Japanese-born Rocky H. Aoki founded Benihana in 1964, with the opening of it first restaurant in Manhattan's Upper West Side at 61 West 56th St. This restaurant soon became famous with its theatrical chefs and traditional Japanese architecture and structural engineering. The interior structure of the restaurant was a 150-year old Japanese born Rocky's father found in the countryside of Japan.
Benihana is successful because of the close relationships developed over the years with our guests, investors and employees. The Benihana concept began as a family business on the streets of New York in 1964, and has grown to every corner of the world by adopting and living by a strong code of conduct and ethics.
In late 1999, Benihana purchased a majority share in Haru, an upscale, New York sushi concept, that had already proven itself at two locations.
The original Haru sushi restaurant opened on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 1995. Haru's success, fueled by a combination of excellent quality and reasonable prices, led to the opening of a second location in 1998. Today, there are eight Haru locations that feature a distinctive atmosphere and menu that appeals to sushi enthusiasts and all who enjoy fine dining.
In 2002, Benihana acquired the RA Sushi restaurants. The experience is subtly sexy and energetic with a hip ambience and a young, playful staff. Today, there are 25 locations spanning from CA to FL.
