Benihana — Restaurant in Milwaukee

First off I like to apologize/appreciate my family/friends of 17 who came far and beyond to come celebrate my wedding post dinner H.Harris,E Harris,J Harris, J Harris, J Harris ,J Harris M, golenbski A hiddens, J effert, W Terrell, T meclland, C smith sr, c smith jr, T smith , N Santiago J Cunningham,D rosario what a disaster from the beginning to the very end manger Ashley and I talk for 2 weeks about how special this day will be for us she explain to me a party of that size will be charge 25 dollars a head If they dont show up for them setting the table I said ok I understand I made sure to tell my family/friends dinner at 6 even tho Ashley and I plan for 615 at 6 05 i tell the hostess we are all here 620 still no sitting 640 I ask 2 speak to the manger at the time manger not Ashley comes out the back frustrated and try 2 blame us as his staff was unorganized and said he Had to wait on his chefs a big problem/but not a problem now its 705 we getting to our seat 2 habitachi tables 1 server ask what we will like to drink some had water/ drinks that took forever because she was only carrying 2 at a time water we never got untill 1 member in my party went to the same manger I talk to early about why the hold up from the beginning now the mad manger is mad even more at his staff so he's passing out water to our guest (big problem/but not a problem) guest at my second habitachi table didnt even have there salads or soup or drinks before the chef at table 1 was ready to cook our food so I ask chef can he wait to cook. the waiter took our food orders at the first hibachi table my guest request no onions in her rice with something else she didnt care for the chef cook the rice as a whole and started picking out the stuff in front of us that she requested not to be in her rice from the beginning my guest like I'm not eating that so. Our chef calls out to our server even the server points out to the cook no onions on his order taken form so now the server goes away and comes back with rice that is cook to her liking but wasn't cook in front of us so we are all puzzled on were this rice came from because this is a habitachi grill were they cook in front of u (Right) wrong server went down stairs and came back with rice until I figure out I guess when they mess up food orders they cook it elsewhere( big problem/but not a problem several people at my table including me had rocky choice and ask for chicken to be spicy it was stated on our order from as well are chef plated (me) already cook rocky choice (chicken) squirted out of a red ketchup bottle thick red sauce pretty sure it was the spicy sauce on my plate but it wasnt even cook into our chicken (big problem but not a problem) because he didn't get a chance to plate the others now I'm puzzled table 2 had some issue as well pretty much the same as table 1 but lesser of degree I'm trying to keep cool on how dissatisfied on the service and the lack of leadership from manager when things was plan out in advance took my credit card information prior to me setting up reservation because I had a party of that size so i pulled the manger not Ashley to the side and explain how dissatisfied I am on my special day explain why it was important to me I kept telling him the things I was dissatisfied with from the beginning to the end he offered to take 20 dollars of the meal and that's was all he can do first I had a party of 17 who had free range to order whatever they want because that's how special that day was for us we will cover whatever the bill is so the money was never the issue a sincere apology to us/and my guest would did us wonders didnt get that from him so at this time he had enough and so did I ask to speak to his boss he said he is you need to take it to corporate so I ask can I have that information so now I go from one area talking to him to the cashier area to pay he hands the information I requested from him to my server his lack of compassion for RESERVATION was truly felt by myself and guest I could go on but I...

Our experience at Benihana Milwaukee was, to put it lightly, a dumpster fire with a side of overcooked steak. For context, my wife and I are Benihana regulars - birthdays, celebrations, the works. We’ve had great experiences at other locations. But this? This was a two plus-hour test of patience and bad management decisions.

We reserved two tables for 16 people - 8 adults and 8 kids (6 under 6, and 2 high-chair commandos). I personally called ahead to confirm they could handle this circus and was reassured everything would be smooth. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. We showed up at 5 PM, right when they opened, only to wait outside like groupies for the doors to unlock. Once inside, we were told to wait another 15 minutes for our tables. Okay, fine. Then the manager asked us to sit by families to "help with splitting checks." Logical. Except the servers then announced they don’t split checks. Um, what? After a back-and-forth, they reluctantly agreed, looking like we’d just asked them to perform open-heart surgery.

Drinks were ordered, but our server vanished like Houdini. Table 2 got their drinks, food, and a chef while we sat twiddling our chopsticks. Twenty minutes later, my toddler was eyeing the grill like she might climb on and cook herself. I asked about our chef and was told, “We only have two, and one’s with another party.” After more prodding, a third chef magically appeared - where was he hiding? The freezer? The manager came by to apologize, offering free drinks (to our table with 5 kids!) or apps, but we just wanted food. We did ask for chicken tenders for my 1.5 year old.

When the chef did arrive, he seemed like a last-minute hire. Nervous, fumbling, and clearly unprepared, he had to keep raiding other carts for supplies. My wife and I ordered hibachi steak medium. He cooked it perfectly, then proceeded to keep cooking it until it was chewy enough to patch a tire. My wife had to step in and tell him to stop before it turned to charcoal. He also forgot our daughter’s entire meal, which we ended up canceling because, honestly, why pay $20 for a thin chicken breast with no rice or vegetables?

