TOLEDO, Ohio — The COVID-19 pandemic forced many food places like Balance Pan-Asian Grille in downtown Toledo to close inside service.
While some other restaurants weren't pleased with having to close their dining rooms, the owners of Balance say the close actually gave them an opportunity to improve.
Now, with the Summit Street construction wrapping up soon, the popular spot is poised to reopen to a different-looking downtown.
Bubble tea, bowls and tacos are the bread and butter of Balance across its four locations in Toledo and Cleveland. Their doors have remained closed due to the pandemic but they haven't slowed down.
"The time that we had doing curbside and while remaining open we were able to chip in a do a whole interior change along with our marketing and branding," said co-owner HoChan "CJ" Jang.
Jang says all of the locations will have a new floor plan with new self-service kiosks and limited seating. The pandemic taught them more people prefer to order through their app or online with 100 percent of orders coming through the app. And even when indoor service resumes, they don't believe that number will change much.
"I think we made the right choice of going into more self-service style," said Jang. "I think at the end of the day it's going to be quicker service, more efficient."
Jang actually believes the future of fast-casual food is app-based ordering, both for efficiency but also for health safety now after the pandemic.
The popular downtown location remains closed, but not for long. They have begun hiring and are waiting for the Summit Street construction to finish up.
"I think if we're going to do it and reopen the doors over there, I just want there to be no issues with the parking or accessibility," said Jang, "so once all that is handled, we'll definitely open the doors."
They say things are looking up with local sports and concerts back and new development like Fort Industry Square taking shape. They believe their remodel will fit in perfectly with the future of downtown.
"We're very excited about that. I think it's only going to go up and the people that will reside in downtown," said Jang. "At the end of the day it's a win-win for all of us."
They hope to have doors open at all locations by the end of the summer.
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