How many Benihana restaurants does Benihana own and operate directly or through wholly-owned subsidiaries in the United States?
Benihana Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
We, directly and through wholly-owned subsidiaries, currently own and operate 69 BENIHANA Restaurants in the United States. In addition, as of the issuance date of this Disclosure Document, we have licensed and franchised unaffiliated parties to operate a total of 11 open and operating BENIHANA Restaurants, seven in the United States and four in international locations. We have also signed franchise agreements for one additional location in the United States that has not yet opened for business and that we anticipate will open in the current fiscal year. Also, as of the date of this Disclosure Document, we have signed concession licenses allowing the sale of BENIHANA branded products at five
Source: Item 1 — THE FRANCHISOR, ITS PARENTS, PREDECESSORS, AND AFFILIATES (FDD pages 8–12)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Benihana's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, Benihana directly and through wholly-owned subsidiaries, owns and operates 69 Benihana restaurants in the United States. In addition to these company-owned locations, Benihana has also franchised or licensed a total of 11 open and operating Benihana restaurants. Seven of these franchised locations are in the United States, while the other four are located internationally. There is also one additional franchised location in the United States that has been signed but has not yet opened for business, with an anticipated opening in the current fiscal year.
Furthermore, Benihana has concession licenses allowing the sale of Benihana branded products at five event-based locations within stadiums and arenas in the United States. These concession licenses are distinct from the full-service franchised restaurants and represent a different operational model for the brand.
For a prospective franchisee, this information provides insight into the scale of Benihana's corporate operations versus its franchised operations within the United States. It also shows that Benihana is continuing to expand its franchise network, with at least one new location planned for the near future. The existence of concession licenses also indicates alternative entry points into the Benihana brand, although these would likely involve a different set of operational requirements and investment levels compared to a full-service restaurant franchise.