Updated: New Towne East Square retailer opens earlier than expected

It’s rare that stores and restaurants open earlier than expected, but that’s what has happened with the new Miniso at Towne East Square.

The retailer, a variety store chain of more than 5,500 stores in more than 100 countries, was supposed to open this summer. Instead, it opened earlier than expected on Saturday.

The previously announced Kpot and another restaurant called Bb.q chicken are still planned for later this summer. We’ll keep you posted if they happen to open early, too.

Original story:

Do you like crispy chicken?

How about variety stores?

If so, you’ll be happy with two new additions coming to Towne East Square.

Bb.q chicken, a chain founded in Seoul, Korea, is opening at the mall late this year.

With more than 3,500 restaurants in 57 countries, the chain claims that its “fried chicken is crispier, juicier, and more tender than anything you’ve tasted before.”

The chain started in 1995, and though this appears to be the first Bb.q opening in Kansas, the state already is listed on the about page of the company’s website, where it says that all of its “stores—whether it’s in Korea or Kansas—champion Korean culture with authentic recipes.”

Along with crispy chicken, the menu also includes some Korean and American side dishes and what it calls “K Food options—from hearty helpings of kimchi fried rice to spicy bowls of ddeok-bokki.” Those are dishes made with rice cakes.

Bb.q, which stands for “best of the best quality,” will open late this year on the upper level of the mall near the southeast entrance.

That’s also around the time the previously announced Kpot, another Asian restaurant with Korean flavors, will open. Kpot also will have a full bar and what the chain describes as a nightlife atmosphere.

Kpot also will be on the upper level, at the southeast entrance next to JCPenney.

The new variety store that’s coming to Towne East is Miniso, a chain of more than 5,500 stores in more than 100 countries that also has Asian influences.

The store’s founder was on vacation in Japan with his family when he encountered stores with a range of inexpensive merchandise mostly made in China and decided to start something similar that’s geared to young people.

There are all kinds of affordable products, ranging from household items, such as kitchenware, to personal items, such as cosmetics.

The store will be on the Dillard’s wing on the upper level across from American Eagle.

Look for it to open this summer.