HuHot Mongolian Grill

HuHot Mongolian Grill is a full‑service, create‑your‑own stir fry restaurant where guests build their own bowls from a wide selection of meats, noodles, vegetables, sauces, and toppings, then watch everything cooked on a large circular Mongolian grill. The experience is all‑you‑can‑eat and highly interactive, which gives each location strong appeal for families, groups, and social occasions. Stores typically perform well in busy retail environments where steady lunch and dinner traffic support repeat visits.

The brand began in Missoula, Montana, in 1999, when the Vap family, already experienced operators through their Godfather’s Pizza franchises, opened the first HuHot. They took the Mongolian grill idea and reshaped it into a family‑friendly concept that felt approachable to mainstream American diners. Franchising started in the early 2000s, and an important milestone came as HuHot moved beyond its Mountain West base into the Midwest and Great Plains, adding markets such as Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, and Sioux Falls through a mix of company‑run and franchise locations. That pattern of disciplined regional expansion has continued over time.

As of August 2023, HuHot operates roughly 50 locations across 15 states, with its footprint concentrated in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest regions. Over the past five years, the system has focused on filling in those core territories while extending into additional secondary and tertiary metropolitan areas that have strong retail corridors but fewer national Asian concepts. The company has leaned into franchising as its main growth vehicle, using experienced multi‑unit operators to drive development in key regions and to adapt the concept to local trade areas.

HuHot is privately held and remains closely tied to the founding family through Vap Hospitality Group, which oversees the brand from Montana. This ownership structure allows the company to make long‑term decisions about market selection and unit growth without pressure from public markets. In practice, HuHot has been actively franchising and selectively adding stores in both existing and new markets, with particular interest in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain states, the Pacific Northwest, and other secondary and tertiary MSAs that offer strong retail traffic.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, HuHot brings a recognizable, differentiated dining use that can anchor restaurant pads or complement larger retail projects. Units are commonly placed in inline or end‑cap spaces along major retail arterials, in lifestyle centers, and in strong suburban trade areas. The concept’s theatrical grill line, all‑you‑can‑eat value proposition, and group‑friendly seating help draw customers from a wide trade area and support co‑tenancy with theaters, big‑box retailers, and other destination traffic drivers. The brand’s willingness to use second‑generation restaurant space and its measured, franchise‑driven expansion approach make it a practical and adaptable tenant for a range of retail settings.