Talk about a plot twist! If you’ve been driving down Alexandra Road (aka Food Street) lately, you probably shared our confusion. After nearly two years of waiting for the Seattle-based Bellwether to finally open its doors, the red signage has been unceremoniously swapped out.
The Bellwether signs are officially down, and the new ones for Happy Lamb Hot Pot (快乐小羊) are up. But here is the kicker: the new signage explicitly says “Hotpot & Grill.”
Goodbye Bellwether, Hello Happy Lamb
For almost 24 months, the unit at 8251 Alexandra Rd (the old Tian Shi Fu spot) sat dormant with Bellwether signage, teasing an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and hot pot experience. We recently reported seeing construction crews finally moving on the lot, and we assumed the “Bell” was finally about to ring.
We were wrong. This week, the Bellwether signs were stripped down and replaced with the unmistakable branding of Happy Lamb Hot Pot.
The Best of Both Worlds
For a second there, we thought we were losing the “grill” aspect when the Bellwether signs vanished. Bellwether was supposed to be a BBQ/Hot Pot hybrid, and it looks like Happy Lamb is stepping in to fulfill that promise.
While their existing location at Lansdowne Mall is famous for its “no dipping sauce needed” Mongolian broth and lamb skewers, this new Eat Street outpost seems to be leaning even harder into the grill side of things. Adding a dedicated grill to their signature herbal bone marrow broth is a huge win for anyone who couldn’t decide between BBQ or soup for dinner.
The “Bigway” Strategy?
What makes this move particularly interesting is the geography. This new Eat Street outpost is located only about a 2-minute drive from their popular Richmond location inside Lansdowne Mall.
It feels like they might be taking a page out of the Bigway Hot Pot playbook—saturated expansion. Happy Lamb already has a strong presence across Metro Vancouver (including Burnaby and Vancouver), so doubling down on Richmond suggests they see a massive demand that the Lansdowne spot just can’t handle alone.
What to Expect
If you’ve been to any of their other outposts, you know that the soup is the star of the show. Their “Original” milky broth and “House Spicy” are staples in the city, packed with goji berries, black cardamom, and angelica root.
Since this location is taking over a prime spot on Food Street, we expect a modern, high-capacity setup that might help alleviate those weekend wait times we see at Lansdowne.
The Verdict: Are you relieved that the “Grill” survived the signage change? It’s definitely a more interesting addition to the street than just another standard hot pot joint. Let us know over on Instagram!
