OHANA Waikiki East Hotel to welcome new Tanaka of Tokyo Restaurant this fall

RELEASE NUMBER 80/15

WAIKIKI, HONOLULU, HAWAII – Something new is cooking at the OHANA Waikiki East Hotel. Tanaka of Tokyo, a Honolulu-based restaurant group, will open its newest location in the OHANA Waikiki East Hotel October 1. The new restaurant will relocate from its current King’s Village location and take over the former Roundtable Pizza space. The restaurant design will incorporate the most innovative cooking technology on the market, Evo EVent™ cooking tables, featuring a unique, self-contained air recirculating ventilation system for maximum food preparation flexibility and an even more theatrical experience for guests.

“Given the growing popularity of Tanaka of Tokyo restaurants, we are anxiously awaiting the grand opening of its newest location at the OHANA Waikiki East,” said Barbara Campbell, vice president of retail development and leasing for Outrigger Enterprises Group. “At Outrigger we always strive to provide guests, visitors and kamaaina with unforgettable dining experiences and we believe Tanaka of Tokyo is the perfect recipe for success.”

Hot of the grill, the new Tanaka of Tokyo restaurant design at OHANA Waikiki East will feature Evo EVent™ cooking tables developed by Oregon-based Evo, Incorporated. The new cooking tables will offer maximum flexibility without any constraints and restrictions due to the typically required overhead hoods and externally ducted air ventilation system. Recently awarded a 2015 Kitchen Innovation Award, the tables are designed to remove smoke and grease through four sets of filters and returns air that is 99.9 percent clean back into the restaurant.

“Our new restaurant in the OHANA Waikiki East Hotel is going to bring even more magic to Waikiki since it will be the first in Hawaii to incorporate the Evo EVent™ teppan-yaki tables,” said Chester Kaneshiro, president of Tanaka of Tokyo. “This new cooking technology will be a game changer for the restaurant industry and will put our chefs on center stage, making dining with us an even more entertaining and memorable experience.”

Founded by Richard Tanaka, the original Tanaka of Tokyo restaurant was opened in Toronto Canada in the early 1970s. Tanaka flew to Japan twice yearly to purchase dishware and supplies as these items were not readily available in Canada, and often times found himself stopped in Honolulu on his flights between Toronto and Japan. Being of Japanese descent but raised in a Western society, he felt comfortable in Honolulu and moved to Hawaii in 1977 to open Tanaka of Tokyo in the newly built Waikiki Shopping Plaza. The restaurant group currently operates three locations in Waikiki and Ala Moana Shopping Center.

At Tanaka of Tokyo, guests enjoy the finest steak and seafood skillfully prepared with great speed, dexterity and flair by master teppan-yaki chefs on tabletop grills. A feast for the eyes and the plate, the restaurant specializes in Premium Angus beef sirloin, imported lobster tails, shrimp and scallops, as well as fresh garden vegetables. King salmon, filet mignon and teriyaki chicken are among its most popular dishes.  

“Tanaka of Tokyo is a welcomed addition to our dining options at the OHANA Waikiki East and we can’t wait for our guests to be blown away by the flair and mastery of a teppan meal,” said Neil Mason, general manager at OHANA Waikiki East. “

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