Benihana Announces Sept. 29 Opening Date In Temecula, 1st In RivCo

TEMECULA, CA — The official opening date of a new Benihana restaurant in Temecula — the first in Riverside County — was announced Thursday.

The Japanese teppanyaki and sushi restaurant at 26420 Ynez Road at the Promenade Temecula mall will open Sept. 29, according to the company. The more than 8,000-square-foot building is the former location of the shuttered Souplantation restaurant.

Tom Baldwin, CEO and president of Benihana, called Temecula "the perfect community" for the nationwide eatery.

"This is our first Benihana in Riverside County and our 12th in Southern California, so we couldn’t be more excited to welcome our Temecula friends and neighbors to celebrate with us as we open our doors to our iconic dining experience," he said.

The new Benihana features a cocktail bar, lounge and 21 teppanyaki tables.

For those who have never experienced a Benihana outing or a teppanyaki restaurant, food and show are married. The company explains it this way:

"At a teppanyaki restaurant, guests are seated around a large, flat grill surface and watch as the chef cooks the food and sometimes performs culinary tricks to add to the entertainment value of the dining experience."

Benihana was founded in 1964 in New York City by "Rocky" Aoki. Legend has it that during the 1960s celebs like the Beatles and Muhammad Ali — along with a well-read food critic — helped propel the restaurant into the stratosphere of the NYC food scene.

“At Benihana, it's not just a meal. It’s a one-of-a-kind personal experience that our guests love and remember," said Lisa Merelo, general manager of Benihana Temecula. "We love connecting with each of our guests to create lifelong memories with families and friends."

To kick off its Temecula foray, Benihana will host a charity lunch on October 1 at the restaurant to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the company.

For more information about Benihana, visit www.benihana.com.