OK, maybe not fully retire the concept, but at least fix it. It’s broken.

It’s often difficult to distinguish between a fad and a trend except to think of the former as more fleeting and the latter as forward-thinking. When is it time to look at a concept and say “enough” and recognize the brand you once had is no longer working for you? That’s my feeling about Benihana: Rethink the show.

No matter how many times they tweak the menu and make changes (most of which still result in an expensive outing), it’s less than a satisfying performance. Years ago the knife-wielding theatrics were more intense, and thus, more exciting. Now everything has been tamed down. Their antics were more in line with those of  The Flying Karamazov Brothers instead of the minimal performance of today. Disappointing.

Now it is lame. They barely lift the knives and do a few odd food tricks they’ve been doing for years: the onion volcano (plenty of youtube versions to watch), and the flying shrimp into the chef hat. Maybe the saddest part is that there is little communication between the hibachi cook and the guests; basically, a complete language breakdown. The language barrier has taken over and no one seems to understand what is being communicated or attempted to be communicated. All is too highly scripted to include interactive fun even though the show is tableside!

That’s sad when a memory fades and becomes a questionable experience. Servers seem to be hawking drinks, sides, and anything else they can muster. There is far too much competition for our dining out dollars to be at the mercy of a show that needs to have the curtain come down.

No matter how many people celebrate birthdays there; this show needs to retire. Someone should be able to look at the old tapes and revive the spirit of fun, performance dining. The best trick now is to remember it is first and foremost a restaurant so the food has to be worthy. Then the act needs a new manager.

Hate to kill a tradition.