GRAND CHUTE - A new business is trading southern barbeque for Asian barbeque in the former Famous Dave's building.
Famous Dave's at 1170 N. Westhill Boulevard closed June 26, according to signage posted on the building.
"With heavy hearts we need to let our valued customers know we will be closing June 26," the signs read. "Thank you for your patronage."
Months later, new signage on the building has appeared, announcing the upcoming opening of Molo Asian Barbeque.
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In an interview with The Post-Crescent, the owner of the new restaurant, Ping Cheng, said Molo will provide the Fox Cities with authentic Chinese cuisine.
Cheng is originally from China but moved to Wisconsin for graduate school. Following school, she worked as a teacher in the Fox Cities before eventually changing careers and working as an independent life insurance agent.
Despite having no previous restaurant experience, Cheng said she has always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur and, after living in the Fox Cities for the past 12 years, she saw a gap in the market for a restaurant serving Asian barbeque.
Cheng said the new restaurant will allow customers to grill meat and vegetables at their table and will serve hot pot, a hot broth where diners add ingredients like meat, vegetables and herbs.
"(I) am very, very excited and confident to run this restaurant because it's going to be something very unique," Cheng said.
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She said hot pot meals and table grilling are popular in larger cities and she previously had to travel Chicago to have that experience. She said diners who don't want to cook at Molo can be assisted by staff to prepare dishes at the table and some ready-made dishes will be available during lunch.
Transforming the former Famous Dave's building into Molo will take a lot of work. Cheng said the building will look completely different and have a modern design. Some of the big changes include the addition of a bar and a waiting area that will have a mushroom tree.
Cheng said she is hoping to open the restaurant in late December or early January but the exact opening will depend on construction.
"I want this restaurant to bring more choices for people to go out to eat and provide a fun atmosphere," Cheng said. "We want people to feel like this is not only a restaurant, it's more like a place to hang out."