In just three short years, Bibibop has expanded to a total of 11 locations (nine in the Columbus region and two more in Cincinnati region) with the upcoming opening of their newly announced Clintonville store. The new restaurant will be located at 5037 North High Street, replacing an Applebee’s at the Graceland Shopping Center.
“We originally were going to go into a space closer to Northstar Café and 61Pho, but unfortunately it was a little too small for what we do, and there wasn’t enough parking,” explained Ellie Robinson, Marketing and PR Manager at Bibibop. “We found this spot at Graceland instead, which faces High Street and has a lot of parking which is good for our customers.”
Robinson said that the draw to open a location in Clintonville came from the strong existing customer demand in that area.
“We have a lot of Clintonville customers that come to our Henderson Road and Fifth Avenue locations,” she said. “We wanted to reach out to our community there and make it easier for them to get to Bibibop. There’s lots of fun things happening in Clintonville and we want to be a part of that.”
In late July, Bibibop will officially open their second store outside of Columbus, located near the University of Cincinnati.
“Our first Cincinnati location at Liberty Center has been pretty well received so far — everybody that has been there loves it,” said Robinson. “That mall itself is really new, so this is a breakthrough for us right now, and we’re really excited to have another location in Cincinnati.”
Robinson said that while there’s still room to grow in the Columbus region, the company will continue to explore opportunities in other markets. A Downtown location at Columbus Commons was briefly explored in 2014, but Robinson said that opportunity has been shelved for now.
“I’m not saying it could never happen, but as of right now, we’re putting pause on Downtown and focusing on other areas,” she explained. “But who knows in the future — we’ll have to see.”
For more information, visit www.bibibop.com.
Photos via Bibibop.