New sushi concept rolling into town, offering burritos, bowls and more
A central Ohio entrepreneur is on a roll with a new sushi concept.
Ali Bazzi will soon open two Roll On In sushi stores, at 8325 N. High St. in the Lewis Center area, and 5792 N. Hamilton Road in Hamilton Quarter.
Part of a Lebanon, Ohio, -based restaurant group, Roll On In offers sushi in multiple formats: burritos, sliders, tacos, bowls and even donuts.
Bazzi, managing partner of an investment team, will open the North High Street store in mid-February, followed by North Hamilton Road in May.
Each is roughly 2,000 square feet; the North High location, a former Hot Head Burritos, will have a pick-up window.
Each will have kiosk ordering, counter-service, online ordering and third-party delivery.
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Bazzi said he came across Roll On In while visiting the Cincinnati area. He asked about franchising opportunities but none was available at the time.
“So, one day I’m online and I see an ad for the company that they’re franchising,” said Bazzi.
“Honestly, I just like the taste of it,” he said. “I thought it was a great idea. You have Chipotle, you have Bibibop, you have Qdoba. It was sushi in a bowl or a burrito. I fell in love with the idea.”
It’s also similar to poke-bowl restaurants, but the range of options is generally broader at Roll On In.
Won tons are used as the shell for tacos; burritos are wrapped with nori (dried seaweed).
Proteins consist of sushi-grade tuna and salmon, shrimp, crabstick, chicken, steak and tofu.
One uncommon item is the deep-fried donut made with rice and sour cream, topped with crabstick mix, smashed avocado, spicy mayo and sweet soy on a bed of spinach.
In addition to pre-assembled specialty burritos and bowls, a large section of the menu is dedicated to build-your-own hibachi, burritos, sticky-rice bowls, loaded chips and fresh salads.
“The food is very healthy,” Bazzi said. “It’s very fresh. You have a lot of raw foods, so it has to be fresh.”
More:Remodeled setting, same mouth-watering cuisine distinguishes Sushi Ten from the pack
He said he has other investments in central Ohio but did not disclose them.
Bazzi said he plans to open two Roll On In stores per year until he has reached six or so.
“From there, I’ll see about expanding it to other cities going north to Toledo and Michigan,” he said.
“We are going to be looking in the Short North or Grandview for our third location.”
onretaurants@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Roll On In restaurants to offer sushi "donut" among other items
