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Inside one of the most overcrowded shopping centers in Chicago there sits two restaurants side by side – The Cheesecake Factory (TCF) and Benihana Japanese Steakhouse.
I have been to TCF only once in my life during a field trip to metro Detroit during my youth. I specifically remember enjoying the cheesecake and found the menu to be incredibly expansive, almost to the point of being overwhelming, but TCF doesn’t really enter my line of thinking unless I’m listening to that Drake song where he mentions getting in a fight with his girlfriend over cajun jambalaya pasta and Shepherd’s Pie.
I’m speculating on what Drake would order at a TCF, but he seems like the type of guy who would enjoy some Shepherd’s Pie, and I can’t blame him for it. That shit is delicious, but I’m getting off track here.
Benihana, much like TCF, is another restaurant that does not take up a whole lot of space in my brain. Rappers have an odd infatuation with the joint, and I seem to remember there being a short scene in The Wolf of Wall Street that takes place there, but I had never sat down at one and had a meal before a few weeks ago.
If I’m being honest, my expectations going in (especially to a location that sits in the heart of downtown Chicago) were not very high. The clientele inside of the place was almost all overweight tourists, that class of people who stays downtown at a Holiday Inn Express and doesn’t experience any sort of culture during their trip.
They had their brand new Cubs apparel on with shopping bags from the Water Tower and it’s really not difficult to tell a tourist from a person who lives in the city. Lots of families and older couples who inexplicably chose a chain restaurant on their vacation instead of opting for a locally owned spot in a more eclectic neighborhood. But that’s their prerogative, not mine.
I was there on a balmy July evening to celebrate a friend’s birthday who had chosen Benihana for two reasons – one being that we had a group of 12 and the other that he thought it would be funny in an ironic sort of way to go to this place. The novelty of a Japanese steakhouse is that you’re usually eating with strangers, but because we had such a large group we had our own table in the back of restaurant. We sat there with our sake bombs anxiously awaiting the chef.
He arrived with a rolling tray, much like a surgeon who has just been scrubbed and prepped to do something invasive. I was two sake bombs deep and feeling loopy, nearly in the drunken sweet spot where everything is awesome. After taking our orders, he began the evening with the patented Benihana shrimp flick. Most of us were too drunk by this point to catch shrimp in our mouths, but the chef didn’t care.
He just kept flipping them towards us, sometimes sending one or two into a hole in his hat and wowing the entire table. The precision and skill that these Benihana chefs operate is something to marvel at. I mean I can’t imagine having to be “on” like that for an entire evening, never mind just serving one group. Over and over again these guys are expected to do ridiculous culinary trickery and they rarely miss. I was watching around me and every single table was in the same wide-eyed stupor.
These guys are showmen of the highest order, firing up onion towers, flipping sauces, twirling kitchen instruments and slathering deliciious butter on massive pallets of chicken fried rice.
Before the show had started, I captioned an Instagram story with the following “Welcome to Benihana – the Hooters of hibachi.” Our chef for the evening must have been one of my followers because he proved me so, so wrong. I ate my words that evening. To say that I left impressed would be an understatement, and while Benihana does get the unfortunate tag of “chain restaurant,” I can assure you that it is far superior to any other chain you’ve been to. The showmanship, the food, the sake bombs – it’s all part of a wonderful experience that you can’t get at a Cheesecake Factory, Twin Peaks, or Outback Steakhouse. These chefs are dialed in night in and night out, and I’m already looking forward to the next time I have the pleasure of dining out at that tourist trap in downtown Chicago. First sake bomb is on me if anyone wants to join..
Image via Youtube
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jduda@grandex.co
People forget that Steve Aoki’s dad founded Benihana. Discovered that on a documentary I watched during a hungover Sunday
Forget? This is news to me lol
I truly enjoy this place. Austin has a glaring lack of hibachi and it’s becoming a problem.
