Manahawkin Fuji72 Hibachi & Sushi — Restaurant in Stafford Township

We had an AWFUL experience at this restaurant! We came on Friday night expecting to have a wonderful Hibachi dinner experience but everything went downhill just because the server didn’t write my order correctly. I told her that I wanted to have Hibachi Fillet Mignon and Scallop. However, after the Hibachi show, the chef also put Shrimp on my plate on top of those two items. I explained to him that I didn’t order shrimp. He raised his voice at me and showed a little paper that had the server’s handwritten note about everyone’s order, and that I supposed to have shrimp based on that note.

Eventually the manager, two other servers and the chef had a “meeting” regarding that little mishap, they talked quite loudly too, right in front of our Hibachi table, which I thought was very unprofessional.

The server then approached me and said to me that I ordered the shrimp. I told her I never even said the word shrimp. My husband heard me too when I told her my order, that’s why he was surprised when the chef put shrimp on my plate. Furthermore, the combination of shrimp, fillet mignon and scallop was not listed in the menu. Why would I order anything that was not even in the menu. The server then told me not too worry, she’d “take care” of it.

She came back five minutes later to tell me that since I hadn’t ordered the shrimp, she would remove it from my plate. Even though I was shocked when I heard that, I told her yes she was welcomed to do that, to prove my point that I really didn’t order the shrimp. Not long after, she came back with a small plate and a fork, and SCRAPED THE SHRIMP OUT OF MY PLATE while I was eating. I reminded her that each hibachi order came with two pieces of shrimp, and she said, oh yes you could keep two of the shrimp. Our family wasn’t the only one who was shocked by the horrible treatment that we received that night. The other party on our Hibachi table shook their head as the server did that and called her action as “STUPID”. I personally lost my appetite and didn’t go through with my meal. This is a rudeness on another level.

The manager came to the table not to rectify the issue, but to defend their action. Stating that the chef had repeated the order of each person on the table to confirm it was correct. First of all, the restaurant was very noisy and second, the chef was standing behind the Hibachi Table so it was difficult to hear what he was saying. As long as I heard the word Fillet Mignon and Scallop, I just nodded because I didn’t quite understand anything else he said.

We came here with an intention to have a nice family dinner, not to steal a couple pieces of shrimp from them.

This is our first time eating in this restaurant, thinking we could be regular customers every time we visit LBI. But after how this place treated us, we definitely would never come back to this place or recommend this...

TLDR: Aside from the great placement and choice of greenery, the outside could use an uplift such as a new coat of paint, however, the inside is really nice! Food was great and staff was courteous. Recommended for sure.

Quality of Food: Cooking times varied for both plates that were ordered at my table, so one was hot and fresh from the oil while the other was simply warm. Otherwise both were delicious and I was able to request different sauces to dip my tempura in. I have been told that the quality of food form the kitchen is greater than that of the hibachi grills. So you may be sacrificing quality for a show if you choose to sit at the hibachi tables. In my experience we received our dishes from the kitchen and sat at a booth.

Quality of Service: Hostess was welcoming although a bit brief and straight to the point. The waitresses that serviced our table were both very courteous and kind. I believe one was being trained but it did not interfere with the service provided. Drinks were kept full and we were asked if everything was okay at the appropriate times and intervals. They were able to accommodate any requests I had and answer any questions about the food.

Environment & Ambiance: The front of the building is really nice, but any other side where you park is not so great to look at. It could use a remodel or at least a fresh coat of paint. It is a Japanese hibachi grill yet I'm pretty sure it had Chinese décor on the outside (although I am no expert). However, comparatively the inside is very well decorated. It has undergone some renovations since it has been passed down from restaurant to restaurant and it was very neat and clean. While nothing really fit the Japanese narrative (such as décor or music), it was still a very nice place to sit down and look around. The sushi bar was closed and seemed to be used for storage at the time but I'm sure It was also due to current conditions. We were spaced adequately away from other customers and the staff wore masks properly. Tables seemed to be sanitized and clean.

Pricing and Concerns: Prices were average for the service and environment provided. Running approximately $$-$$$ dependent on your party size. Portions are more than fair and quality was above average. For my first attentive visit, I have no major concerns. Only a little disappointed in the lack of Japanese décor and ambiance.

Comment and Recommendation: This is a great place to bring a date or have dinner with the family (pending current conditions of the year 2020 - of course). They are taking adequate precautions for health safety and just as well provide above average service. I...

A friend and I decided to try Fuji 72 Hibachi. We were seated immediately. It was a large seating area around the Hibachi cooking area. There was a family of 4 seated already. They placed us all together all on one side and corner. So much room, but not for us. The chef was great. We gave him 20.00 tip. Why? He was great and the food was great. This is where the greatness ended. We had two people that appeared to be servers. The young man came by for drinks in the beginning and again at the end of the dinner to get the bill. The woman gave us our salad and soup. Halfway through the hibachi show she took the soup and salads away. My friend was not done, she reached completely over me when no one was on the other side of my friend to get her uneaten salad. Didn't even ask of she was done, just took my dishes and put on top of the untouched salad. Now, once the chef was done with the show and handing out the food, the woman returned giving us our to-go boxes. Then she returns almost immediately with the bills. I continued to eat since I just got my food from the chef and she comes back looking to take payment. She walked away with the other families bill and upon return checked for mine again. So I gave it to her. She returns very fast. I take my card and sign the receipt. The other family was leaving and said they have NEVER been so rushed out of a resturant before. My friend was leaving a cash tip and didn't have a chance to reach into her wallet and the woman comes back and takes the check. Opens the folder and turns to us and says ... Tip? We said that we are leaving cash tip. She puts the bill folder back on the table and walks away. Now we gave the chef 20. We put 5 in her bill folder due to the lack of customer service and not letting us actually eat. But the total tip for the night was 25.00 on a 75.00 bill. Once my friend put the 5 in the bill folder, the young man came back and opened it, took out the 5.00 and turned to us questioning the tip. We told him that is it. He gives it to the previous woman who Now gets some other woman, maybe a supervisor. She stops us when we were leaving, shows us the bill with the tip percentage. We told her we tipped the chef directly. That is the servers tip. She attempted to continue the discussion, but we left. Final assessment: Good food, Horrible and very rude service. Takeout may be better. Never going back for resturant. It would be 1 star if it was not...