![]() ![]() All of them a real Branson before Branson.Īn avid speedboat racer, he created the Benihana Grand Prix, which he himself won in 1979, sailing a 38-foot catamaran. Rocky Aoki took his celebrity by air, land, and sea - slapping Benihana branding across all of his vehicles - literally. In 1973, he launched a soft-core porn men’s magazine by the same name (and another great “Benihana-style gimmick: two centerfolds for the price of one!”). Rocky Aoki playing backgammon, via NY Mag He reportedly lost $2m on the venture and closed it a year later. In 1970, he opened a 6-story “in-crowd” nightclub called Genesis, which became his personal playground to hookup with lots of women, and binge on cocaine and backgammon. Over the next few decades, he dipped his toe into every market imaginable, from pro sports (attempting to purchase the San Francisco Giants) to Broadway productions. Rocky Aoki’s ambition could not be contained by the cooktop. “Money not everything, just 99%” - Rocky Aoki By 1972, Benihana had nearly 20 restaurants profiting $12m a year. Rocky capitalized on time in the spotlight, opening new restaurants in Chicago, Honolulu, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Then, he got ‘found’: A rave review from the New York Herald Tribune eventually brought in crowds and regulars of the likes of Muhammed Ali, and Sean Connery. He barred any fish items other than shrimp - an early Benihana tagline was “no slithery, fishy things.”įor the first 6 months, Rocky slept on the floor of the restaurant’s bathroom, losing money on the joint. ![]() Japanese food was rare in the US at the time, so Rocky Aoki kept his menu simple. So, at just 25, Rocky asked his veteran chefs to throw in the bells and whistles - prepare meals over an iron griddle, crack jokes (and eggs) with customers, and set onion volcanoes ablaze.Īnd in 1964, in Midtown Manhattan, Benihana was born. That summer, he saved $10k from driving an ice cream truck in Harlem and used it to persuade his father to co-invest in a 4-table Japanese teppanyaki restaurant.īut his showman father balked at the idea, believing spectacle is what puts American butts in the seats. He was inducted into the Japanese Wrestling hall of fame in 1995 (via Fortune).Īfter graduating in 1963 with an associate’s degree in restaurant management, he followed in the footsteps of the family business. Young Rocky Aoiki shaking an opponent’s hand. Growing up, Rocky’s wrestling talent earned him a spot on Japan’s 1960 Olympic team and a scholarship to wrestle in the States at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Legend has it that Yunosuke was walking through the wreckage when he spotted a tiny red flower amidst the soot and destruction - he decided to name his new cafe after the plant: Benihana. According to Rocky, his father, Yunosuke, was a “playboy” with a love for vaudeville and the restaurant biz - an industry he entered right around the time American B-29s bombed Tokyo in 1942, killing close to 100k people. ![]() Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki was born in Tokyo in 1938. It also launched a bitter legal battle against 6 of his 7 children, that left them without a dime from the Benihana fortune. Rocky’s iconic chain of theatrical, teppanyaki-style restaurants allowed him to live a lavish life of wild suits, adventure sports, cocaine - and lots of s-e-x. The creator of Benihana: Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki. They merely borrowed from one of the original tycoon bad boys a man one part Chuck Norris legend, and two parts jheri curl. All playboy entrepreneurs with egos the size of Texas, an instinct to go big, and, of course, an obsession with cold, hard cash.īut make no mistake, these men are no trailblazers. ![]()
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