Benihana Shares Plan to Open Two New Locations in Mid-Michigan

Benihana is coming to Mid-Michigan, with plans to open two new restaurants in the Tri-Cities.

The Japanese teppanyaki and sushi restaurant chain currently operates three stores, all located in the Metro Detroit area. Benihana is currently in Troy, Farmington Hills, and Dearborn. The expansion will bring Benihana a little farther north, as they plan to open restaurants in Midland and Saginaw.

Benihana will take over the current Genji restaurants, one on S. Saginaw Road in Midland and the location on Bay Road in Saginaw. According to Michigan Banner, the Midland location will be over 6,800 square feet with 12 Teppanyaki tables and the Saginaw location will be over 9,100 square feet, featuring 16 Teppanyaki tables.

According to Cision, Benihana has nearly a 90 percent brand recognition score nationwide and serves about 15 millions guests each year in its 103 locations.

Tom Baldwin is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Benihana. He says the Midland/Saginaw expansion is part of a growth plan that also includes Texas, California, and Florida.

 "We strive to create great guest memories and are excited to continue to execute our growth plan with the addition of these six new restaurants this fall/winter," Baldwin said. "All six markets are strong performers for our current restaurants in Houston, South Florida, Detroit Metro and Southern California. We are always working on new locations for our Benihana and RA Sushi brands throughout the U.S.  These are exciting times for our Company as we aggressively pursue many new growth opportunities."

The new Michigan restaurants are expected to open this fall.