Benihana

Benihana (Japanese: 紅花; "Safflower") is a chain of Japanese restaurants. Originally founded by Yunosuke Aoki as a cafe in Tokyo in 1945, Benihana spread to the United States in 1964 when his son Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki opened its first restaurant in New York City. Benihana Inc., based in Aventura, Florida, owns 68 Japanese teppanyaki restaurants, including its flagship Benihana Teppanyaki brand, and 12 more franchises in the United States, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Additionally, it owns one Samurai restaurant and 19 RA Sushi restaurants in the United States. It is one of the largest Asian restaurant chains in the United States by sales. Benihana was acquired by One Group, parent company of the STK and Kona Grill chains, in February 2024 for $365 million. Benihana introduced the teppanyaki restaurant concept which originated in Japan in the late 1940s to the United States, and later to other countries. The original Benihana location in Tokyo is part of Benihana Inc. (株式会社 紅花), a Japanese company, which also owns the Benihana Building in Nihonbashi and the Aoki Tower in Ginza.