Sumo Hibachi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Wall Township

Over the years, this has been our family spot for Saturday night dinners. I had my kids graduation party here and their 18th birthday party. My son goes to the lunch special hours all the time with work friends over summer wholeness from college. So you can understand my surprise and disappointment with the experience I had yesterday when my son and I went out for a mom/ son lunch date since the snow canceled school ( I am a teacher) and he drove down from Rutgers Thursday night be home for the possible storm. We walked in at 1:20 knowing they close at 3 for a turn over to dinner and figured it was enough time. From the minute we walked in- they seemed to be very annoyed that we were there. The only nice person was the chef. They barely checked on us at a little after 2 they were al siting down eating lunch behind us- with no one barely checking in to see if we needed anything. I let it go- trying to enjoy the time with my son. When they finally came over to see if we were done, I asked if I could put in a sushi order to go for my other son at work. The waiter rolled his eyes and was rude. I guess he wanted to eat his own lunch back at the table with the rest of the staff even though they were open to the public for lunch. I literally turned to my son and said “ he is annoyed we are ordering more food- they have been annoyed with us the whole time- let’s go get it at Whole Foods or somewhere else”. The waiter obviously overheard because in an instant he became very courteous and checked on us more in that last 10 minutes ( paying the bill of course) than they did the whole meal- with a smile. However, I am annoyed that I spent money and was not treated very nicely ( as a frequent customer) and that staff went out of the way to make it obvious they didn’t need nor want our business. We were out of there by 2:30 so it is not like we were hanging out and being one of the is people that linger- my kids used to be waiters in high school so I know first hand how much staff hates that. There were plenty of restaurants open- I was upset I didn’t go somewhere else to feel comfortable and that the money was worth it. If your open for lunch - don’t be annoyed you have customers. If your annoyed - don’t show it to the paying customer. I honestly wanted to leave when I first sat down and saw their attitude but my son was craving Hibatchi. I wanted to talk to the manager but my son didn’t want to take anymore time out of our day- so I let it go. Plan on...

What a mess. Made a reservation for NYE at 6pm, girl who took my information confirmed hibachi twice. Get there, and the manager says my reservation is not for hibachi but a regular table. I explained that I called Sunday and my reservation for hibachi was confirmed to which she replied “impossible! We have been booked for hibachi for weeks!” Very rude. I asked if they could sit us at our table and have hibachi brought over which they refused. I asked the manager how she was going to accommodate us since it was a staff error; she walked away and never came back. Only reason I gave 2 stars is because another staff member came up and told us they could fit us in at a hibachi table at 6:30; she at least tried to remedy the situation. However we never got to eat there because after waiting until 7 (with an infant) the table where we were supposed to sit still had prior party there taking their sweet time. Staff did nothing to move them along. I used to be a loyal customer but no more, not after the way the manager spoke to us. Horrible customer service, don’t tell the customer they are wrong when it was your staff who messed up. Plenty of other hibachi places in the area that speak to their customers...

I’ve been coming to this place for YEARS — birthdays, anniversaries, job promotions, — and every single time I specifically requested Owen. Why? Because Owen wasn’t just a chef — he was the life of the party. He was the reason your tables stayed full and your customers came back. The man could flip a shrimp into a hat, light a fire bigger than my last vacation budget, and STILL cook the best Hibachi I’ve ever had. That’s talent. That’s loyalty. That’s what made this place special.

So imagine my face when I walk in for my birthday dinner and I get told, “Oh, Owen no longer works here.” Excuse me? You fired the heartbeat of your restaurant? For what? Whatever the reason, it was a colossal mistake.

Without Owen, this place is a dumpster fire with dim lighting and soggy rice. The entire experience was hollow and flat — like someone gutted what used to be a good memory and handed me the receipt.To whoever made the decision to let Owen go — congratulations. You just lost a loyal customer, and I promise I’m not alone. Enjoy the empty tables and the Yelp reviews.

Bring Owen back — or get used to...