Order 1234961: The Marketplace/ Benihana restaurant

Oct 10, 2018

In the case of Benihana restaurant, the surroundings, music, location and even the people have a massive impact on the image that the restaurant wants to portray. Big food chains use bright colors, loud music, and quick food service to get the desired results while other places prefer a different client base.

Benihana restaurant is a relatively traditional Japanese restaurant which is one of its kind. The restaurant is located at the side of a quiet little street in Anaheim with a small entrance that you may not notice if you don't know where you're headed. The entry is a traditional Japanese wooden door. The entire theme of the restaurant is rooted in Japanese culture. Upon entering the restaurant, the customers are greeted by a waitress dressed in a Kimono.

The restaurant is quaint, with just a few tables and dim lighting. It has no more than eighth tables, working well with the intimate environment of the restaurant. Classical Japanese music, also referred to as shōmyō plays slowly in the background as the customers take their seats. Despite the vast cultural differences, the place has a very homely feel. The restaurant has a sweet smell in the air. All the staff greets customers with huge smiles on their face making it a very welcoming environment. Each table is surrounded by wooden chairs; some are surrounded by two to accommodate couples, some with four and some with six to cater to slightly large groups. The wooden tables and chairs give a more rustic feel to the restaurant and work well with the design of the place.

At the back of the restaurant, there is a small window through which you can see the workings of the kitchen. It's a modest, but well-equipped kitchen with the staff dressed in white coats and chefs' hats. Here, you can see your order being freshly prepared. A soft bell is heard, and the waitress rushes to the window to receive the order.

On the other end of the restaurant, there is a fascinating sight, a line of benches, shaped into a square with a marbled table like surface in front of it. A man is standing in the middle in chefs clothing holding a spatula with a black hot plate in front of him. Here, he is surrounded by a group of people. If nothing else, this is enough to spark one's curiosity. Taking a closer look, it can be seen that the man is tossing vegetables and different kinds of meat onto the hot plate, using tricks to entertain the customers but with extreme precision. He flings the cooked food onto the customer's plates as they start eating.

On the outside, the restaurant seems like a modest one but looking at the clientele, it is apparent that first impressions can be wrong. The tables are filled with men in expensive suits discussing their day to day business. They sit at their tables sitting overprices sake, a traditional Japanese rice wine. The exclusivity of the place becomes apparent when a small bar is spotted. The bar is stocked with spirits that value at hundreds of dollars per bottle and customers are happy to pay for them.

The modest demeanor of the restaurant can fool anyone but most people who come to the restaurant are frequent visitors and are aware of the prices and quality of everything that is served thus knowing the exclusivity of the restaurant itself. The fancy counter and the bar give the place an immersive feel while the separate tables allow for more privacy thus incorporating both aspects in a well-designed way.

The restaurant has a brilliant business model; it caters to all the needs of its customers while ensuring that they make maximum profit. This is done mainly by the bar in the corner. Customers purchase exuberantly expensive bottles for their tables, bottles that would be 1/3rd the price at any store. Incorporating the bar into the restaurant also ensures that customers will purchase more items as the consumption of alcohol makes people more impulsive and willing to spend more money. If a customer chooses to bring their bottle, they are prepared to pay a cover charge that is more than the cost of the bottle thus discouraging customers from bringing their own but making a huge profit even if they do. The restaurant has also very cleverly worked around the intake of the food with the free alcohol. It gives its customers free alcohol shots where the customer bill is amounted to a certain price, so customer becomes more driven to achieve that amount to acquire the free liquor.

Since this place is so exclusive and the entry is very much restricted to that customer who has the back to support the massive bills it has become a sign for status by the rich people and businesspeople who enjoy the Japanese food. Some customer comes here so that they can flaunt their luxury lifestyle. The restaurant is also a "consumer-oriented" It focuses on the customer needs and adapts accordingly, such as if the customer is looking for a particular type of beverage, the restaurant will procure it on a bespoke basis to accommodate the client.

The fancy counter also plays a huge role in the business model of the restaurant as it becomes an attraction for people who choose to visit the place with family and friends to have a good time. The tricks performed by the chef at the counter fascinates people thus giving the area an element of fun.

The restaurant covers most things needed to make a business successful, from the homely feel to the factor of fun, exclusivity all the while maintaining a calm demeanor.