Benihana There Are Several Differences

Benihana

There are several differences between the Benihana production process and that of a typical restaurant. The location is different, which also means that the work of cooking is not shared. Each chef is responsible for a table, rather than a specific set of dishes. The process is simple as well -- there is little variation in the menu and the production process is essentially the same for each dish. There is a minimal amount of equipment used in the Benihana process -- basically just the grill. This contrasts with a typical restaurant which has more varied processes in terms of inputs.

Perhaps most significantly, when Benihana brings the production process to the front of the house they make it part of the service offering. A typical restaurant's chefs only produce food, they do not also produce entertainment. Thus, the role of the chef at Benihana is different from that of a typical restaurant. That the production is simplified facilitates the entertainment portion of the cooking program, in addition to de-mystifying it.

In order to facilitate this, Benihana also undertakes training in-house and sources staff from Japan. A typical restaurant staffs its kitchen with staff off the street or on recommendations from existing staff members. The training process is not as intense and the turnover is considerably higher. Expertise and experience differentiate the production process at Benihana from that of other restaurants.

2) Benihana's operating structure allows for efficiencies in several areas. First, the menu is very limited. This allows for efficiencies in purchasing, since only a handful of products need to be acquired. This allows Benihana to receive preferential treatment and/or discounts from suppliers. With a limited menu, preparation is made more efficient. This reduces the size of the kitchen area and the work of the prep cooks.

The cooking process itself is very streamlined. There is only one means of cooking the food -- on the grill. This allows Benihana to streamline its purchasing of supplies, since the need for pots, ovens, and other equipment is limited. Moreover, it allows the chefs' training process to focus on the show aspect of the food preparation. For each table, the preparation process is going to be basically the same. This makes for a very simple training process in terms of the actual cooking, leaving more opportunity to emphasis the show.

Moreover, because cooking via this method is quick, a Benihana chef can cover several tables in the course of an hour. The rapid production process also allows for the company to turn its tables over more quickly, an advantage when the restaurant is very busy. This increased turnover is one of the main sources of operating efficiency at Benihana, versus a typical restaurant that may only have one lunch and two dinner seatings. The extra seatings that flow from the efficient production methods allow Benihana to generate extra profit from each table in a given night.

3) The Benihana concept is essentially an approachable version of a foreign experience. Note that only 2.2% of survey respondents claimed the differentness of the restaurant to be the highlight. That is the point of Benihana. It's different but not so different that it is going to be unusual or threatening. If it was truly perceived as different, it would not be as popular. The ingredients are familiar and the preparation in non-threatening (nothing raw, for example). Thus, the food is essentially comfort food. The majority of survey respondents stated the food was the reason they came. There is nothing terribly dynamic about the food, but then most consumers do not want dynamic food. The dynamism comes in the at-table preparation, the Japanese staff and the Japanese decor. The concept essentially lends an exotic feeling what is essentially mainstream comfort food (fried meat and vegetables).

That said, if the food did not deliver, people would not return. Thankfully, Benihana's food benefits from being exceptionally fresh, served within seconds of preparation. This is an element of the concept that should not be overlooked -- not just for the novelty of the preparation but for the fact that the end result is very fresh, which gives it an advantage over other restaurant food, which can take minutes to reach the table.