Vestal K-BBQ & Hot Pot Restaurant Opening Soon

The former TGI Fridays restaurant in Vestal is getting a complete makeover as it's transformed into a new eatery.

K-BBQ & Hot Pot is preparing to open its first location in the Binghamton area. The much-anticipated restaurant will be in the Town Square Mall on the Vestal Parkway.

The building had been occupied by TGI Fridays until October 2024.

The entrance to the closed TGI Friday at the Town Square Mall in Vestal on March 11, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

K-BBQ & Hot Pot bills itself as an all-you-can-eat, do-it-yourself restaurant. It will feature "contemporary décor & classic Korean BBQ & Hot Pot."

The business owner also operates a location in Amherst in western New York.

A spokesperson for the owner said the Vestal restaurant will be substantially larger than the Buffalo-area site.

A newly-installed K-BBQ & Hot Pot sign at the Town Square Mall in Vestal. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The old tiered format inside the former TGI Fridays has been removed to permit seating on a single floor. The kitchen of the previous restaurant has been upgraded.

The K-BBQ & Hot Pot will have several dozen tables of various sizes with a total dining capacity for about 150 people.

An old TGI Fridays sign remained in place outside the soon-to-open K-BBQ & Hot Pot restaurant in Vestal on March 11, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The restaurant spokesperson told WNBF News "we're very close" to opening. The business could be ready to welcome its first visitors in mid-April. The business is expected to employ about 30 people.

Existing K-BBQ & Hot Pot restaurants have been located near college campuses because the concept has proven popular among young people.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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Source: Vestal K-BBQ & Hot Pot Restaurant Opening Soon