Print Version
E-mail This StoryCarrollton sees record-breaking year for new restaurants
Even in the midst of a down economy, John Pei and his wife Carmen moved from New York to Texas and opened a new restaurant.
“I saw the economy as a positive,” said Pei, owner of Fruitealicious Bubble Tea at the corner of Josey Lane and Keller Springs Road. “People are not going to go out and eat a steak dinner. (My items) are like small little treats, $3 or $4 items. We have kids and families hang out here. It’s a nice cheap alternative to eating out or going out to the bars.”
Pei is one of many entrepreneurs who decided to take a chance and open a new restaurant in Carrollton in 2008.
“We just opened up a month ago yesterday. We do bubble teas and frozen drinks,” he said during an interview Tuesday morning. “Business has been pretty good, considering it’s really cold outside.”
The city’s economic development office said 2008 has been a record-breaking year for openings n with a net gain of 39 new restaurants. That amounts to 51 new restaurants and 12 closures.
“A lot of them are attributed to the redevelopment of Carrollton Asian Town Center n the H Mart and the food court are part of the reason,” said Elise Back, retail special for the city of Carrollton.
Fifteen of Carrollton’s new restaurants are classified as Asian, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese or Chinese.
Aside from the Asian Town Center on Old Denton Road, the area on Hebron Parkway and Midway Road has also been ripe with new restaurant development, with a Dunkin Donuts, Fireside Subs and Einstein Bros. Bagels opening in 2008.
Hebron Parkway and SH 121 will see restaurant growth in 2009 with three new restaurants currently slated to open early in the year.
Back has been tracking the restaurant numbers since 2004 and reported a net gain of 32 restaurants in 2004, a loss of four in 2005, a gain of 19 in 2006 and a gain of three in 2007.
“One good thing about the city is when a restaurant closes, another moves in, so there’s no large number of vacant restaurants,” Back said. “They don’t sit vacant for very long.”
From Asian to Cajun, the variety of new restaurants in 2008 is wide and also includes bakeries, Mexican, coffee shops, delis and fast food.
“Another thing about Carrollton is we have a unique palate in terms of variety,” Back said. “For myself I prefer to try something new. There may be a new type of cuisine that makes it more interesting, rather than going to the same old, same old chain.”
B.B. Bop Rice Bowls is one of those “new type of cuisine” restaurants that opened in March on Lacy Lane, near Valley View and Luna. The menu at B.B. Bop Rice Bowls was inspired by the traditional Korean dish, Bibimbap.
“We’re basically a build-your-own rice bowl (restaurant). We cater toward people who are trying to watch what they eat,” said Steve Shin, who owns the restaurant with Jerome Valdez and Sandra Buffey. “Bibimbap is a Korean dish. We took that dish and we married it with the Chipotle model. It’s a really healthy, nutritious meal.”
Shin said that business has been down lately, citing the economy.
“Business was good when we opened, but the economy has been tough. We’ve definitely seen a slide,” he said. “We speak to our neighbors, and they’re feeling the same thing.”
Carvel Ice Cream, Little Bites Deli, Red Brick Oven all cited lack of business or the economy as the reason for closing in 2008. Back said Carrollton will most likely see its fair share of closures for economic reasons in 2009, but may be better off than Dallas, where there are more higher-end restaurants.
“Thus far I’m aware of 10 (restaurants) anticipating to open in 09,” she said. “It could go either way. The way the economy is now a lot of people cut back on eating out, (closures) may unfortunately happen. Wish I had a glass ball to say ‘I wish I know how many will open.’ ”
