[Paleopsych] bd's mongolian barbeque opening a restaurant in Mongolia itself

Fri May 20 19:04:52 UTC 2005

bd's mongolian barbeque®: Welcome!
http://bdsmongolianbarbeque.com/ulaanbaatar.html
5.5.12

[There's not a Mongolian in sight in the restaurant in Bethesda. Only Whites 
(though on one theory the Mongolians were White, plus one black guy among those 
behind the grill. So you don't need immigrants to produce ethnic food, here, or 
in Mongolia itself!

[Click on the URL to get lots of photographs. I give an indication of what they 
are in the article.]

                       [grandopening.gif]   (May 2005)

    Where do I begin? Do I begin by telling you the story of how this
    thing first started or do I tell you how important a continuous supply
    of propane gas is to a restaurant in Ulaanbaatar? Theres so much to
    tell about this experience enough for a book! Stay tuned.
    I do have to tell you how proud I am of all the BDs family and friends
    who have worked so hard to get this amazing project off the ground.
    Today, BDs has a new franchise restaurant in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
    Today, Mongolia has its first American Franchise Restaurant!
    Today, the wonderful and historic Mongol Empire form of cooking has
    returned to Mongolia.
    Today, the Mongolian Youth Development Foundation has been set up with
    annual donor it can count on.
    Today, our first international bd's mongolian barbeque is open and
    it's time to build the business.
    Our first day, May 12, 2005 was hugely successful. We were coming off
    of three great V.I.P. nights (practice nights before we officially
    open) and the momentum did not stop. In fact, the only thing that did
    stop was the anticipation. It is over and the restaurant is now
    trading. Customers are coming in from all sides of Ulaanbaatar. There
    are many Mongolian customers and a lot of foreigners. I am most
    intrigued by how fast the word has spread. Yes, Esunmunkh (our
    franchise partner) and his team have done a wonderful job with
    advertising and public relations, but better has been the rapid word
    of mouth. We seem to be the coolest new thing in town. Not only that,
    guests are raving! They are raving about the food, the service and the
    fun. They are glad and proud that we are in town.
    Obviously it will be months and maybe years until we truly know how
    successful we are. In the meantime, the BD's team has climbed another
    mountain. A mountain we should be damn proud of getting to the top of!
    Stay tuned for more updates, photos and information on this wonderful
    story.

    Go Mongo!
    Billy "BD" Downs
    May 12, 2005

    [ub02.jpg]
    Two of the many authentic Mongolian pieces of art adorning the bd's in
    Ulaanbaatar.

    [ub03.jpg]
    Billy `bd' Downs and Esunmunkh (bd's franchise partner) toast the
    opening of bd's in Ulaanbaatar.

    [ub04.jpg]
    Billy Downs and Esun celebrate the opening of the Detroit American
    Bar.

    [ub05.jpg]
    Trainer David Cupchak (Ann Arbor, Mich. bd's) teaches proper bar
    service to the Mongolian team.

    [ub06.jpg]
    Trainers Jenny Phan (Novi, Mich. bd's) and Tim Shebak (Ann Arbor,
    Mich. bd's) review training topics for the day.

    [ub07.jpg]
    The entire bd's mongolian barbeque team takes a moment for a group
    photo before opening.

    [ub08.jpg]
    Tim Shebak and two managers pose in front of the grill.

    [ub09.jpg]
    The outside of bd's mongolian barbeque in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia!

    [ub10.jpg]
    bd's mongolian barbeque hosts the United States
    and India Ambassadors.

                         [12][mongolianchildren.jpg]

    Billy "bd" Downs has been searching for an avenue to give back to
    Mongolia for quite some time. His first trip to Mongolia in 1997 was
    spent touring the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, visiting nomadic
    families throughout the countryside and learning about Mongolian
    customs. While this trip provided Downs with a deep understanding of
    the Mongolian culture and lifestyle, his goal to become intimately
    involved with the country was not achieved.
    For the next several years, Billy Downs continued to research
    opportunities to help the country of Mongolia. Through this research
    Downs met Myagmar Esunmunkh, a native of Mongolia who runs the
    Mongolian Youth Development Foundation (MYDF). This non-profit
    foundation located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia was first established in
    1995 and provides programs designed to help teach life skills to the
    children of Ulaanbaatar.

    In the early part of 2004, after meeting on several occasions in the
    United States, the two formed a relationship based on a mutual
    interest in each other's culture. In September 2004 Billy traveled
    back to Mongolia, again with the goal of establishing an opportunity
    to give back to this developing country. ([13]Click here to read about
    his trip in detail.) During his trip, Billy and Esunmunkh met and
    discussed ways in which the two could work together to assist both the
    Mongolian Youth Development Foundation, as well as the country of
    Mongolia as a whole.

    [esunmunkh.jpg]
    'BD' with MYDC President
    Esunmunkh Myagmar

    These discussions led to a partnership and plans to franchise a
    [bds.gif] in Ulaanbaatar with the idea that the profits of the
    restaurant would be used to support the Mongolian Youth Development
    Foundation. The partnership between Billy Downs and Myagmar Esunmunkh
    aims to not only contribute to a very important charitable
    organization through the profits of the restaurant, but to also assist
    in the growth of the local economy through the employment of 20-30
    local Mongolians. With the use of their earnings, these employees will
    be able to feed, house and clothe both their immediate family, as well
    as extended family members.
    Satisfied that this is the perfect way to give back to Mongolia, Billy
    "bd" Downs will be opening the doors to [bds.gif] - Ulaanbaatar in
    May, 2005.
    For more information on the Mongolian Youth Development Foundation,
    visit: [14]www.mydc.org.mn.

                              [helpsupport.gif]

    Help support the youth of Mongolia by purchasing cool stuff!
    From May 2nd through July 17th, all bd's mongolian barbeque locations
    will be selling World Tour t-shirts for $10 and specialty pint glasses
    for $4. $5 of each t-shirt and $2 of each pint glass will go to
    support the youth of Mongolia.

                              World Tour T-shirt

    Donate to the youth of Mongolia!
    To make a tax-deductible cash donation, please contact Mongo Charities
    at (248) 398-2560.

    [const1.jpg]
    bd's Ulaanbaatar under construction

    [const2.jpg]
    Construction workers taking a break

    [const3.jpg]
    Two months from now this will be a
    fine dining establishment!

    Links:
    [15]bd's Mongolia trip journal and photo gallery August 2004
    [16]Mongolia location announcement October 2004
    [17]Mongolian Youth Development Center

References

   12. http://www.mydc.org.mn/
   13. http://bdsmongolianbarbeque.com/mongotrip.html
   14. http://www.mydc.org.mn/
   15. http://bdsmongolianbarbeque.com/mongotrip.html
   16. http://bdsmongolianbarbeque.com/news_nrn1.html
   17. http://www.mydc.org.mn/