Grill at the start of the program, eight locations where opened. The program’s popularity has spread all over the world, even going as far as reaching the Middle East and Hong Kong.
The system of Genghis Grill was acquired by The Chalak Group, operating under the name of Genghis Grill Franchise Concepts, LP. The Chalak Group is made of young, dedicated and brilliant entrepreneurs. They also oversee all operations in EVERY Genghis Grill operation located in Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Under their leadership, Genghis Grill’s future has never looked so bright.
Rankings and Accolades
In 2010, Genghis Grill made the Franchise 500 List by Entrepreneur Magazine. It also made the following rankings that year:
- Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers – #3
- Restaurant Business’s Future 50 – #5
- 5000 – #812
- Social Media Index’s Top 25 Restaurants in Social Media
In 2011, the CEO of Genghis Grill, Al Bhakta, was ranked as one of the Top 10 CEOs to Watch by Nation’s Restaurant News.
Health Kwest Campaign
Launched at the beginning of 2011, the Health Kwest campaign sought to transform the lives of people who want to live healthier lifestyles by consuming free meals at Genghis Grill every day for a period of 90 days. The campaign started with 48 contestants, who were referred to as “Khantestants.” Each Khantestant’s weight loss tracking was provided by Quest Diagnostics, while exercising and nutrition advice was provided by Medical City Dallas Hospital. The winner was declared by looking at the number of posts they recorded, evaluating their weight loss and tallying the majority of votes the accumulated online. A grand prize of $10,000 was awarded to the winner.
