Benihana opens restaurant with sushi by conveyer belt

BY RON BEASLEY

The Benihana restaurant chain has opened another sushi restaurant in South Beach, but this one is a fish house with a twist -- it offers sushi on a conveyer belt and a unique design by a world-class artist.
Conveyer belt-delivered sushi, called "kaiten" sushi, while a relatively new concept in the United States, has been around for quite some time in Japan and has achieved widespread acceptance.

"The guy who originated it used to work for Coca-Cola," said Kevin Aoki, Benihana vice president and son of company founder Rocky Aoki. "His job consisted of taking a bottle of Coca-Cola and putting it on the conveyor belt. He thought, 'Let's put sushi on it!' So, that's how it all started in 1958. He opened up a restaurant in Osaka and today, in the last five years, there are over 5,000 kaiten restaurants in Japan."

Aoki said many traditional sushi bars in Japan are closing and then re-opening under the kaiten concept because the concept is so popular. He says kaiten sushi is a little cheaper and a great deal more convenient.

"Everybody hates to wait for food when they're hungry," said Aoki. "When you come into a Sushi Doraku, you just sit down and start eating. You don't have to wait for anybody."

A 140-foot clear Plexiglas-enclosed conveyer belt snakes around the deep, rectangular restaurant. Customers looking for a quick meal simply walk in and sit down on one of the round bar stools that front the conveyer belt. When they see a sushi dish passing that strikes their palate, they simply lift the window and take it off the beltway.

The various dishes are color coded, so when customers finish eating they signal the waiter by turning the wooden "attention-getter" device red side up. The waiter counts the plates, presents the diner with a bill and payment is made at the register on the way out.

The Lincoln Road Sushi Doraku was designed by the popular Dali-esque artist Rick Diaz, who until recently made his home in Miami, but now resides in New Mexico. The centerpiece of Diaz's marine décor is a huge multi-colored, fiberglass octopus suspended from the ceiling, its tentacles swirling outward and its suction cups decorated in a variety of shades.

"My first thought when Rocky asked me to design this restaurant was to take a sea creature that I could use as a focal point," Garcia said. "And I thought the octopus was just perfect. As the concept grew, I started using more elements of the sea."

There are two large fiberglass boots transform themselves into colorful eels, while the lighting that zigzags around the restaurant is suspended on something similar to fishing line with weights that are similar to sinkers. The fixtures in the hallway ceiling resemble fish eyes with exaggerated eyelashes. Prints of Garcia's original oil paintings hang on the walls and are for sale. The art will be rotated periodically to give the eatery a fresh appearance.

The South Beach location at 1104 Lincoln Road is the second Sushi Doraku restaurant in South Florida -- the other is in Ft. Lauderdale at the Las Olas Riverfront -- and Benihana plans to open another later this year in Chicago.