The former TGI Fridays address at 716 Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre, New York, is set for a different kind of group dinner. KPOT lists the location as coming soon, bringing its all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and hot pot concept to another Long Island address.
The company’s locator confirms the planned restaurant and address. Long Island Wave’s October 9 report identifies the building as the former Fridays, whose historical restaurant listings also match the site. An opening date has not been announced.
For anyone who associates that corner with loaded potato skins, the proposed tabletop grills represent a fairly substantial change in dinner equipment. KPOT’s format gives Korean BBQ and individual hot pots a place at the same gathering, with diners choosing from meats, seafood, vegetables and noodles.
The chain’s official menu provides a useful preview of its range. Barbecue choices include bulgogi, brisket and pork belly, while broth options run from Japanese miso and mushroom to tom yum, tomato and Szechuan spicy. The menu also distinguishes dinner-only selections, giving lunch and dinner different lineups.
There is a buffet-related attraction beyond the cooking at the table: the company says its Korean BBQ and hot pot pricing options include access to a hot appetizer and sauce bar. Kimchi, pickled vegetables and seasoned salads appear in its description of the appetizer offering. The sauce bar gives guests a legitimate reason to become unusually invested in a small bowl.
Rockville Centre’s menu and price tiers have not been announced. KPOT notes that offerings vary by location, so another branch’s lunch price or combination charge does not establish what this restaurant will offer.
Another Long Island address
The project joins a Long Island presence that includes Bay Shore and Westbury on the current company locator. Local reporting dates the Bay Shore opening to 2024 at Westfield South Shore, while Westbury is listed at the Samanea New York center on Old Country Road.
KPOT says it now has more than 100 restaurants open and more than 50 on the way. Its own background coverage traces the first restaurant to New Jersey in 2018, placing Rockville Centre within a much larger expansion rather than a stand-alone local concept.
