BEHIHANA
history
When the first Benihana opened in 1964, Japanese cuisine was unknown to the United States and the idea of having a chef prepare a meal at your table was completely unheard of. Blending exotic Japanese dishes with a dazzling chef performance may have been a radical idea, but it was the recipe for success at Benihana. More than 100,000,000 meals have been served since 1964.
By bringing Japanese food into the mainstream and pioneering its "eatertainment" style of presentation, Benihana has also paved the way in America for the popularity of other Japanese cooking styles and food products.
This incredible American success story really had its roots in Japan right after the war. At that time, Yunosuke Aoki, a samurai descendant and a popular Japanese entertainer together with his wife Katsu, opened a small coffee shop in Tokyo.
A red flower, found in the neighbourhood streets gave the Aoki's the inspiration for the restaurant's name - Benihana - which in Japanese means "red flower."
From his show business background, Yunosuke was well aware of the publics' attraction to something "different." This little Benihana coffeehouse soon became known for serving and using real sugar. Yunosuke would have to pedal his bicycle more than 20 miles to purchase the sugar.
The family's four sons grew up with the coffee shop, which later became a full service restaurant. Each of them understood the restaurant business from the ground up - the importance of absolute cleanliness in the kitchen, using the freshest ingredients and the very best cooking tools money could buy.
The eldest son, Hiroaki also grasped the important lesson of offering guests something out of the ordinary and he could not help but inherit his ...