Bombay Bicycle Club returns for another ride

Bombay Bicycle Club has returned, opening Sept. 19 at 1717 E. Cherokee, the former location of Mike’s Place. Those who remember it can expect the same style of dining with an updated look, said co-owner Jim Garland, former general manager of Chardonnay.

Garland and co-owner Tom Smith, who previously worked for Bombay, purchased the rights to the restaurant name after the Burbank, Calif.-based chain went out of business in May. Its Springfield location on Battlefield Road closed in 1998.

“When the old Bombay was here, it was the happening place,” Garland said. “Everybody met there after work, it was for college people late at night, it was the place everybody took their kids for birthday parties – it was huge.”

Developer Bill Jester is excited about the return.

“A lot of us sort of grew up at Bombay Bicycle Club and were disappointed when it went out of business,” said Jester, who worked with Garland when he owned Chardonnay.

The 3,900-square-foot building includes a new 900-square-foot patio and seats about 160 guests.

The décor and menu are familiar with a hint of 20th century taste, but little has changed in the restaurant’s at-home environment.

“It has the same type of feel that it did – that cozy, comfortable feel that no matter what you did, any type of person was drawn to it,” Garland said. “The way the staff knew everybody by name, it was just one of those places that felt like home. That’s what we’re trying to re-create.”

While the building once had a “supper club” feel with red brick and a fireplace, Garland said the décor now has an outdoor theme with natural materials and a bamboo bar.

Compared to the look of Bombay restaurants in the past, the look is younger and more intimate.

Despite the highly competitive restaurant market in Springfield, the owners aren’t too concerned.

“The uniqueness will set us apart – and the almost-instant branding of the name,” Garland said. “Maintaining the highest standards makes you survive, and it’s definitely something we’re going to stay on top of.”

The popularity of the old chain and the community’s response to the new restaurant has Garland and Smith thinking about future expansion. Both are considering locations in surrounding cities and possibly another in Springfield, but plans are not set.

Bombay Bicycle Club is open 11:30–1:30 a.m. daily, with happy hours held 4-7 p.m. and 10 p.m.–12 a.m.

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