Rocky aoki

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Rocky Aoki had an amazing life. For one, he dreamt up Benihana, the iconic teppanyaki restaurant where Americans go to celebrate birthdays and chefs flip shrimp tails into their shirt pockets. But the globe-trotting restaurateur also raced boats, cars and hot air balloons. He produced Broadway plays and founded a porn magazine. He fathered seven children with three women; and when he died in , married to a fourth his third wife , he left behind the sort of combustible family dynamics that gave rise to the epic, ongoing battle over his fractured restaurant empire. Much more.

Rocky aoki

He ran a soft-porn magazine, called Muhammad Ali a pal, cycled through romantic interests the way some restaurants run through specials, and relaxed by racing boats and piloting a hot-air balloon. After one of his brushes with death, he awoke in a hospital room with his then-current wife on one side of the bed and his girlfriend at the time on the other. The women had not met previously. The patient lived to tell jokes about how he talked his way out of the situation. Most amazingly, those traits only begin to tell the story of Rocky Aoki, the musician-turned-wrestler-turned-nightclub-impresario who made his money by founding the Benihana teppanyaki chain. If restaurant characters had their own hall of fame, a whole wing could be devoted to the Japanese immigrant who eventually died from lingering after-effects of his thrill-seeking. Subscribe wherever you usually get your podcasts. Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here. Sign up to receive texts from Restaurant Business on news and insights that matter to your brand. The latest from Restaurant Business, sent straight to your inbox. The breakfast-and-lunch chain is proceeding slowly and selectively in building its stack.

In Aprilmayors in 49 Benihana-blessed cities across America planted trees and held festivities to celebrate the restaurant chain.

Published: August 20, Branson, Musk , Trump, Hefner. All playboy entrepreneurs with egos the size of Texas, an instinct to go big, and, of course, an obsession with cold, hard cash. They merely borrowed from one of the original tycoon bad boys; a man one part Chuck Norris legend, and two parts jheri curl. It also launched a bitter legal battle against 6 of his 7 children, that left them without a dime from the Benihana fortune.

He came to this country to compete as a wrestler. He remained here to become an American and international business tycoon. Rocky Aoki already had won national wrestling championships in Japan. A seat steakhouse with a limited menu and fresh food, his Benihana Restaurant offered a preparation technique which caught on quickly. Within three months, Benihana became the most talked-about restaurant in New York. Aoki soon opened another three blocks away and from to '72 added half a dozen more.

Rocky aoki

Published: August 20, Branson, Musk , Trump, Hefner. All playboy entrepreneurs with egos the size of Texas, an instinct to go big, and, of course, an obsession with cold, hard cash. They merely borrowed from one of the original tycoon bad boys; a man one part Chuck Norris legend, and two parts jheri curl. It also launched a bitter legal battle against 6 of his 7 children, that left them without a dime from the Benihana fortune. 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. But his showman father balked at the idea, believing spectacle is what puts American butts in the seats. 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.

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Restaurant Rewind. Flight of the Pacific Eagle. June 9, It traveled a record 5, miles 9, km. Download as PDF Printable version. Self 3 Archive Footage 1. RB Daily. Sign up for free. Much more. Keiko Ono Aoki. Archived from the original on March 10, Strawberry Road. Operations Eggs Inc. Toggle limited content width. April 6,

Rocky Aoki, who sought to offer diners a sense of magic and entertainment at his Japanese steakhouse Benihana, has died after complications from cancer. He was Aoki, whose Benihana empire includes more than restaurants worldwide, died Thursday night in New York from pneumonia, surrounded by his wife and six children, company spokeswoman Nancy Bauer said Friday.

Branson, Musk , Trump, Hefner. Aoki attended Keio University , where he competed in track and field , karate , and wrestling before being expelled for fighting. Aoki and some friends started a rock and roll band called Rowdy Sounds, though Aoki eventually abandoned music for athletics. A Deeper Dive. See the list. Retrieved July 24, Retrieved February 16, See our predictions. 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. February 7, United States Japan.