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CORPORATE INFORMATION

ABOUT BENIHANA

From our beginnings as a family business with one Benihana restaurant in New York to our recognition today as a cultural icon with 79 Benihana restaurants in the United States, Caribbean, and Central and South America, our success continues to be a result of our relationships with our guests, investors and employees. The facts below offer a broad view of Benihana’s past, present and future.

Creating Great Guest Memories!!

CORPORATE FACTS

Benihana corporate headquarters located in Aventura, Florida

President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Baldwin

More than 7,400 employees

Company owns 68 Benihana restaurants, one Samurai restaurant and 19 RA Sushi restaurants

Largest operator of teppanyaki restaurants in the United States

 

Milestones

  • 1964: Opening of first Benihana restaurant in New York City
  • 1983: Initial public offering
  • 1983-1997: Expanded from 11 restaurants to 47
  • 1995: Completed acquisition of 17 teppanyaki-style restaurants
  • 1997: Completed acquisition of Kyoto and Samurai restaurants
  • 1999: Completed acquisition of Haru Sushi restaurants
  • 2002: Acquisition of RA Sushi restaurants
  • 2007: Opened 100th restaurant owned or franchised by Benihana National Corp.
  • 2014: Celebrated 50th Anniversary
  • 2018: Benihana breaks Guinness World Record for Longest Cooking Marathon
  • 2019: Entered Arenas/Stadiums business in Dignity Health Sports Park, T-Mobile Center, Yankee Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium and Footprint Center

FAQ

What is Benihana?

Benihana is the leading Japanese restaurant chain in the United States. Our Benihana restaurants are a place to meet new friends, celebrate special occasions or just enjoy an entertaining meal. Our highly skilled teppanyaki chefs slice and dice your meal on teppanyaki grills, providing entertainment as you enjoy traditional Japanese cooking using American favorites like steak, chicken, seafood and vegetables. Benihana restaurants pioneered the communal dining concept in the early 1960’s where up to eight people are seated around a Japanese hibachi grill waiting anxiously for their personal show to begin.

Who is Benihana’s CEO?

Thomas Baldwin, Benihana’s President and Chief Executive Officer, joined the company in 2016.

How many locations does Benihana have?

Benihana owns 68 Japanese teppanyaki restaurants and franchises 12 more in the United States, Caribbean and Central and South America. Additionally, one Samurai restaurant and 19 RA Sushi restaurants in the United States.

Where is Benihana headquartered?

Benihana corporate has been based in South Florida since 1980. The address is 21500 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 900, Aventura, Florida 33180.

When was Benihana founded?

In 1964, Japanese-born Rocky H. Aoki opened the first Benihana restaurant on Manhattan’s West Side at 61 West 56th St. That restaurant soon became famous for its theatrical chefs, teppanyaki grills and traditional Japanese architecture. The interior structure of the restaurant was a 150-year-old Japanese barn that Rocky’s father found in the countryside of Japan.