Aventua, Fla. — The board of directors of Benihana Inc., operator of Benihana, RA Sushi and Haru Sushi restaurants, has named Thomas J. Baldwin its new chief executive officer and president. Baldwin will be based in Aventura, Fla., and responsible for Benihana’s 100 Benihana, RA Sushi and Haru Sushi restaurants as well as the 10 Benihana franchised restaurants.
Baldwin brings more than three decades of restaurant industry expertise to lead Benihana, having served in senior executive roles at both publicly-listed and privately-held companies. He was chairman, CEO and president of Morton’s Restaurant Group. During his 20-year tenure at Morton’s, he led the company through two IPOs and is recognized throughout the restaurant industry for his role in building Morton’s The Steakhouse into a global iconic brand and category leader. Throughout his career, he has also been active in multiple private equity-backed restaurant brands.
Benihana Inc. is the nation’s leading operator of Japanese Teppanyaki and Sushi restaurants with 100 restaurants nationwide, including 66 Benihana restaurants, seven Haru Sushi restaurants and 27 RA Sushi restaurants. In addition, 10 franchised Benihana restaurants are operating in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information, visit www.benihana.com.
SOURCE: Benihana Inc.