Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse is slated to open by the end of October in Fort Gratiot.
Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse is slated to open by the end of October in Fort Gratiot.
The restaurant is a spin-off of the Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bars located in Ann Arbor, Sterling Heights and Jackson.
The steakhouse will be a hibachi-style restaurant with the cooks grilling at the customers’ dining tables.
“We cook right in front of people and it’s like a show, ” said Dayan Chen, steakhouse co-owner. “And sometimes we sing if people have a birthday.”
Chen said sushi is made on-demand as people order it and each hibachi dinner comes with several sides. Meat choices for the hibachi dinner are chicken, steak, shrimp, filet mignon, or lobster, among other options. Each adult hibachi dinner comes with soup, salad, two pieces of shrimp, and then steamed or fried rice. The fried rice is also cooked in front of the customers.
Chen said all of the items on the menu are his favorite, but most people order chicken, steak or shrimp hibachi.
The biggest different between the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and the Ichiban chain is the grouping of owners. Some owners overlap, but as the group is not precisely the same, they decided to change the name. However, the food experience will be practically the same as at the Ichiban restaurants.
“I was in New York for five years before moving to Michigan, ” Chen said. “We are a team and we all have worked in Japanese steakhouses for 10 to 15 years, so we all know what to do and what’s going on.”
Chen has relocated to coincide with the opening of the restaurant and is now a Fort Gratiot resident. He wanted to be a local business owner who understands the local community.
He said his group of owners chose to expand to Fort Gratiot as there were few to no sushi and hibachi restaurants. He said he is also looking forward to serving the influx of Canadian customers as well.
Construction crews are halfway through rebuilding the 4,000-square-foot interior of the restaurant which was formerly Mongolian Buffet and Grill at 4095 24th Ave. The interior had to be completely rebuilt to accommodate 10 hibachi stations. The restaurant will seat up to 145 customers, with 10 seats available at each of the 10 hibachi stations. Other seating will be offered for those just ordering appetizers or sushi.
Mongolian Buffet moved out of the space in March 2016 to make room for the Famous Footwear store that opened and expanded into their square footage. Mongolian Buffet is now located in the former Hooter’s building, just south of the new steakhouse.
For a preview of what’s to come, go to www.ichibanrestaurants.com to get an idea of what the steakhouse’s menu will be similar to.
