MIAMI, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Benihana San
Francisco has added a sushi bar and remodeled its cocktail lounge
to perfectly complement its long-standing tradition of flashing
knives and sizzling steaks in the Teppanyaki dining room.
The new full-service sushi bar offers a wide array of savory
nigiri, temaki and maki rolls as well as several innovative items
from their new lounge menu. Guests can dine at the eight-seat sushi
counter and interact with their sushi chef, or they may opt for
appetizers or an entire meal in the spacious 64-seat cocktail
lounge.
"We are thrilled to unveil the exciting new look at Benihana San
Francisco. People are discovering that we now have a destination
lounge instead of simply a waiting area. Not only is it a great
place for drinks and dinner after work, but it's a perfect dining
choice for a delicious and healthy lunch," said Phil Andre, general manager of Benihana San
Francisco.
To conceptualize and execute the redesign, Benihana partnered
with Innovation & Design in Architecture (IDA), a full service
architectural design firm comprised of award-winning architects and
designers.
"Our intent was to create energy, excitement and synergy between
the sushi bar, cocktail lounge and Teppanyaki dining room," said
Joshua Cool, president of IDA.
"The existing lounge was redesigned with the focus on a very
dynamic central 'U'-shaped cocktail bar. The bar is wrapped in wood
with granite counter top, and a lowered bar soffit to give it
over-riding presence and allow it to take center stage in the
lounge," said Cool.
Once inside guests are greeted at a contemporary reception desk
featuring bold colors and a clean line representative of Japanese
simplicity. A Maneki Neko, or good fortune cat, welcomes
guests upon their arrival.
"IDA relocated the host stand between the two entries for a more
balanced and unified waiting area. The burnished red tile back
focal wall is symbolic of the rising sun," said Cool.
A Japantown landmark for over 30 years, Benihana San Francisco
is located just steps from the famous Peace Plaza Memorial which
daily draws tourists and locals alike. Diners may enter Benihana
from Post St. or from within the Kintetsu Mall, a mecca for the
flavors, sights and sounds of Asia
in the heart of San Francisco's
Japanese-American community.
Benihana San Francisco offers Happy Hour every Monday through
Thursday from 4-7 p.m. in the sushi
bar and lounge. Sake, beer, wine and specialty cocktails are
available starting at $2. The Happy
Hour menu boasts specials on sushi and other small bites, including
new and distinctively-styled dishes such as sashimi ceviche, crispy
spicy tuna, chili shrimp roll and Benihana fish tacos.
Benihana's traditional Teppanyaki dining room features 20
hibachi grills where guests are seated communal style before
performing chefs. Steak, chicken, seafood and vegetables are cooked
to sizzling perfection in the tradition that has made Benihana a
legend.
For more information, visit www.benihana.com.
About Benihana
Headquartered in Miami, Benihana
Inc. (NASDAQ GS: BNHN) is the nation's leading operator of Japanese
theme and sushi restaurants with 95 restaurants nationwide,
including 62 Benihana restaurants, eight Haru sushi restaurants and
25 RA Sushi restaurants. In addition, 16 franchised Benihana
restaurants are operating in the United
States, Latin America and
the Caribbean. To learn more about
Benihana Inc. and its three restaurant concepts, please view the
corporate video at
www.benihana.com/about/video.
SOURCE Benihana Inc.