Over the last few years, numerous food establishments have been introduced to Wheeling, each one introducing new and exciting flavors. Soon, Noods Ramen Bar will be one of them.
It will be located at 2207 Market St. down the Street from the Retro Video Game Store and offer an “atmosphere of entertainment and good food all in one,” co-owner Travis McBride said.
“It’s going to be catering to people of all ages. A lot of elderly folks are thinking ‘That’s weird,’ because it’s noodles because they’re thinking of a packet of noodles, but this is fully loaded,” McBride said. “We have a smoker out back we’re going to be using to smoke all kinds of meats, you’re going to get to pick all your toppings, we have three different broths you’ll get to pick from, and different kinds of noodles, of course… you’re going to get to see the chef making it right there, too.”
I just love serving people. I love the happiness on their faces when they’re eating my food.
— Chris Burress
Good food and entertainment aren’t the only things they plan to cater to.
“We’re going to be able to provide to people who have allergies, that are vegan, that are vegetarian, gluten-free, stuff like that,” McBride said. “There’s going to be something for everyone there.”
The idea to start a ramen bar came from McBride about six months ago.
The goal is “to bring something cool to our area,” McBride said. “We don’t have anything like that around here, and the ones we visited in Pittsburgh were really cool, and we thought it’d be a nice addition to add to Wheeling.”
McBride won’t be working on this project by himself. Chris Burress, owner of Tito’s Hot Dogs, and Marcus Howell, a waiter at Undo’s for 12 years, will also be co-owners helping alongside McBride.
“I will more than likely be the prep guy, getting everything prepped and ready to go,” Burress said. “Our other partner, Marcus, will be the day-to-day runner of the place.”
There has already been a large amount of support for the ramen bar, despite not being open yet.
“We haven’t even started on the building yet and we already have 2,000 likes on our Facebook page,” Burress said. “It’s the excitement and the nervousness of just getting opened… Right now, there’s so much hype right now, and we’re not even in the door yet.”
Future customers aren’t the only ones excited.
“I can’t wait to get this up and running because we don’t have one close,” said Burress. “We’re hoping to get it up and running and get everyone fed with some ramen, open some new eyes, and get some new people, people that haven’t experienced that type of ramen before. I know I really haven’t and so I know there’s people like me out there like me who haven’t had that ramen experience… I just love serving people. I love the happiness on their faces when they’re eating my food.”
They’re aiming to have a soft opening sometime in May. If you’d like to show support for Noods Ramen Bar or keep up with their progress until opening day, check out their Facebook page under the same name. For more information, visit the Retro Video Game Shop on 2207 Market St. or call 304-907-5049.
