Benihana Free Birthday Meal

[GenGen22]

So, I've been looking for a restaurant to take my cousin to when we are there in a few weeks for her 40th birthday in or outside of DL. So, I looked to see what we like in restaurants in that area. I found Benihana's it's 12 minutes away on Ball Rd. which is good for us as we have a car. And if you sign up on their website under promotions it includes a free $30 birthday meal certificate and they also give you a photo of your party. Which is awesome!!! Just thought I would share this with everyone as it's a good savings and we're always looking to save money. Originally I wanted to go to Blue Bayou but my cousin's daughter is a very picky eater and didn't like most of the Disney restaurant menu's so, we decided on this restaurant.

 

[smartlabelprint]

It's buy one get one free. It used to be free. So I'm not signed up anymore. I don't order a full meal because they don't have enough vegetarian options.

 

[GenGen22]

You are correct they do not have a lot of vegetarian meals. What it actually says is you get a gift certificate for the month of your birthday for $30. We will have 3 adults and one child in our party so, to get my cousin's meal free is a God deal for us and others possibly depending on what you like to eat and how many will be attending.[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]

 

[SMD]

You get $30 for one person to use against their order with the purchase of another full price meal. So one person could get the cheapest entree and the other could get a more expensive one for $30. In December I had tofu yakisoba. I had to pay extra to sub tofu, just leaving out the chicken would have been free. You can also sub miso soup for the onion soup or get double salad. The only thing they don't sub for is the shrimp appetizer, but once they cut it up you only get like 3 shrimp anyway, so it's not a huge loss. With the extra money for the $30 I'd order extra fried rice, without chicken to go. Or some veggie sushi.

 

[GenGen22]

You get $30 for one person to use against their order with the purchase of another full price meal. So one person could get the cheapest entree and the other could get a more expensive one for $30. In December I had tofu yakisoba. I had to pay extra to sub tofu, just leaving out the chicken would have been free. You can also sub miso soup for the onion soup or get double salad. The only thing they don't sub for is the shrimp appetizer, but once they cut it up you only get like 3 shrimp anyway, so it's not a huge loss. With the extra money for the $30 I'd order extra fried rice, without chicken to go. Or some veggie sushi.

Thanks for sharing this information. My cousin loves miso soup, so this makes it an even better deal for us.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

Also note that the certificate is only good on Monday-Thursdays. So if you were planning a weekend meal, get ready to adjust that.

 

[SMD]

And it's only good for dinner. You used to be able to use it at lunch, but they changed the rules a few years ago. And you can't use it on alcohol. I did get a souvenir glass with a soda a few years ago and I think I was able to apply it towards that. If I remember correctly my total bill was slight over $30 that time.

 

[my*gracie*girl]

We have been wanting to go to Benihana's....never been. This would make it more affordable. Thanks for sharing!

 

[GenGen22]

Monkey, I did see it was for Mon-Thur which is perfect as we arrive Thursday and plan to go. SMD, I also read about it being for dinner which is what we were planning. Souvanier cup, interesting.. I will have to check that out. We don't drink much so, alcohol isn't an issue but good for others to know. One thing I would like to add for others to know as well is they don't accept reservations as I called and tried to make one. So, be prepared to wait unless you eat an early dinner.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Is this for all the Benihana's? And only good for certain days?

 

[GenGen22]

Is this for all the Benihana's? And only good for certain days?

I would check the Benihana website or call your local Benihana. The one where I'm from offers a free meal as well with a free photo. I believe it is similar but you don't have to sign up you just bring your photo is as proof of your birth date.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I would check the Benihana website or call your local Benihana. The one where I'm from offers a free meal as well with a free photo. I believe it is similar but you don't have to sign up you just bring your photo is as proof of your birth date.

Thank you! I will check out the website. It does make a way for a little less expensive dinner.

 

[GenGen22]

Thank you! I will check out the website. It does make a way for a little less expensive dinner.

Any savings is helpful.

 

[SMD]

It's not accepted at every Benihana. I know that the one in Vegas does not participate. For the ones that do take reservations, they will only seat a whole table. So while I'd recommend a reservation if it's available, you may still have to wait on arrival for a full table.

The Chef's Table certificate is good for the calendar month of your birthday. So if your birthday is June 1st or June 30th you would still get the entire month of June either way. The conditions are all there when you sign up. It's a good deal, but it's not as simple as show up and get a free meal. I believe there are some Benihanas that are not corporate owned, but for the corporate ones it's $30 towards a meal when a full price meal is purchased with additional conditions.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

It's not accepted at every Benihana. I know that the one in Vegas does not participate. For the ones that do take reservations, they will only seat a whole table. So while I'd recommend a reservation if it's available, you may still have to wait on arrival for a full table.

If we're talking about the one on Ball, they do have reservations available on opentable.com- or you can search "Benihana Anaheim reservations" and the link will pop up (I literally just googled it). The only reason I know is because that's the one my friends and I "celebrate" all of our birthdays at with reservations every time. And they have a pretty good happy hour too, but that's only in the sushi bar and bar areas- not the hibachi tables.

ETA- just reread your post. Things clicked. Yes, if you make a reservation for a few people (like 4) they may have you wait until another party of 4 or two smaller 2s arrive so they can cook everyone's food at the same time. But the Happy Hour still stands!

 

[GenGen22]

If we're talking about the one on Ball, they do have reservations available on opentable.com- or you can search "Benihana Anaheim reservations" and the link will pop up (I literally just googled it). The only reason I know is because that's the one my friends and I "celebrate" all of our birthdays at with reservations every time. And they have a pretty good happy hour too, but that's only in the sushi bar and bar areas- not the hibachi tables.

ETA- just reread your post. Things clicked. Yes, if you make a reservation for a few people (like 4) they may have you wait until another party of 4 or two smaller 2s arrive so they can cook everyone's food at the same time. But the Happy Hour still stands!

If we didn't plan on the hibachi table or have a kid with us that reservation would work for us but it's not the case for us

 

[SMD]

If we're talking about the one on Ball, they do have reservations available on opentable.com- or you can search "Benihana Anaheim reservations" and the link will pop up (I literally just googled it). The only reason I know is because that's the one my friends and I "celebrate" all of our birthdays at with reservations every time. And they have a pretty good happy hour too, but that's only in the sushi bar and bar areas- not the hibachi tables.

ETA- just reread your post. Things clicked. Yes, if you make a reservation for a few people (like 4) they may have you wait until another party of 4 or two smaller 2s arrive so they can cook everyone's food at the same time. But the Happy Hour still stands!

I checked the OpenTable app before I posted. It says "This retaurant is offline." They also have several recent bad reviews about reservations, so I wonder if that has something to do with it. I have successfully used OpenTable at other locations, and would still recommend it, just arrive early to minimize delays, but expect some waiting, especially at the end of the month when everyone is rushing to use their certificate.