Benihana — Restaurant in Maple Grove

I waited to write my review because I completed the restaurant's survey regarding our experience and I would have taken their response into consideration, but they chose not to respond which adds even more negativity to our experience. I will add that a woman who was sitting at the end of the table with the other half of our party commented on the service that our table was experiencing and the amount of time we had to wait. She wrote a review that same evening. The food was good, after waiting an hour for our chef to come out. The service, however, was horrible. Our party of 12 was separated into 2 tables because the max at each table is 10. The two additional were children sitting on laps, but when they explained it was for safety we understood. The waitress said she would have the chef's come out at the same time, or as close as possible, so that all of our party could eat together. My sister and her fiance decided that the two of them would split a meal. Apparently they frown on this and they're not afraid to shame you for it because after the waitress put our order in she decided to come out and explain to them how she was doing them a favor and making a consideration for them this time. When I complained to the manager about the way the waitress came out and spoke to them, she rolled her eyes at me and told me that we affected their business because our party was a party of 12 instead of 18 as originally planned. Apparently this means that the wait staff can be rude. To make this worse, an our went by and some of our party was finishing up their meal and the rest of us were still waiting on our chef. I asked the waitress what was going on and told her I was not very happy with the amount of time we had been waiting or the rude service we had been getting. For the amount of money you pay to eat there, and the fact that gratuity is automatically added to your bill, I don't expect the staff to be so unpleasant and rude or to have to wait an hour to eat when there was hardly anyone in the restaurant when we arrived. The waitress told me it was unlikely they could do anything but she would ask. We were getting up to walk out the door when our chef finally came out. The rest of our party had left. After we finally received our check, we went to the front to pay and spoke with the manager. When we asked if there was anything they could do about the service we received, the manager explained that because one of the children in our party didn't like their milkshake we had been compensated enough. Oh, and a member of our party who had already eaten, paid, and left had sent back a beverage he didn't care for as well so there was nothing more they were willing to do. I thought that was just good customer service? The next time I will bring my money to Osaka where the service is pleasant and customers are treated the way...

Expect a hurried, expensive, turnstile experience. Food was tasty, hot and of good quality as I've experienced in the past. Chef was skilled with his presentation and cooking, albeit with a bit too much butter for our taste.

I understand a sit-down restaurant is all about turnover. Wait staff - who are already getting an extra, hefty gratuity which you don't see until the bill - need their tips. We went as part of a birthday celebration (2 others at the table were also celebrating), and it was unnecessarily, rudely, RUSHED. Server got orders, drinks and any help we needed. Basic expectations for the price point. Server plugged the Benihana app (awkwardly named, "Friends With Benefits"), with discounts you get after registering for your NEXT dine-in experience.

Food courses are HUGE, as one expects for teppanyaki: Rice, veg, soup, etc.. Everyone had the same approximate portions. My date ate slow, knew most of it was leftovers, and while she was still finishing the birthday ice cream, the server rushed up with take-out boxes/totes and asked if we wanted to see the bill. Elapsed time: About 10 minutes after the chef had finished and cleaned up. We just dropped almost $200 on a 2-person meal and they couldn't rush us out the door fast enough.

Manager came up specifically to ask about the service just as everyone was packing up their food and I did not want to make a scene with my date about, "gee such a good meal, it was almost over before it started!" so we left. By contrast a week prior we had dinner at a larger chain during a busy Friday night, sat there for 4 hours talking and had a wonderful experience; waiter didn't bug us once about wrapping it up for the next customer.

After a half-dozen dine-in outings over the last month I'm seeing this as an unpleasant trend in the Twin Cities. Higher prices are understood, but restaurants - who complained bitterly in the press about profit loss and closures during COVID - nevertheless have no problem taking your money and rushing you out the door before the food is even cold. In a social setting, where you're spending a good amount of $$ and time with friends/family, the hurried, blatantly rude atmosphere completely ruins the experience. It disinclines you to patronize any of their locations even...

Went to Maple Grove location to celebrate my son’s birthday. My husband and I traveled here from Texas for this special occasion. As much as I would like to say that we had a very pleasant experience, it was contrary to that. Following is a listing of issues we encountered as a party of nine: • Upon arrival we were refused seating until 2 other guests arrived. After their arrival your staff went back and forth as to where to seat us. • The waitress was constantly forgetting to bring items asked for to our table and continually made mistakes with the orders. • I informed her that I was vegan and was still given portions that contained meat/eggs. • At many points during our visit myself or other persons from our party had to leave the table to find our waitress or someone to assist us with getting utensils, refills, plates, etc. Mind you the restaurant was by no means crowded. There were only two other tables being serviced in our area. • When I lived in Minnesota (6 years ago), my family and I frequented your establishment quite often. When asked for a suggested location for my son’s celebration I raved at all the wonderful experiences I’d had there in the past. What I saw at this visit was beyond incomprehensible: o The staff was not friendly and even seemed bothered/put out by our presence. o The floors and other areas were dirty and unkept. o The beautiful and bright environment I remember was no longer there. Everything looked old and worn. o Part of my order was the vegetable tempura, and it was horrible! Instead of flaky and crispy it was barely warm and soggy. o Every person in my party was shocked at the total price versus the quality/quantity of food. Not to mention the excessive add-on’s: Service charge, food tax tax, Bev tax and food tax service charge tax.

I contacted the establishment and received a response in the form of an apology and a statement that the manager would be sending me a gift certificate. After numerous emails to management stating that I had not received it she (Tamara Walberg) no longer responded. Today I am sending a letter to corporate as well as this review. (June 3-July 4, 2023 still nothing). Her discontinuance of communication with me only adds insult to injury and is shameful...