March 27 update: Roll On In's Loveland location opened Monday. The eatery will be open regular hours all week (11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily), leading up to the grand opening on Friday. Co-owner and CEO John Kallenberger said they will give away some samples of new items from their food truck during the grand opening.
Originally published Jan. 18:
LOVELAND, Ohio -- Roll On In is expanding once again.
Co-owner and culinary director Michael McCarthy revealed to WCPO that the fast-growing sushi burrito eatery will open its third location at 3227 Montgomery Road in Loveland. The space is currently vacant but was previously occupied by a European deli, Yummie Yummie.
“We’re pushing for the end of March to open,” McCarthy said.
He expects this location to seat approximately 45, comparable to the Lebanon and Clifton Heights locations. But unlike the other two eateries, the new location is a standalone building with a parking lot. It also has a feature that will likely appeal to busy customers.
“It has a drive-through, which we fully plan on utilizing but in a different way,” said co-owner and CEO John Kallenberger.
Operationally, he doesn’t think their product lends itself to the traditional drive-through, but it would be a good fit for a pre-ordered pickup.
“In this location, there’s a lot of industry; a lot of people are working around us,” Kallenberger said. “We’re going to have an online ordering system where you can order and, instead of getting out of your car, you can drive through and pick up your order to take back to work very quickly.”
They’re also looking into getting a liquor license for this latest eatery. (As for the status of liquor licenses for the other two locations, McCarthy said they’re still waiting for “the letter in the mail.”)
According to McCarthy, they plan to run their commissary out of the new location and turn it into their food truck hub. Roll On In’s food truck business has taken off since its debut in August 2016; McCarthy said he already has booked roughly 40 events for this year. Although the food truck has the capability to serve the same menu as their brick-and-mortar, it offers a preset menu for expediency.
The duo quite literally “found” their third location.
“I didn’t expect to drive past this place on Christmas Day, and it just sat inside of me,” Kallenberger said. “I just couldn’t get it off my mind once I saw it.”
The very next day, he called the number on the “for rent” sign, met with the property owners and just two weeks later, he and McCarthy signed the lease. Although there was some initial concern over the proximity of Loveland to their Lebanon eatery, it was overridden by the potential of the suburban market this new location would serve.
“We really enjoy the family and suburban atmosphere,” Kallenberger said.
Roll On In continues to innovate and just recently launched its specialty burritos menu. Top sellers from the specialty menu include the Spider Rito (deep-fried soft-shell crab, avocado, Asian slaw, spicy mayonnaise and sweet soy sauce) and the Great American (panko chicken, french fries, corn salsa and buffalo mayonnaise).
McCarthy and Kallenberger also have begun offering brown rice at both locations, and it has been selling as well as white rice. They are also starting brunch next week in Lebanon, McCarthy said. Customers will get to build their own burritos with soft flour tortillas or bowls, with ingredients like eggs, bacon and hash browns. McCarthy also plans to offer a fruit and yogurt bar as part of the brunch.
With a soon-to-be third restaurant in just seven months since the initial sushi burrito rollout, Kallenberger is not at all swayed to hurry up on the franchising. Although franchising is part of their business model, he still wants to collect more data. And as Roll On In continues its rapid growth, quality remains on both owners’ minds.
“I will never put somebody else’s finances at stake until I’ve got a proven concept that I feel comfortable they can support their family with,” he said. “We’re getting there; things are going well.”
Roll On In
Address: 3227 Montgomery Road, Loveland
Other locations: 44 E. Mulberry St., Lebanon, 513-228-0069; 2504 W. Clifton Ave., Clifton Heights, 513-954-8113
Information: rollonin.com; facebook.com/rollonin
Grace Yek writes about food for WCPO Digital. She is a certified chef-de-cuisine with the American Culinary Federation, and a former chemical engineer. Questions or comments? Connect with her on Twitter: @Grace_Yek.