Meanwhile, table 2 finished their meal, complete with birthday ice cream for my dad, who was serenaded alone while the rest of us sat there starving. A family photo? Not until I asked the manager directly because our server kept dodging the request. And the ketchup for the chicken tenders? It had to be "ordered from downstairs" and arrived in an overflowing ramekin 15 minutes later, as if mocking us for even asking.

By the time we got our food, table 2 had been done so long they could’ve gone home, taken a nap, and come back to pick us up. In fact, my sister and her family did leave, which meant my parents sat alone at the other table and watched us eat having long finished their own meals. As for us, the shrimp appetizer came last, because why not. And surprise, one wasn’t cleaned. The chef cleaned the grill before cooking our noodles, remembered them too late, and tossed them on when we were ready to pack up leftovers (they were delicious though!). Drinks weren’t refilled until the bill was requested.

My parents really enjoyed their steak and chicken. My one sister absolutely loved the spicy tofu and my BIL loved the spicy chicken. My other sister and BIL loved their steaks. The kids enjoyed their kids' meal California rolls. Everyone thought the fried rice was great.

To the servers' and chef’s credit, they were clearly overwhelmed, and I don’t blame them for this disaster. The fault lies squarely with management, who should’ve known they were understaffed and warned us upfront. We would’ve happily changed plans instead of celebrating two birthdays in shifts with 8 cranky kids.

The manager did comp the tenders and gave one table (not the other) a 20% discount. Nice gesture, but it didn’t erase the chaos. The food was tasty but nowhere near worth the drama or the price.

Save yourself the headache—skip Benihana Milwaukee. Other locations know how to make a birthday fun. This one barely managed to...

A word to the wise. Never step foot in this establishment if you want to be treated with civility. Never step foot in this establishment if you want to be treated like a human being. I have never in my 27 years been denigrated and demeaned in such an abhorrent manner. I came to this restaurant with my friend who is from New York. She was elated for this-and so was I to try something new. Upon our arrival, we were seated and we both proceeded to order one of their specialty drinks. All seemed fine as our drinks were served and we watched the chefs amusing display. In the midst of this, I glanced down at my drink and noted to my utter dismay that there was sting of hair muddled beneath the ice and froth. I asked my friend to verify it, as the waitress had already made it clear that any extra effort on her part would be a strenuous endeavor. Once the hair was verified I asked to send it back. She with clear annoyance departed, but not before acknowledging herself that the strand of hair was indeed in my drink. Moments later a woman sauntered over to our table with my drink in hand. She hovered over me and asked me to show her where the hair was. Although taken aback, I leaned in to show her. Surprise surprise, there was no hair to be seen and I could see my drink had been churned and tampered with. The lady, who was older and seemed to be one of the managers, began to speak to me in an accusatory manner, insinuating that I must be trying to run some scam on them to try to get free drinks. Appalled, I informed her that not only did my friend see it, the strangers seated next to us did as well. Even the waitress did! But that was not enough for her as she began to raise her voice saying if I wanted another drink they would charge me for it because my drink was almost done. I'm sorry but when I go to a restaurant I don't expect to thoroughly inspect my food or drinks for hairs or other bodily fluids. I just assume that's the standard sanitary thing to expect. She began abrasively asking me if I wanted to be charged for the additional drink, to which I readily said no. With a flippant attitude she walked away. Everyone at our table was baffled. I then asked the waitress to give me the name of the woman who had just accosted me and the waitress said she herself would bring me a notecard with the woman's name. To my disbelief the woman re-approached the table and thrust a note card at me, confrontationally hissing her full name. I promptly took the note card and put it in my bag. By now everyone at my table was apologizing profusely to me, that I was being treated I'm such am abhorrent manner. Utterly disgusted I lost my appetite and could not eat the salty overcooked meal before me. As I pushed my meal aside, my friend could not have been more apologetic and mortified for what turned out to be a nightmarish experience.. To add insult to injury, the unpleasant woman made a point to stand at the booth in close proximity to to our table, glaring at me the whole time, unequivocally unapologetic for her uncalled for and unseemly behavior. The couple next to me inquired if it had anything to do with the fact that I am black, an observation I refute. I think it has everything to do with their sheer lack of customer service skills and total disregard for their customers. They have no respect for their customers, and they made that resoundingly clear throughout the night. The kind couple informed me based on what they witnessed they would not be returning, a fact my friend and I vehemently conceded with. Oh and get this, they had the nerve to charge me for the drink riddled with hair. I had to flag down another manager and let him know that because of her uncalled for behavior, the night was marred by all who witnessed it. All over a 9 dollar drink. Good luck with this place. To pay 30 dollars for meal that was frankly, not good at all, all while being treated like a thieving degenerate was preposterous and insulting on every level. I for one, will never step foot in that...