Liquid assets are one of the key indicators of whether or not a prospective licensee is capable of financing a full-size Benihana restaurant. We recommend liquid assets of at least $800,000 per unit as a basis for pursuing in-depth feasibility discussions. Based upon our most recent openings, the minimum initial investment to open a typical freestanding domestic Benihana restaurant, excluding real property is $3.0 million. A substantial portion of this cost can normally be financed through traditional sources, depending on the licensee’s financial soundness. However, Benihana does not provide any financing to its licensees, nor will it guarantee any note, lease or other documents executed by licensee.
The total required investment in a Benihana restaurant also varies, depending on the licensee’s real estate arrangement (lease or purchase). Benihana has no financial involvement in the real estate, but provides experienced counseling in site selection/development and reserves the right to approve all proposed locations. The actual selection, purchase or leasing of the site is the licensee’s responsibility.
Typical costs for a Benihana restaurant license fee
The initial fee per license issued is $40,000 per Domestic Franchise. The fee structure in South/Central America (excluding Mexico) or the Caribbean will depend on the country.
The initial fee covers the issuance of the license, as well as helping to defray the costs and expenses of Benihana in connection with our assistance and supervision in site selection, construction and improvements, opening of the restaurant, training, enforcement and protection of trademarks and costs incidental to locating sources of supply.
Cost of construction
The approximate cost to build and equip a typical freestanding Benihana restaurant in a suburban market is between $3.1 million and $3.9 million.. The building size would be approximately 7,000 square feet. A restaurant this size is a self-contained unit and will provide the following facilities:
Dining Capacity – 16 hibachi tables – seating 128 patrons
Beverage Capacity – bar 20 patrons, lounge 70 patrons
Service bar and kitchen preparation and pantry area
Storage facilities for food, beverage and supply items
Employee locker rooms
Sanitary facilities for employees and guest
Office
Mechanical room
Equipment and fixtures
The approximate cost for all equipment and fixtures necessary for the opening and operation of a Benihana restaurant is $400,000 and $500,000.. A portion of the equipment and fixtures is to be purchased from designated suppliers and the balance must conform to our specifications. A complete list of necessary equipment and fixtures will be provided.
Inventory
Initial inventory includes all items needed to open a restaurant such as food, beverages (alcoholic and otherwise), china, glassware, paper supplies, uniforms etc. and usually cost approximately $35,000..
Insurance
Approximate cost of obtaining insurance coverage is $40,000.. Benihana will furnish an analysis of types of insurance required, together with the customary deductions and estimated annual premiums. Please note payment terms are sometimes available from the insurance carrier for the payment of premiums.
Working capital and reserve fund
Working capital of $150,000. should cover the estimated cost for all pre-opening expenses, such as legal fees, salaries and security deposits, in addition to any unforeseen expenses.
Liquor license
It is not possible for Benihana to give accurate figures on what a liquor license would cost in your city or country. We encourage you to contact the proper authorities to see what the procedures are to obtaining a liquor license. Keep in mind some jurisdictions are no longer issuing licenses.
Right.
RIP HB Steakhouse in Houston, local hibachi that had been open for 20-ish years. Sunday 12.99 lunch special for shrimp, filet steak, fried rice, soup, salad, and an iced tea is what God intended when he created humans.
Hibachi Sunday brunch is undefeated against my hangovers.
I’ve been craving Benihana for the last month and this article just multiplied that craving
Oh hell yeah. We’re doing a big lunch outing with some people in my office next month, and everyone unanimously voted to go to Benihana.
I created an account just to say unless you were a youth in 2013, when Michigan got its first and only Cheesecake Factory, you are a liar.
I mean it very well could have been a different restaurant…but i specifically remember eating cheesecake on a field trip to the d and I could have sworn it was a tcf. Also, in the context of this article does it really fucking matter?
I’ll tell you what: I’m never eating at Benihana again. I don’t care whose birthday it is.
Probably not the best place for a self described introvert
I guess Duda’s not the only one having trouble remembering the Wolf of Wall Street reference.
Side note: I have had the jambalaya pasta at TCF and it is absolute trash.
Feels like you’re reading my mind…I was JUST talking about Benihana and how much I’m craving it