Benihana Facts for Kids

This page is about the restaurant chain. For the skateboarding trick, see Benihana (skateboarding).

Quick facts for kids
Benihana Inc.

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Restaurant Franchising
Founded	1964; 61 years ago (1964)
Founder	Rocky Aoki
Headquarters	Aventura, Florida (North America) Benihana Bldg. 9th Floor, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Japan) , United States & Japan
Number of locations	89 stores (2024)
Key people	Manny Hilario (CEO and President)
Products	Japanese cuisine
Revenue	US$314M (FY 2023)
Operating income	−US$13.24M (FY 2024)
Net income	−US$0.6M (FY 2024)
Total assets	US$309M(FY 2024)
Total equity	US$66M(FY 2024)
Number of employees	7,400
Parent	One Group Hospitality Inc. (2024–present)
Divisions	Benihana, Samurai, Haru, RA Sushi

Benihana (Japanese: 紅花, "Safflower") is a famous chain of Japanese restaurants. It was first started as a cafe in Tokyo in 1945 by Yunosuke Aoki. Later, in 1964, his son Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki brought Benihana to the United States. He opened the first American restaurant in New York City.

Today, Benihana Inc. is based in Aventura, Florida. It owns 68 Japanese teppanyaki restaurants. This includes its main Benihana Teppanyaki brand. There are also 12 more Benihana restaurants that are run by other companies (franchises). These are found in the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

The company also owns one Samurai restaurant. Plus, it has 19 RA Sushi restaurants across the United States. Benihana is one of the biggest Asian restaurant chains in the United States. It is known for its unique dining experience. In February 2024, Benihana was bought by One Group Hospitality Inc. This company also owns the STK and Kona Grill restaurant chains.

Benihana was the first to bring the teppanyaki restaurant style to the United States. This cooking style started in Japan in the late 1940s. It later became popular in many other countries. The original Benihana location in Tokyo is part of a Japanese company called Benihana Inc. This company also owns the Benihana Building in Nihonbashi and the Aoki Tower in Ginza.

The Story of Benihana
Benihana Around the World
Images for kids
See also

The Story of Benihana

Starting in Japan

Yunosuke Aoki first opened a jazz cafe called "Ellington" in Tokyo in 1937. The cafe was destroyed during the firebombing of Tokyo in 1945. But it reopened in 1947 as a coffee shop named Benihana. In 1950, Aoki added a restaurant on the second floor.

In 1955, he opened a special teppanyaki restaurant across the street. This restaurant is now known as Benihana Bekkan. A year later, in 1956, another location opened in Ginza. That Ginza restaurant closed in 1997. An office building called the Aoki Tower was built there instead.

Coming to the United States

The first Benihana in America opened in 1964. It was on West 56th Street in New York City. Hiroaki Aoki, Yunosuke Aoki's son, opened it when he was 25. Hiroaki, also known as Rocky, was a wrestler. He had earned money by driving an ice cream truck in Harlem. He used this money to start his restaurant.

Benihana on West 56th Street in New York City

Rocky Aoki had a special idea for his restaurant. He wanted meals to be a show! A chef would cook right at your table. They would use knives in a fun way and tell jokes. This cooking style is called teppanyaki. "Teppan" means "steel grill" or "griddle," and "yaki" means "grilled."

At first, the restaurant was not very busy. But in early 1965, a food critic named Clementine Paddleford wrote a great review. After that, famous people like The Beatles and Muhammad Ali visited the small four-table restaurant.

In 1968, Benihana opened its first restaurant outside of New York City. This new location was in Chicago.

Over the years, the company grew. In 1983, Rocky Aoki created a separate company for 11 Benihana restaurants in the U.S. He sold part of this new company to the public. He kept control of the 39 Benihana restaurants outside the U.S. through his original company, Benihana of Tokyo.

The company faced some challenges. They tried new ideas like a fancy restaurant called Big Splash. They also started a frozen food line. But these ideas did not work out well. In 1995, Benihana Inc. bought 17 restaurants from Benihana of Tokyo.

Later, Rocky Aoki had some legal issues. In 1999, he decided to let his children and personal lawyer manage Benihana of Tokyo and Benihana Inc. through a trust.

Since then, Benihana Inc. has grown by buying other restaurant chains. These include Haru and RA Sushi restaurants. Haru is based in New York City. RA Sushi has locations all over the country. It is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Benihana also bought Samurai and Kyoto restaurants. These were added to its other brands.

In 2004, the company made a deal with BFC Financial corporation. This helped them get money to update their restaurants and open new ones.

Rocky Aoki passed away in 2008 when he was 69 years old.

In 2012, a company called Angelo Gordon & Company bought Benihana for $296 million.

In February 2024, One Group Hospitality Inc. bought Benihana. They paid $365 million for 86 Benihana locations and 19 RA Sushi restaurants. The CEO of One Group, Emanuel “Manny” Hilario, also became the CEO of Benihana that same year.

Legal Matters

Benihana in Beaverton, Oregon

Sometimes, companies have disagreements. In one case, Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. v. Benihana, Inc., there were discussions about how Benihana Inc. was being run. The company's board of directors made decisions about selling stock. Later, a lawsuit was filed against some of the directors. It claimed they did not act in the company's best interest. However, a court in Delaware supported the company's actions.

Benihana Around the World

Benihana has restaurants in many countries. They are either owned by Benihana or run by other companies (franchises). You can find them in the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other places.